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I was apprehensive about beginning a unit on the concept of home in my high school art class. I’m still getting to know my students and was wary of delving in to such a personal topic without knowing what it might bring up for them. I want a curriculum centered on students’ lives, but also like to have an idea of what to expect.

This reflection accompanies the feature story " Voices of Columbine." By Kiki Leyba April 20, 1999: Reacting Fourth hour. I'm hustling to Frank's office. The principal is going to offer me — a first-year teacher — a

Her lessons met the standards, but her students were pummeling each other in the restroom between classes. How one teacher found a way to reach the benchmarks that really matter.

This innovative program helps at-risk students stay in school and builds community, both in school and out.

This toolkit for “Walking Undocumented” highlights a handful of TT classroom materials for teaching about immigrant students, including those who may be undocumented or from mixed-status families.

After a colleague told her, “I’m not coming back next year,” this teacher reflected on what makes her an effective anti-bias educator.

A couple of years ago, I had a run-in with a parent. He had developed the habit of coming into school before the end of the day, standing outside the door of our classroom and motioning impatiently for his son, Victor, to hurry up. When I requested that he wait outside the building for his son to be dismissed, he became irate, yelled at me and angrily pulled his son out of class.

The day after Valentine’s Day 2008, I watched my 1st period students file into the room. They were uncharacteristically quiet. When the bell rang, they all looked at me, waiting to hear how I might make sense of the previous night’s tragedy when Steven Philip Kazmierczak opened fire in Cole Hall on Northern Illinois University’s campus, shooting 21 people and killing five.

Extra attention and mentoring before first-generation students attend college can give them the tools to feel comfortable, confident and welcome when they start their higher education journey.