We Don’t Have to Choose Between Relationships and Rigor. Our Students Need Both.

Know your why, and it will sustain you. Dr. Adam Saenz When I read this quote from Dr. Adam Saenz, licensed psychologist and author, it…

We’ll Never Agree on CRT, but We Can All Agree We Want to Produce Students Who Do Good

Our world has been forever changed as a result of the pandemic as well as the racial unrest of 2020. We learned new ways of…

The System Is Not Built for Teachers to Have an Opinion

At the close of the 2020-2021 school year, I experienced the most significant “break-up” of my life. The following is my unexpected farewell to teaching…

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…

9 Tips for Helping Your Students Become Activists

A critical part of education includes responding to the problems around us. We can do that in many ways in our schools and our classrooms.…

Following the Chauvin Trial Is Traumatic. Don’t Turn Away.

When we bear witness, when we become the situation—homelessness, poverty, illness, violence, death—the right action arises by itself. We don’t have to worry about what…

Teachers Legally Hitting Students as a Disciplinary Measure Has to Stop

Here’s a familiar scene: You are attending a professional workshop about America’s school-to-prison pipeline. The gray-suited speaker concludes his presentation to thunderous applause, and yet,…

I’m Telling My Story So My Female Students Never Feel Powerless Like I Did

I am a firm believer that in order to become an anti-oppressive educator and advocate, one must fully understand the nature of oppression. While finishing…

After a Year of Teaching Dangerously, We Found a New Appreciation for School

This year has been the ultimate educational experiment. For years the question has loomed: Given a strong curriculum, can students learn just as effectively online…

My Teacher Didn’t Know How To Be Culturally Responsive, But These Standards Will Help the Next Generation of Teachers

When I was eleven, my teacher divided our class into groups of four to complete a project on the United States Constitution. The three other…