My classroom is full of treasures. Pictures from years past, drawings from students who wanted to leave me with a piece of their creativity, and a big red button labeled Do Not Push – because, let’s be honest, I had to know which kid was willing to risk it all. But the most important thing […]
Swipe—Tap— Send: Why Students Write the Way They Live
Exhibit A: did i miss anything yesturday i was absent n why did u give me a 0 for my hw fri No greeting.No punctuation.No subject—or worse, the whole email crammed in the subject line. And it hits your inbox at 7:03am.On a Tuesday.Before your coffee. Not only are you decoding the spelling, you’re trying […]
AI: The New 3 Rs Reading, Writing, and Robots
Education never stands still. As an undergraduate, this constant evolution both frightened and fascinated me, especially when one of my professors challenged us to research current slang terms. Standing in front of my peers, delivering an earnest presentation on the words “basic” and “on fleek,” I initially felt ridiculous. Yet even then, I understood the […]
Making learning stick: The power of multimodality in classrooms
Are you finding it hard to engage your students in coursework? Do your lessons sometimes feel dragging? I’ve been there, and trust me, I’ve got a solution that might change how you approach teaching. Let me tell you about an experience I had that turned everything around. A couple of semesters ago, in my creative […]
“Whitewashing” the curriculum: ACLU takes aim at Department of Defense schools
By: Markus Schmidt – April 15, 2025 This story was originally published in the Virginia Mercury on April 15, 2025. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the U.S. Department of Defense over what it calls a sweeping campaign of censorship in public schools run for military families, including one in Virginia, accusing federal officials of banning […]
Resisting the rollback: How select universities maintain DEI programs despite federal pressure
“Principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are central to our mission as a Jesuit institution and connect us to a long Catholic tradition of advocating for the dignity and worth of every person.” The quote above came from an April 9, 2025 mailing from the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Fordham announcing Pre Commencement Celebrations for groups […]
Amplifying Voices: One Mother’s Mission to Change the Narrative on Autism in Black Communities
When Toni Morrison famously said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” Michele Lamons-Raiford took it personally—and literally. Inspired by her journey as a mother of a Black son with autism, the veteran educator, writer, and advocate, Michele Lamons-Raiford, created Amplify Our […]
Harvard University rejects the Trump adminstration’s demands
According to a statement issued today to its community, Harvard University will not comply with the Trump administration’s 10 demands that focused on eliminating so-called DEI initiatives and screening for international students “supportive of terrorism and anti-Semitism.”. “We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University […]
