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…

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…

Even in Death, Black and Brown Students Are Dehumanized

In my second year of teaching, I had a notorious student we’ll call Israel. After the first day of class, we sat down and discussed…

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…

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…

Our Students Need Every Educator to Speak Up to Ensure DeVos Hears Our Support for Restorative Justice

In my decade in Chicago Public Schools as a social worker and currently as a behavioral health specialist, I’ve learned a great education goes beyond…

How Opening Up to My Colleagues Made Me Realize Social-Emotional Learning Isn’t Just For Students

Faculty meetings. What comes to mind when you hear those two words? Earlier this year, I experienced an extraordinary faculty meeting at my elementary school,…

Coffee Break: North Carolina’s Wanda Legrand Knows Students Can’t Be Successful Unless They Feel Loved

“We’ve not done enough to make students feel valued for their differences,” says Wanda Legrand, the new chief schools support officer for Guilford County Schools…

School Shootings Aren’t the Only Things School Police Officers Need to Train For

In light of recent school shootings, one of the proposed solutions has been to put more school police officers in schools. In the last 30…