For My Family, Seeing Their First-Gen Latina Daughter Walk Across the Stage Would Have Been Everything

If I were a magician for a day, I would strike my wand and eliminate the memory of the coronavirus as well as its impact.…

Borders Shouldn’t Keep Refugee Children Out of America, Nor Should They Keep Black and Brown Children Out of Good Schools

A growing number of people are outraged by our current immigration debacle involving refugees on the southern border of the United States: children in concentration…

Teaching English Language Learners Starts With Putting Yourself in Their Shoes

When teaching English Language Learners (ELLs), the most important and beneficial thing you can do is put yourself in their shoes.  Imagine moving to a…

Without Teach For America, I Wouldn’t Be Teaching in the Same Latinx Community Where I Grew Up

I have vivid memories of teachers joining my school communities and then saying goodbye to them only a few years later. As a young girl,…

Fixing School Discipline Policies Requires Listening and Looking at the Data

Research tells us that despite past efforts of educators and education advocates, Black and Latinx students are still consistently suspended at disproportionate rates. As districts…

To Defeat Implicit Bias, Try Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning is a very powerful practice for accelerating important learning for Black, Brown, and low-income kids. It provides “voice and choice” for the students…

How I’m Using My Story as a Homeless Student to Help Students Turn Trauma Into Strengths

By the time I was 15 years old, I was living on my own, and mostly homeless. My parents were undocumented immigrants. I didn’t know…

Those Teachers in Idaho Destroyed Any Trust Parents Had in Their Teachers

Will the parents of my Mexican students ever look at me the same after Halloween in Middleton, Idaho? On Friday, I had an awesome day…

I’ve Educated All Over North America and Now I’m Bringing That Experience to My Own Los Angeles School

Growing up it was difficult to escape discussions about education. Whether it was homework projects at the time or the future investments in my college…

Helping My Home of Puerto Rico Get Back to School

When I was growing up, Puerto Rico was always my favorite place on Earth. Born in Boston to Puerto Rican parents, I spent my summers…