Stories
Facing Whitecaps
Have you ever been completely captivated by ocean waves and the pounding rhythm of the constant crashing on the beach?…
Inside the Environmental Justice House
The students are thoughtful and introspective. They are coming to understand how systemic racism impacts every topic they research. They…
Somewhere
During this music concert, tucked into my favorite back-row aisle seat, I’m carried away by these high schoolers’ earnest 1960s…
The Day After
The first time I set foot in my daughter’s kindergarten classroom is the morning after the Uvalde school shooting. Because…
It Starts With Our Names
In schools, we talk a lot about pronouncing names correctly, and the ease with which we pronounce some and the…
Hope Road
Hope is an optimistic state of mind, based upon an expectation of positive outcomes of events and circumstances in one's…
Bringing My Whole Self to School
I am wired to be goal-oriented and whilst that brings me comfort, I decided that this time around, I would…
To Be Seen
I know that whenever I enter my school, I not only need to look out for our Black students, but…
Have We Done Enough?
In teaching, we’re in the very business of kids leaving us. Often we get them for one year –sometimes, if…
What’s In a Name? Being Seen.
As a student, I learned early on that my name was different. A kind of difference that was not bad,…
Empowering Students to Create Change
Educators have the most crucial job in the world. We prepare our students to not only be productive citizens but…
Finding a Sharper Lens
Being the parent of a child with significant learning differences means regularly relearning everything you have ever said as an…
Summer Daze: Long Days with Books!
How I loved the moment at the end of spring when our homeroom teacher would pass out the summer reading…
Looking for The Holy Now
“Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? — every, every minute?” For the past few years,…
An Act of Remembrance
Every February the 9th, I make it a point to celebrate National Pizza Day. It’s an act of remembrance -…
Lead With a Compass, Not a Map
Making an effort to see an issue through their eyes, and letting folks know in all of the multimodal ways…
A Place At The Table
We often grow and learn more about ourselves when we act with courage. My courage that day was accidental, but…
My Story, My Struggle
I didn’t realize how powerful it was to have a teacher who, like me, wasn’t white. I didn’t realize it…
Becoming Alive to Difference
Ever since entering the world of "elite" independent schools as a working-class kid, I have wrestled with feelings and questions…
A Humble Approach to the Middle School Mind
We all have blind spots, some more than others. May we all be fortunate enough to have teachers move us…
Safety First
This summer, I have thought a lot about safety at school. The safety and well-being of every child and of…
Unmasking Our Emotions
The ability to label emotional experience and develop a wide range of emotional vocabulary is directly related to greater emotional…
Four School Memories That Help Me to Lead
As experienced educators, we often forget the trials and tribulations of childhood, even as we must help students navigate them…
Transfer of Care
As a Learning Support teacher, I work with students to discover why they want to learn and what is getting…
Hope in the New Age
My first time teaching back in person after the lockdown was in a first-year writing classroom at a community college…
Finding Time in Joy
As educators, we have an opportunity to help guide and empower students to find what matters to them, which may…
The Impact of Community
Community is the heartbeat of any school, and must be at the forefront of all that we do.
How to Make a Geometric Quilt
Remind yourself that this kid needs a quilt as much as she needs geometry.
Find the True Spirit of Awards Season
Awards don’t have to be medals or books or certificates for them to be carried for the rest of one’s…