Stories

Teaching

I Show the Black Boys in My Classroom What's Possible

Trinity Gardens, Houston, Texas. A community that was rich with family, love and pride. A neighborhood that contributed to the uniqueness of the north side communities in the Greater Houston area. As...

Parents

Want a Winning High School? You'll Need a Winning School Board.

In 2016, then-24-year-old Cipriano Vargas became the youngest person ever elected to the Vista Unified School Board in California. After graduating from California State University San Marcos, where...

IEP

I Didn't Think Personalized Learning Would Be Right For My Classroom But I'm So Glad I Was Wrong

In my first year of teaching I had the opportunity to teach in a school that was piloting personalized learning. As I got more comfortable with teaching and as I saw how diverse my classroom was, I...

Teaching

Even in Death, Black and Brown Students Are Dehumanized

In my second year of teaching, I had a notorious student we’ll call Israel. After the first day of class, we sat down and discussed appropriate expectations, whom he could work well with and we...

How to Teach Wellness and Sex Ed Without Shaming Your Students

I teach wellness classes to teenagers. Yesterday, while chatting about menstruation, a student asked me what happens to a tampon after a girl inserts it into herself. The student wondered aloud,...

trauma

I Hope My Story of Sexual Harassment Can Lead to a Teachable Moment in Our Classrooms

I have been watching silently this week as women are stepping forward to discuss times they felt uncomfortable about their interactions with male colleagues and feeling violated in their personal...