1. So Many Steps “I did the assignment,” she said in an email. She’s pretty good at keeping up with her grades. And when she sees something that she thinks is wrong, she lets me know. I depend on that. “Thanks for letting me know,” I replied. I checked Google Classroom, suspecting that I might […]
Category Archives: Default
The Bulletin Board
Fri, 22 Jan 2021, 08:52 PM (-06:00)
He stood gazing at the bulletin board outside our classroom. It’s covered in drawings and descriptions that some of the kids drew and wrote. Of Deep Space Network antennas and black holes. Of Chicxulub crater and pyroclastic flow and the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. Of kabuki and syncopation and the Royal Drums of Burundi. Of the […]
The Wrong Day?
Mon, 18 Jan 2021, 04:25 PM (-06:00)
Was that the wrong dream for this particular day? On a day of dreams of freedom and peace. Of casting aside manacles and chains. On this day of struggle. Of black and white. Of justice. Was this the wrong day for that dream? You might say so. That the day should not be stolen. Should not […]
I Dream a World
Mon, 18 Jan 2021, 06:47 AM (-06:00)
Oh, Rachel Martin and Kwame Alexander in the morning. I haven’t felt this way about words on the radio since John Ciardi’s. We woke up to Rachel and Kwame’s challenge this morning. How about this… I dream a world where allmy students walk into our room.I dream a world where we come together and no […]
Hoping For Contagion
Sun, 17 Jan 2021, 07:14 PM (-06:00)
“Mister,” said a disembodied voice from the monitor on the wall. This rarely happens. So few remote students speak up. Certainly none as loudly. “It’s Yolanda!” a student in the front row said. “Go ahead, Yolanda. What’s up?” “Mister, is that because…” She proceeded to ask a question related to simplifying square roots. It was a […]
Was this a test?
Sat, 16 Jan 2021, 09:59 AM (-06:00)
A message popped up. It was from a student who has recently gone remote again. Many students are going remote again — some because their families are no longer willing to accept the risks, others because the school is doing contact tracing on kids testing positive. But I digress. A message had popped up. The […]
Greek Letters
Sat, 9 Jan 2021, 11:22 PM (-06:00)
The bell had just rung. The students were settling in. Sixth period is always a little rowdy at the beginning, and this day was no exception. Suddenly one of the students was shouting. “Mr. Hasan! What are these letters?” The others looked over. He was holding the class notes up with both hands. “They’re … […]
On Looking Menacing
Sat, 9 Jan 2021, 01:03 PM (-06:00)
1. On The Balustrade It was long ago, it was summer, and it was Saturday. The air was warm, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining. I grabbed a backpack and caught the Metro to the Mall. From Metro Center, I walked to the Capitol. I climbed the steps to where you can […]
Forgot It All
Sat, 9 Jan 2021, 08:48 AM (-06:00)
It was the first day of the second semester of my third year as a teacher. What period was it? I don’t remember. First, second, sixth. One of the pre-AP classes. It had been a minor struggle all morning. The upgraded Zoom apps had a new user interface. The wireless was slow. Zoom was slow. Things […]
Transfer Paperwork
Fri, 8 Jan 2021, 11:03 PM (-06:00)
She came into the classroom before school started with a pink piece of paper in her hand. “Hi Jennifer,” I said. “What’s up?” “Would you please sign this?” I looked down. It was a form to transfer out of our pre-AP class. “Sure. Where do I sign?” “Here, I think.” I signed on the line. […]