A viral video of high school students and a Native elder in D.C.—and the responses that followed—shows why we need to introduce students to the concept of settler-colonialism.
As I head back to the classroom, I think about the last school year. In the second-to-last week of school, my fifth-grade classroom was 90 degrees, with no air conditioning. My students were sitting together, helping each other, laughing, struggling and having fun. At the beginning of the year, they were unsure of each other. They smiled politely but kept to themselves or the friends they knew and never asked for help. So what had changed?
Teaching with international films brings the world to your students. This toolkit for “Reel Life” provides information about suggested films that will “edu-tain” your students.
When this teacher saw how devastated her feminist student group was by the 2016 election, she decided to do something to make them proud. She decided to march.
Teachers can increase student engagement by consulting with small groups of students about their classroom experience. When students see their ideas being put into action, they become more invested in their education.
A couple of years ago a student approached me after history class. Avoiding eye contact, he trembled a bit before speaking. His voice was shaking. “I am sorry, teacher,” Armando began. “I could not finish my project. My parents were killed a couple days ago.”
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality. This TT staff member reflects on watching the moral arc of justice bend a few more degrees.