Linda Langford, Guest Contributor As a mother of three, I am always in search of ways to multi-task or as my 85 year-old mother says, “Kill two birds with one stone.” Resources are always limited so whenever we can accomplish two goals while using the same resource, it is a definite checkmark in the “Win” column. … Read more »
Guest Contributor
For the Public Good: University-Community Partnerships
By Idalia Wilmoth, Guest Contributor “Partnerships do not simply deal with our responsibilities to the community or with new challenges of making knowledge relevant. They make us confront questions about the nature of expertise, about disciplinary allegiances, about reward systems, about local applications versus national prominence, and about the uneasy relationship that urban universities maintain… Read more »
Discipline, Trauma, and Queer Behavior
By Luke Grim, Guest Contributor My students aren’t typically comfortable. At home, many experience true poverty, abuse and neglect. So if they can escape the cycle of trauma for a few hours a day, they come to school to be loved. They come to build relationships and make connections. Sure, some come just to escape,… Read more »
Effective Urban Teachers Focus on Community Engagement
By Joey Feldman, Guest Contributor Duncan-Andrade (2007) argues that there are 3 types of teachers in persistently failing urban schools: Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas. He focuses his discussion on a small group of teachers he calls Ridas, who are typically very successful with a variety of students. He notes that “Ridas are often uncommitted to… Read more »
You Didn’t Mean Not to Either
By Joel Haynie, Guest Contributor “But, Mr. Haynie, I didn’t mean to hurt their feelings” is a sentiment that I frequently hear from students after they have said something in class, usually trying to be funny, but at the cost of another student. Very frequently my response is, “You didn’t mean… Read more »