Articles

Celebrating Lacks’ life offers opportunities to teach science and ethics.

Divisive fundraisers make schools unsafe for kids from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

When school starts, highlight student excitement, not poverty.

Grow food justice in the garden or the classroom.

Despite efforts of college and university admissions people, high-achieving students from small towns and rural areas are being left out of the matriculation process because of poverty.

The greatest achievement for this Teacher of the Year is the daily practice of empathy.

This teacher helps students find commonalities between their own complex lives and the experiences of children a world away.

Are school uniform policies a perfect fit for all students?

I recently confronted my prejudices. After teaching for many years in a low-income, high-violence area of Oakland, Calif., I decided to do some private tutoring. I sought to avoid the stress of politics in the district and the uncertainty of having a new principal every year for over eight years. Although I had outlasted all of the teachers I had started working with, I felt guilty because this was the population I wanted to serve.

I have always considered myself a thoughtful and considerate teacher. I try to understand where my students are coming from. I want my students to feel safe and respected. Last year, one of my students taught me how even the best intentions can miss the mark.