The “Spirit” of House Bill 1775

Laws best serve the public interest when the literal reading of the words of any particular piece of legislation accurately reflect the intent behind the authoring of that legislation. The literal reading of the law is sometimes referred to as the “letter” of the law. The intent of the law is sometimes referred to as …

If I Get Shot at School

If I get shot at school, don’t call the shooter evil, don’t ask, “Why?” don’t say it was a “senseless tragedy.” If I get shot at school, don’t ask “How could this happen?” don’t say there was “no good reason.” If I get shot at school, don’t call me a hero. If I get shot …

The Decline of Indoctrination in Oklahoma Classrooms

There was a time in Oklahoma when political indoctrination in public school classrooms was a systemic problem. This was a time when particular political ideologies were seen as part and parcel of the educational goals of the entire U.S. public school system. It was a time when students were not given the opportunity to question …

I Was the Ideal Beneficiary of School Choice Policies

I grew up poor and white in the American South in the 1980’s. My dad pastored numerous small rural churches in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana. We moved on average every 3-4 years throughout my childhood. In December of 1991, we moved from Star City, Arkansas, population 2,000, to Nashville, Tennessee, where I began the …

Deadnaming in the Classroom and How to Avoid It

Like so many school experiences in the U.S. over the last two years, my management, organization, and delivery of instruction as a classroom teacher has forever been altered by distance learning, one-to-one technology, and the use of a learning management system (referred to here as LMS). In 2021, some teachers opted to revert to pencil …

The Somewhat Philosophical Argument Against Zeros in Grading

(Note: Immanuel Kant inexcusably espoused racist ideology as part of the so-called “race science” of the Enlightenment era. Some of Kant’s contributions to metaphysics and ethics are used here as analogous to the debate over teacher’s assigning zeros to student work. Nothing written here should be understood as an endorsement of Kantian philosophy.)  There is …

Oklahoma Senate Bill 658 Gave Me COVID-19

As I type these words, I can feel my COVID-19 symptoms developing from a minor cough and sore throat to something that makes it difficult to see the words on my computer screen through the fluid accumulating behind my eyes. You see, I am a public school teacher in Oklahoma, where local school boards have …

Educators

She was an educatorShe taught the children how to readSundays in the South 'neath that big oak treeAn infant torn from her familyLearned to read up in the cityShe knew it was illegalAnd she knew that it was rightAnd when the war was done and the children were all freedShe realized a greater need (1) …

Here’s to the State of Oklahoma

Here's to the state of Oklahoma.1 Your artificial borders are losing in the courts.2 A loss of jurisdiction is your due and just rewards. Tribal rights and sovereignty your privilege to thwart. Half-truths of your misdeeds you're happy to report. Whoa, here's to the grass still growing in the heart of.3 Oklahoma, this land tells …

For More Equity in Distance Learning, Put Classroom Teachers on Television

Public schools in the United States effectively utilize a variety of tools to address numerous societal inequities; tools like individual education plans, culturally responsive teaching, ethnic study programs, restorative justice practices, among others. A public school is a complex organism that is not complete without the sum of its parts; parts like teachers, students, administrators, …