Students of Color Are Depending on You November 3. Don’t Throw Away Your Shot.

On the eve of America’s 244th birthday, the critically acclaimed play, “Hamilton,” debuted on Disney+, making the cultural touchstone available to millions in the midst…

School Boards Have Too Much Power They Aren’t Using to Fix Education

Considered me triggered. Again. This past Sunday my 8 Black Hands crew did a show on the missing importance of school boards, and then this article pops…

‘Black Boys’ Can Help You Reach African American Males in Your Classroom

The week that it was Black History Month, I grabbed two assignments. One from a district that was serving mostly white kids, and they were…

What If We Radically Reimagined the New School Year?

Monday night I sat on my back patio staring up into a rare, starry Chicago night. I squinted and made out each point of The…

Remote Learning Is Creating Unnecessary Anxiety for My Students Right Now

Is everybody doing okay?  Probably a silly question, but I really wanted to check-in on my American Sign Language (ASL) students. It was day three…

There’s Ineffective Teaching in Every School. It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way.

I recently heard a familiar, stinging remark from a policymaker: Allison, if we’re going to increase education funding significantly, we must address the issue of…

Here’s Why I Say No to Recess Detention, and You Should, Too

Recess Detention. The low-hanging fruit of punishments. The easiest thing to take away from a child because they owe us something. At best, it’s a…

By the End of My Third Year, I Was in Therapy. We Must Start Taking Teachers’ Emotional Health Seriously.

We all know the female elementary school teacher stereotype, perhaps best portrayed by the iconic Jessica Day from New Girl: bubby, cheerful, exquisitely put-together, good,…

Social Emotional Learning Needs to Become How We Do School Not Just Another Thing We Do at School

Earlier this month, the fire alarm went off at my school as students were entering the building in the morning. For most people, this signifies…

My Barbershop Taught Me Social Emotional Learning and Now I’m Sharing That With My Students

I remember growing up and my father would give me a haircut in our basement. Other times, he would take me to the barbershop. Now…