After a tragedy, no one is okay. Buffalo, NY is my hometown, and I still have family and friends who reside there. The day of the White supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo, it took two hours to get in touch with my mother. Imagine looking at your social media feed and finding out a grocery […]
tragedy
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Turning The Page on Tragedy
My close friend and long-time colleague, Michelle, died three weeks ago. She was only forty years old. We shared thousands and thousands of students together over the past eighteen years. Her classroom is on the same floor as mine, just around the corner. We coached speech and debate together in our early twenties, created an […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Dealing With Personal Tragedy In the Classroom
I experienced quite a lot of personal tragedy last year. And as a result of my stress, my students experienced them too. I tried so very hard to keep my personal life from affecting my students, but I’m convinced that sometimes no matter what you do, some events just can’t be disposed of at the classroom […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Talking About Brussels (and Ankara, Lahore…) With 3rd Graders
Wednesday morning as our daily morning meeting came to an end, one of my students raised her hand. A quiet, thoughtful girl, she wanted to know if our class would be doing something in response to the terrorist attacks in Brussels. In the winter after the Paris attacks, we had put together a “peace party” […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion
What to Consider when Tragedy Occurs during the School Year
Here in south Louisiana, we are recovering. The Cajuns are a strong, passionate people, and I assure you, we will come back stronger than ever. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. In the midst of tragedy, we discover who we are and what we believe, and we choose to believe in humanity and […]