by Erik Sievert | 6.10.19
When I first started teaching, I believed it was important for students to see teachers like me celebrating their diversity and supporting their self-expression – but I wasn’t confident about where to start.
by Eric Calderon | 6.7.19
As a special education teacher, my mission is to make sure every child knows they have limitless potential. Students come into my class carrying all these different diagnoses and labels, but I don’t see labels when I look at them. I see a group of students with unique learning styles.
by Jeremy Owoh | 5.22.19
“All students need what I needed: teachers who are determined to make learning accessible to every one of them.”
by Monte Syrie | 5.16.19
I wanted a daily way to check in with kids, so I started a practice called ‘smiles and frowns.’ I started off this year telling kids, ‘There’s nothing more important than the humans in the room, so we start with the humans in the room.’
by Christina Torres | 5.10.19
As teachers, we all get really busy. It can be hard to make time to plan a new and innovative curriculum, and instead we end up reaching for something we’ve done before without questioning it. I’ve definitely found myself in that boat.
by Christie Nold | 5.8.19
I’m lucky enough to work with a colleague who always pushes me to grow, and I want to celebrate him this Teacher Appreciation Week.
by Edwin Minguela | 5.6.19
I’ve wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in elementary school. When I was in third grade, my dad bought a full-sized chalkboard, so our basement became my classroom. I would get home from school and tell my mom, ‘Okay, mom, I’m going down to my classroom.’
by Jill Fletcher | 4.9.19
Students often love to share their ideas aloud. There was a time when I didn’t value this enthusiasm for engaging. I saw it as a trait to tamper – something that stood in the way of getting information to them. Then I realized their willingness to speak was one of their greatest assets. And in order to reach them, I needed to build upon their passion for discussion.
by MeMe Ratliff | 4.9.19
Now, my professional learning network is immense, and I keep up with a lot of the folks I’ve met through the convenings. We meet virtually. We go to other edu-events and invite one another. We meet up socially. We even have a playlist of songs we listen to when we get back together. It’s a family.
by Wendy Turner | 4.4.19
I am known as a warrior of social-emotional learning. I always say my teaching puts SEL first – and empathy is a critical component. People ask me all the time how I build empathy in the classroom. The answer is one day at a time, one experience at a time, with great intention, focus and practice.
