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Whenever I see a movie about teachers, I get a little nervous. I wonder how my profession will be represented. I’m always curious, but usually disappointed. I have found that on-screen teachers tend to perpetuate two frustrating stereotypes about the profession. The first is that anyone can teach—or worse—“those who can’t, teach.” There’s a misconception that teaching requires no special skills or talents beyond a basic knowledge of the content area. The other stereotype is teacher as martyr-saint. This portrayal assumes that the one qualification for being a good teacher is a heart of gold, a willingness to sacrifice everything out of love for children. Most films ignore the complexity of the craft of teaching. This makes me cringe.

Teaching is a tough profession. We know it. It comes with a lot of responsibilities and challenges. Nevertheless, teaching is a very rewarding life path. Perhaps equally as tough is teaching teachers to be culturally competent. For the last six months, I’ve led a book study at my school on Gary Howard’s We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know, which looks at cultural competency programs.

The Anoka-Hennepin school district, Minnesota’s largest, has been in the national spotlight since last year. That’s when several students who were gay or perceived to be gay committed suicide. According to friends and family, the students had one thing in common: They had been bullied at school.

When her third-grade students hit a research obstacle, Syrita Jackson made the call—literally—to teach a point about perseverance.

The right to education should never be suspended. This toolkit for "Flagler County: A Case for Suspension Abolition," an A-to-Z list, will help you ensure your students are not deprived of learning opportunities.

Have you ever noticed the toolkit icon at the bottom of a TT magazine story? Have you ever “opened” it?

After Election Day, this educator remains committed to making room for hope and action in his classroom.

When five schools in an Illinois school district came together for a community event, everyone involved experienced the power of working together for the common good.

When we call for empowerment of our students, what are we asking for?

Be prepared for whatever this year holds with these Teaching Tolerance materials.