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Jeanette Winterson, author and poet, once said, “Books communicate ideas and make bridges between people.” As a middle school language arts teacher, I believed in this theory but wanted to see it in action. When I suggested to my principal that I would like to organize a book club with my students and local senior citizens, he was cautiously intrigued by the idea.

I hear it now and then. It invariably comes after a long day in an elementary school classroom, a day that seems like a year. "If I didn't have [student’s name], I could teach my class!" You know the children who fill in the blank. They're the ones who stand when you ask them to sit, talk when you ask for silence and play when you need them to work. Marvin is one of those children. He is 9 years old.

This teacher helps students find commonalities between their own complex lives and the experiences of children a world away.

Teach students to value religious diversity—yes, it’s OK in public schools!

In more than 20 years of teaching students ranging from as young as 12 to as old as 70, I have found one thing to be verifiably true: Humor positively impacts the learning environment.

This teacher used her writing class to help students become more aware of the advertising’s role in defining beauty.

This professional development activity gives ideas for developing narrative empathy: using the power of story to step into another person’s shoes in the name of justice.

Educators often have a hard time getting real about race. This toolkit for "Excerpt: Getting Real About Race" provides questions to guide reflection and discussion on how the physical, social, legal and historical constructions of race impact students and educators.