Dear Students, When you came into class sad about your games, trips, matches, activities being cancelled, I could relate. And I did. I told you that, my senior year, 9/11 happened, and it forever changed the way the world functioned.… Read more ›
Last night, students at Joliet Central – the high school where I work – held the first annual Showcase for Peace: Joliet students creatively expressing their stance on gun violence. We had students submit poetry, essays, stories, songs, artwork, and… Read more ›
Most of you all have been around here for a while, so you already know about my side business and venture to provide a yearly, $1,000 scholarship for a girl in need at the school where I teach. But I… Read more ›
Last week, as I was getting my hair cut, the stylist next to me was cutting the hair of a middle-aged man and was saying, “I don’t know, though. We have to listen to these kids. It seems like they’re… Read more ›
I am a teacher. So is my husband. It probably won’t surprise you that, between the two of us, we’ve been through three actual lockdowns. Not drills. Actual, bonafide, real-life, doors-locked, no-one-knows-what-is-going-on, saying-goodbyes-just-in-case lockdowns. One for Tim at his previous school.… Read more ›
I was driving to work this morning, listening to WBEZ (like I do most days), trying not to cry (like I do most days). But my ears perked up when I heard something about a school in Joliet. Now, I… Read more ›
I’m over at We Are Teachers this week, talking about nine women of color in literature that all high school students should be reading: 1. Sethe from Beloved Beloved by Toni Morrison is an unforgettable novel about Sethe, a woman who… Read more ›
I am a teacher. It has taken a long time for me to be able to come to terms with that. It was always something I knew I was good at, but it wasn’t always Plan A. Plan A was… Read more ›
It’s been a while, but I’m trying to get back into the writing game. This post at Teaching Tolerance is a great way to start – talking all about how to celebrate and honor Day of the Girl, which is… Read more ›
I’m over at Teaching Tolerance talking about “Defeating Sexism in High School Sports”: Any one of these stereotypes could prevent a girl from becoming involved in sports in the first place. Some girls who love sports and have competed their… Read more ›
Last year, our school was slated to host the Conference speech tournament. It was the head coach’s first year in the position, and I was becoming known at our school for being insanely organized and really good at running tournaments.… Read more ›
I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave… Read more ›
Creating a safe space in your classroom is vital for class discussions. If students don’t feel as if they are accepted in the classroom, they probably won’t want to share their views and opinions with the class, either. After all,… Read more ›
Trigger warning for discussions of statutory rape. Labor Day weekend. For some, it is the last weekend before school starts up again, filled with one last BBQ and pool party before hitting the books. For others like Tim and me,… Read more ›
“Oh we’re just happy if they’re reading.” It’s a phrase I hear often as a teacher. We give students books that have interesting covers, aren’t very long, and that grab young readers within the first chapter. If reluctant readers don’t… Read more ›
Y’all saw that my Fearless Females were featured on the Bitch blog for their awesome list of female role models in pop culture, right? Oh, and you saw it on Jezebel, too? Pretty sweet, right? Well, since it got such… Read more ›
The Huffington Post ran a piece yesterday about the five books every high school student should read before going to college. It was a pretty good list, and I agree that most of those books are incredibly important for teenagers,… Read more ›
I’m over at Teaching Tolerance today talking about Day of the Girl and the events at our school: I was shocked that for these girls under 18 and dedicated to talking about pertinent girls’ issues, it could be unclear why… Read more ›
As I was moving a few weeks ago, Jessica Valenti published a fascinating article in The Nation about the dress code at Stuyvesant High School in New York and how school officials use the dress code to target female students with… Read more ›
My students and I had many conversations this year about equality for women and men in schools. We even had two debates on this subject: one about whether or not toys should be gendered, and one about whether or not… Read more ›