Welcome to First Fish Chronicles!

Hi! I’m Emily Cherkin. Welcome!

My mission is to save children, education, and democracy by dismantling the EdTech industry through grassroots change. I am a teacher, writer, author, speaker, activist, consultant, and parent.

First Fish Chronicles is the home for my advocacy, writing, and community building in support of my mission to dismantle EdTech. I named this newsletter the First Fish Chronicles because I fundamentally believe the direction we’re going in needs to change and we need courageous humans to go first. To learn more about First Fish, read this note.

By subscribing to the First Fish Chronicles, you join a community of advocates fighting to protect education for our children and keep Big Tech out of the classroom. As a subscriber, you’ll receive weekly essays that dive deep into the real threat posed by EdTech products, Generative AI, and screen-based learning. You can support my work and get access to archived content, special Member-Only events, and Office Hours, by becoming a paid subscriber.

A little more about me

I was destined to be a teacher, as evidenced by the hours I spent “playing school” in my childhood (I was always the teacher, of course). I started my official career as a 7th grade English teacher in 2003 and spent twelve years in the classroom. Teaching middle school remains one of the most impactful and meaningful experiences of my life. My concerns about tech’s ruinous effect on education today stems from my lived experience of the power of teaching. When former students reach out, even decades later, to tell me what they remembered about our class, my heart hums. Today, I’m back in the classroom teaching a seminar at the Evans School of Public Policy at the University of Washington. I love it.

I often joke I’m also an “accidental activist” and any memoir I write will be titled as such. My lawsuits against my school district and a major EdTech company are clearly rooted in my concern for rules that are enforced or followed for some, but not for all. In terms of the EdTech industry’s business model today, this looks like speaking out against the corporate capture of education. That’s why I’m here.

I am also a long-time activist with Fairplay and currently the co-chair of the Screens-in-Schools Action Group. I cofounded The Student Data Privacy Project with friends and allies back in 2019 to test the efficacy of FERPA (spoiler alert: it’s not effectively enforced). I work closely with my dear friends and allies at the EdTech Law Center. I am a part of grassroots efforts around the globe, from London to Kazakhstan to Kenya.

In late 2025, I was invited to speak before members of UK’s Parliament on the issues relating to EdTech and harms to children. That was followed a few months later by an invitation to testify before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in January 2026.

My book, The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family, came out in January 2024 and it is in its second edition. It is the guidebook parents need to navigate parenting in the age of smartphones and social media. My favorite part is the Epilogue. I am currently working on Book 2, which will focus more on issues related to EdTech and parenting.

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.

Weekly Essays + Some Extras

Every new essay I write is sent directly to your email inbox. I will also post important news links, policy reports, templates, and downloadables that might be of interest. I will also offer podcasts, webinars, and live Office Hours for paid subscribers. You can also access this publication via the Substack app if you like to do these things on your phone (I’m Gen X- I do not).

Join Our School of Fish

We’re so much stronger if we’re swimming together. As a subscriber, you can participate in the comments section or show your support for me work with a paid subscription. It’s up to you.

Thanks for being here!

-Emily