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José Luis Vilson builds relationships with students through—and beyond—math.

It is not easy for my students in suburban St. Louis to connect with the characters in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The novel is packed with gruff men. Middle aged, mostly friendless, they are all struggling to eke out an income on a ranch somewhere in California. The one glimmer of hope in Steinbeck’s classic emerges through the relationship between two men—George and Lennie. They are not relatives. Yet in a society where individualism is paramount, George does far more than merely put up with Lennie. He cares for this mentally challenged man, blankets him with a protective shield. Other characters turn from, threaten, and even belittle Lennie. Most are astounded by George’s choice to attend to someone who seems like such a burden.

Sarah had a strange way about her. She would focus so completely on whatever she was reading that she seemed oblivious to the world around her. However, when the volume in the room reached a certain level, she would burst out with a screaming plea at her classmates to be quiet. “I can’t take anymore of this noise,” she’d yell. At other times, she made loud exclamations to no one in particular. “My mom makes great cinnamon rolls,” she announced one day while unpacking her materials.

During Ramadan, some Muslim students in this educator's school spent time in the media center during lunchtime, but most suffered in the cafeteria. She and her staff worked to change that.

Story Corner

The early grades are time when students gain significant personal experience grappling with their own ideas about right and wrong. This toolkit lets students work from experience to talk about knotty ethical issues.

A civil rights lawyer contemplates hate in schools.

The editor of Teaching Tolerance reflects on the lessons of Sept. 11.