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I broke a toe recently. Woke from a deep sleep, ambled around my apartment for just a few moments and then thump! I hit my foot on a piece of furniture. As I hobbled around in the days that followed, lost in the effort of just getting about, I thought “this is what it must feel like to be old.” And then—“this is what it feels like to have a disability.”

My eighth-grade girls squealed at the shirtless male movie star photos in a magazine. “Oh my gosh! Check out the abs on this one!” “Yeah,” responded another. “And look at that picture of Taylor Lautner. His face isn’t very good looking, but who cares. Look at those muscles!” This is a typical exchange in my classroom during lunch or before morning meeting. As a teenager, I remember flipping through fashion and celebrity magazines, looking at female models with long legs, luminous skin and perfect hair. They represented what I was supposed to be. Knowing how far away I was from looking like them definitely made me feel ugly. But the magazines were also telling me what kind of guy I should find attractive. Apparently, not much has changed in teenage popular culture.

When students express outrage over the “rape culture” in another country, the teacher brings the discussion closer to home for further exploration.

World Kindness Day is a great opportunity for all educators to integrate SEC skills into their curricula.

Missing an opportunity to speak up creates another opportunity–to practice for next time.

This student’s Mix It Up at Lunch journey paid off in happy, social dividends.

A Cincinnati school serves Mix It Up as part of academic life.

Talking to kids about immigrant stereotypes.

New curriculum offers step-by-step lessons for engaging in effective argument on divisive issues.