Online Learning Has Its Place, but Kids Need Their Teachers

Boy am I glad to have my kids back this year. Last year, I had to share them with a digital teaching tool. I had…

3 Strategies To Make Your Classroom a Community

We are halfway through summer and the 2021-22 school year is only a few weeks away in some communities. After countless disruptions caused by the…

I Almost Left Teaching But Then I Remembered Why I Started

This past year, I came the closest I ever have to ending my teaching career — midyear. Between August and December, my second graders and…

A ‘Whole Child’ Approach Will Be More Important Than Ever This Fall

With summer here and life as we remember emerges, the open doors and public gatherings herald a return to normal. When it comes to schools…

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…

A Teacher’s Power to Stop Violence Is Rooted in Relationships

During my 15 years of teaching, I have broken up many fights. I have been hit in the ear so hard that it rang me…

We’re Not Just Doing Distance Learning, We’re Teaching Through a Crisis

When I last wrote about mentoring in January 2020, I discussed how it built stronger connections between myself and my students. That remains true, but…

In a Virtual Setting, Let Your Students Make the Rules on Cameras

Mention cameras during distance learning and you’ll instantly evoke passion, stress, and even fear, in teachers and students alike. Last month, I listened as a…

Everyone Is Talking About ‘Reinventing Education.’ Here Are 10 Schools Actually Doing It.

Today, all over the world, we see the power, commitment and wisdom of young people in action. For inspiration, just look at Chris Suggs, Malala…

Kids Need Remote Learning to Be Culturally Relevant, Too

Last spring, amidst the uprisings following the immediate failure to bring any sort of justice for George Floyd’s murder, I received a Google Hangout video…