Search

The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq marked my first year of teaching. When one of my students referred to Iraqis as “towel heads,” I told him he had to do extra homework researching turbans and present a report to me the next day. It took him a week to complete the assignment, and instead of gaining insight and compassion for a different group of people, he probably just became more resentful. I now see this as a lost opportunity. As a precursor to our social studies unit on conflict in the Middle East, I taught a unit this year on world religions. We started off studying seven of the world’s major faiths and then narrowed it down to the three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

When a neighbor makes a racist comment, Annie and Beth must find the courage to speak up.

Elementary school-aged children get no time to just be, experience their own selfhood, to rest. It’s important for the development of creativity, for mental growth and even for discovering something new. However, from the time most children get up in the morning until they go to sleep at night, someone is hurling demands at them.

When students thought success was impossible, wooden model rockets served as tools to boost self-esteem.

Children are susceptible to superficial notions of beauty, but this teacher believes the real purpose of education is to give them a different message.

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, one of our teaching and learning specialists reflects on how three exceptional teachers shaped her as a person—and an educator.

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.