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This teacher’s musings about Max from Where the Wild Things Are leads to a reflection on the ways educators can close opportunity gaps for their students.

Empathy and caring need to be nurtured through direct involvement in meaningful activities. Involving children in the care of plants and animals is an excellent way to do this.

This Latina civic empowerment program seeks to “take stories of adversity and flip them into stories of glory.”

When I entered the classroom to interpret for the middle school parent and teacher conference, the student shouted that I wasn’t necessary. The teacher had called for my services because for two semesters she had been telling the mother that her son was flunking. And for two semesters, the mother had grinned ecstatically and said, “Thank you”—her only English words. The son had “interpreted” to his mother that he was on the honor roll.

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.”

Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children have fled to the United States. What does this mean for communities, including schools, across the country?

Activities for The Fighting Mynahs

Watching a television program featuring deaf and hard of hearing characters changed this teacher’s perspective. She wants to pass it on to her students.

Serial Testimony is a facilitation method that empowers students by valuing their knowledge and insight. It offers young people the opportunity to testify to the realities of their own lives, making their personal reflections part of the curriculum.