Tom Rademacher

Tom Rademacher (Mr. Rad to his students) is an English teacher in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2014 he was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. He teaches writing and writes about teaching on his blog. His book, published by University of Minnesota Press, is called "IT WON’T BE EASY: An Exceedingly Honest (and Slightly Unprofessional) Love Letter to Teaching."

Posts By Tom Rademacher

U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan’s New Book Made Me Feel Awful But You Should Totally Read It

I just finished hate-reading Arne Duncan’s book, “ How Schools Work.” I didn’t hate the book, but for so many reasons, I really hated reading it. As a teacher, the most damaging, dangerous thought I...

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Diversity

Future White Teachers: A Guide to Racism and Privilege

updated February 9, 2024 Yes, I’m addressing you directly as white teachers. That may feel uncomfortable. You’re going to have to get over that, or this is going to be pretty rough. If you are white,...

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Teaching

I Want So Badly to Be an Anti-Racist Ally and Yet I Still Mess Up Sometimes

“Dear @MrTomRad, we have a lot of common peeps and I respect your work. While I can appreciate what you're trying to do with this piece, a surge in racism is not a gift to my children. We have ruined...

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Poverty

That's Right, Kids, We've Totally Ruined the Country. Consider It a Gift.

This post generated a lot of thoughtful responses to which the author has written a reflection reconsidering his approach to race in this particular piece. We highly recommend reading the companion...

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Student Voice

One of My Most Conservative Students Shares What It’s Like to Be in My Class

My learning this year has been greatly assisted by a number of students willing to be honest with me. One of them, Alec, is the kind of kid teachers love to have. He will take a random idea or...

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Politics

So This Is What You Call ‘Teacher Appreciation’?

It’s Teacher Appreciation Day. But I have to admit it’s kind of a weird time to collect a free burrito and feel “appreciated.” In some places, like my home state of Minnesota, we do OK on salary, but...

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