When the powers that be talk about sending kids to war, they aren’t talking about their kids. So, whose kids are they talking about, and where do those kids come from? I teach senior English at an urban high school in upstate New York. The poverty rate here is high. There are no Fortunate Sons […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Moral Challenge and Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Message to the Student Leaders
On Friday, mourners will have one last chance to pay their respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The public homegoing service in Chicago marks the end of a two weeks of memorials that crisscrossed the country as the nation after the Civil Rights icon died on Feb. 17. His passing is not just a moment […]
Posted inSpecial Education
A Place to Belong: Life Inside an Enhanced Autism Classroom
Enhanced Autistic Support classrooms are rarely the topic of casual conversation, yet they are places where meaningful growth happens every day. Too often, students with autism are left on the margins of social circles in general education settings. In my classroom, that story is rewritten daily—one connection, one success, and one confident learner at a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Acceptance, Worth, Hope – Why they matter
I was an educator in the Missouri Public School System for 31 years. I have been an educational national motivational speaker for 27 years. I once spoke at the Missouri Honors Society Conference. Teenagers from all over the state attended. Afterwards, teachers brought their female students up to me. When I asked them what was […]
Posted inDepartment of Education
Banners at Department of Education Honor Education Leaders, But Charlie Kirk’s Inclusion Draws Criticism
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New banners featuring prominent figures connected to education and American history were installed outside the United States Department of Education headquarters on Maryland Avenue on March 1, as part of a campaign highlighting leaders who have influenced learning and public life. Among those featured on the banners are Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther […]
Posted inInterviews
Gratitude Tour: Shirley Underwood
In the spring of 1979, I completed my final semester at the University of Tennessee. To earn my degree in Secondary English Education, I had to student teach. I don’t recall having any choice in where that would happen so I must have been assigned to Carter High School in the Knox County school system. […]
Posted inTechnology
Stop the over-reliance on educational technology
Educational technology is great, and it is one of the key ways that districts can provide their teachers with a variety of options to help their classrooms. BUT, there is a cost. Especially for teachers in rural communities. My last school was located in a rural community in the mountains of East Tennessee. Rural, low-income, […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
I Thought Using Lysol Was Against the Hague Convention
It was Monday. As usual, we were sitting in the conference room. The room overlooked the football field. Kids hopped the fence and cut through the graveyard behind the school. I sipped my coffee and smirked. I wondered why a boy and a girl were going to the graveyard so early. Smoking? Vaping? Then the […]