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Turning Recess into a Cultural Celebration

This school year has unfolded during a time when conversations about diversity, immigration, and education seem to be everywhere, leaving a quiet uncertainty about belonging.  Many parents and educators are…

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Gratitude Tour: Kelly Chung

“Aunty Mom” is what her students affectionately call her.  My wife Merf and I called her Kelly throughout our high school days.  Kelly is one of my wife’s best friends. …

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National news

An Ode to Pissed-Off Parents 

When I was young in my career, I once apologized to a parent because her 16-year-old daughter was walking into walls.  Mad Mom entered my classroom after school, fuming. Her eyes were wide, an almost predatory look on her face as she locked eyes with me and advanced.  “Do you have any idea how much…

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Tier 1 Is Not Basic. It Is the Backbone of Everything We Do.

When schools see a spike in referrals, the instinct is often to look for more intervention. More pull-out support. More behavior plans. More counseling referrals. More Tier 2 and Tier 3 responses. But in many cases, the real problem starts earlier. We are often over-engineering interventions while under-building instruction. As a district leader overseeing social…

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West Memphis teacher charged with felony after student calls him “bruh”

A comment from a middle school has ended with one Arkansas teacher arrested for aggravated assault in West Memphis, Arkansas. Tracy Matthews, 56, a teacher at Wonder Junior High School, faces a felony charge for reportedly putting his hands on a student on April 15. West Memphis Police say the incident happened in a classroom…

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Dr. Sharon Bennett Delesbore: Pioneering equity and excellence in science education

Dr. Sharon Bennett Delesbore’s journey in education began on the basketball court. As a Division I athlete, she learned early that leadership extends beyond personal achievement. Her team’s commitment to community service, reading to students, mentoring youth, and serving as role models instilled in her a profound understanding of the transformative power of education. That…

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An emotional sponge in the classroom 

The teaching world felt like it was under my fingertips.  At 22 years old, walking into my first classroom as a third-grade teacher, I was certain I had…

Gratitude Tour: Bob O’Connor

Bob O’Connor and I met during our 7th grade year at South High (a small neighborhood school that included 7th through 12th grades) and became best friends fairly…