Since Critical Race Theory Is Being Called ‘Indoctrination,’ Let’s Go There

I wanna have a heart to heart with my Black people real quick. Last week I found out Idaho passed a bill to ban the…

For Teacher Appreciation Week, Let’s Give Teachers Something They Really Want

I wanted to write the standard feel-good piece for Teacher Appreciation Week. I really did, but it just felt inauthentic. Don’t get me wrong. I…

No, You Should Not Be Teaching Black Children if You Reject Anti-Racism

There would be no lynching if it did not start in the schoolroom. Dr. Carter G. Woodson The news has been full of parents, school…

Don’t Buy Into the Hype Around Learning Loss

I get it: “learning loss” is scary. Considering the unprecedented overuse of the word “unprecedented” to describe what our nation’s K-12 education system has faced…

We Can Unleash the Genius of Our Students by Putting the Arts at the Center

This essay is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Patrick Pritchard from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, who recently passed away on March 6, 2021.…

The Only Cure for White Supremacy Is To Teach Students Real American History

On January 6, as my students were learning about the history of trench warfare during World War I, I had no idea that our own…

We Have to Teach About What Happened at the Capitol Yesterday

I sat yesterday after school watching the news, Twitter and my email, mortified by the actions unfolding in our nation’s capital (and across the nation),…

Who’s Asking the Questions in Your Classroom? If It’s Not Your Students, Think Again

Teachers often tell their students that there is no such thing as a bad question. It’s true of course—students should never be embarrassed to ask…

I’m Empowering My Students to Lead Conversations About Race

In late September, I began my class with my usual prompt: Is there anything in the news you’d like to share? My students would generally…

We Can’t Avoid Politics. Here’s How to Bring Them Into the Classroom

Only days after the projected presidential results, a microphone unmutes with shuffling in the backdrop, and a doubtful guise on the face of a teenage,…