Teachers Can’t Take Care of Their Students If They Don’t Take Care of Themselves First

I remember vividly the first time I put my head on my desk and cried during my lunch period. The bell to end the fourth…

‘I Knew it Was Time to Leave My Classroom. I Hope 20 Years Was Enough.’

Every tough decision comes with some measure of remorse for what could have been. As I finish out my 20th and final year as a…

I’m One of the Most Well-Known LGBTQ Teachers in the US and I Was Called Out by a Fourth-Grader for Failing to Be Gender Neutral

I messed up today. I messed up, and a nine-year-old called me out. In front of the whole class. That’s right, one of the most…

I’m a Better Educator Than I Was 11 Years Ago, But I Still Feel Like an Imposter

While attending a local charity event, it happened. It’s the moment every teacher dreads. It’s the unexpected scenario that stops us in our tracks as…

Don’t Expect Results If You’re Selling Your Students Short With Old Strategies

I teach English Language Arts to high school students in Washington, D.C. All of my students are students of color. While bright and talented, many…

Free Breakfast for Every Student Just Makes a Lot of Sense

Every day, I strive to create a positive, welcoming and equitable learning environment where my students can be themselves, access instruction in meaningful ways and…

I #LoveTeaching Because I Help Connect My Students to Worlds Outside the Classroom

In just a few minutes over my lunch break this past week, a group of 12-year old girls affirmed exactly why I #LoveTeaching! It all…

Here’s How We Made Sure My Student’s Dying Father Didn’t Miss Her Graduation

#LoveTeaching Week is a grassroots campaign started by teachers in 2015 as an opportunity to celebrate teaching, leading, and learning in a way that unites…

You Know You Love Teaching When You’re on Maternity Leave and Stop to Talk to a Former Student

#LoveTeaching Week is a grassroots campaign started by teachers in 2015 as an opportunity to celebrate teaching, leading, and learning in a way that unites…

Here’s Why I’ve Joined Teachers Calling For an End to Detaining Children at Our Border

From the deepest core of my being, I am a teacher against child detention. To choose to separate children from their families for political reasons…