Mrs. O’Brien Wasn’t Always My Favorite Teacher, But She Is Now

I have a long list of students who think I am a pretty good teacher. However, the list of teachers who thought I was a…

5 Hands-On Activities to Help Parents Teaching at Home

It is crazy to think that this Monday, for the first time in my career, my school is closed for a virus. For any health…

The Moment When You Realize Just How Much You #LoveTeaching

A few years ago I was asked to be a mentor teacher. Not to a new teacher at my school, or even in my district,…

To Support Your LGBTQ+ Students, Love Them and Give Them Someone to Look Up To

Every student deserves a role model with whom they can relate. For many students, literature and curriculum are resources they can use to find role…

DeVos Has Dramatically Scaled Back the Protection of LGBTQ Students

This week a report from the Center for American Progress showed that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has dramatically scaled back…

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…

My Student Turned His Life Around Thanks to Hands-On Learning

When I first met Oscar, a junior at Health & Science High School in Beaverton, Oregon, he was an extremely disengaged, cynical young man. He…

We Have to Treat Every Student Like They’re Our Own, That Includes Transgender Students

Our job is about a promise to every parent who leaves their child with us. We promise to watch over their children and teach them.…

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.…