The educational system can sometimes be tough on us teachers. We’ve got certain concepts to plant in our students in a set amount of time-we can only hope that what we plant will flourish. Students themselves, of course, come in all shapes and sizes, both physically and intellectually. Some are quicker, some slower to grasp […]
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Greatest Life Lesson
During my first semester in college, I was enrolled in a first-year English class. In high school I was usually able to pull off an A on my honors English papers without much work, and I thought I was a pretty good writer. So when I turned in my first college essay, I was expecting […]
Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher
Are you a culturally responsive teacher? Are you selecting instructional activities to celebrate and appreciate diversity in the classroom? These are bold conversations that we must have with ourselves to assure that diversity elements are infused in the curriculum. One of the greatest challenges is the tendency to teach the way we were taught. I […]
From Homeless to High Honors
In 2002, I hit rock bottom when I moved into a homeless shelter. For the next four years, I cycled in and out of one shelter after another. There, I saw how people can become passive and numb, with no life or hope left in their eyes. They smell bad, walk with their heads down, […]
The Pleasure of Homework
When I began college, I was unmotivated and chose to blame others for my problems and my shortcomings. I was so much smarter than everyone that I didn’t need to do all the work that everyone else did; at least that’s what I thought. My favorite pastime was staring blankly at a television, rather than […]
