Isn’t it fitting, this year of all years, that Mother’s Day falls right after Teacher Appreciation Week?
Teacher Appreciation, Chicago Style!
This week, my colleague Tanesha Peeples and I want to take a moment to shout-out a handful of the many Chicago teachers we know who are working their hearts out for students every day. Take Jessica Fong, preK teacher at Velma Thomas Early Childhood Center. When schools closed due to COVID-19, half of her preK students and families began taking…
Here’s Why We Need Asian American History Right Now
I have a distinct memory of playing catch with my dad in a public park during middle school, when a stranger yelled at my dad, “Go back to the country you came from!” I remember watching my dad fume at this experience of being “othered” in the very place he was born and raised, while also feeling confused about why…
It’s Good to Appreciate Teachers; Now, Let’s Listen to Them.
This year, Teacher Appreciation Week has taken on a whole new dimension. With many states, including Illinois, now shuttered for the remainder of the school year, countless parents nationwide are looking ahead to months more of educating their own children at home. As families continue to struggle through this new reality, it’s clear teachers’ work is being appreciated now more…
Stay Home, Hit Play and Take a Field Trip with Mayor Lightfoot
A new WTTW online and TV series takes viewers behind the scenes of Chicago’s iconic museums and cultural institutions.
Digital Learning Will Never Replace Human Teachers
[Editor’s note: Names have been changed to protect the privacy of teachers and students.] Before the pandemic, I had so many wonderful opportunities to watch wise teachers make strategic, in-the-moment decisions to support students. Our ninth-grade English teacher, Ms. Watkins, is one of those wise teachers. Ms. Watkins has a glow about her that radiates to kids. Her warmth is…
Preschoolers Have the Least Access to Remote Learning
For years, most discussion of tech and young children’s learning has focused on whether screens are appropriate at all for preschoolers. But the pandemic and remote learning are forcing us to think differently about how electronic devices can help the youngest learners. I’m fortunate to know a local leader in creative use of technology with preschoolers. My friend Jessica Fong,…
Let’s Keep Pushing the FCC and Internet Providers to Make Sure Kids Are Connected
The FCC can narrow the digital divide but only if we use our collective voices to demand what’s right.