December Can Be Tough. Let’s Bring Empathy and Grace Into Our Schools in the New Year

Everyday moments have the power to transform our thinking around the most important ideas in education. I was stopped cold in my tracks by just…

Yes, I’ve Been Hit by Students, But I Still Believe Suspensions and Expulsions Are Not the Answer

Betsy DeVos wants to end the Obama-era discipline guidance that addresses the over-suspension and expulsion of students of color. Betsy DeVos is wrong. And I…

I’m a Teacher Not a Boxer, and I’m Tired of Being Beat Up by My Students

I had a job interview recently in special education. Even though I am pretty well known for my work with older students I was interviewing for a K-2 special education classroom. There are lots of reasons for the change but there is one reason I have kept to myself. I’m kind of ashamed to say it.…

Our Job as Educators Is to Help Our Students See Good in the World. This Is What Our Country Needs Right Now.

When I became a history teacher, my job was to help students think for themselves: to look at multiple perspectives and to make sound and…

Families of Color Have a Lot to Worry About, Teachers Doing Stupid, Racist Things Shouldn’t Be One of Them

If you’re anything like me, you’ve found yourself looking at your social media timeline recently and muttering “what in the world is happening?” In late…

Coffee Break: New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year Jessica Sanders on What Brought Her to Teaching and Why She’s Staying

Once you become a Teacher of the Year, your life changes. I recently had a chance to talk with Jessica Sanders on becoming the New…

I Never Thought I Would See the Day I Defend Donald Trump But Here We Are

I stood up for the Trump guy. Life has a way of serving up some very surreal moments. Imagine, if you will, that you are…

This Teacher Just Made History by Becoming Connecticut’s First Black Woman Elected to Congress

From the moment I first heard Jahana Hayes speak, I knew that she was special. Riding back from a track meet, I came across her…

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’m Sick of Seeing Politicians Behave at Their Worst. This Is Why We Need to Teach Character Education in Schools.

Should we continue teaching character education? Stupid question, right? What well-meaning parent doesn’t want their child to learn “respect, justice, civic virtue, citizenship, and responsibility…