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Part of the 'Why I Teach' series

An Ohio teacher dares students to envision a new community.

The food justice unit was one of the most successful of the year. Until the meltdown. Students had watched Food, Inc., read several articles about food production and created masterful multimedia presentations on their learning. They were now presenting. Omar chose several pictures of his favorite dishes. He told us about them and how they were made. Then he interjected a seemingly innocent joke.

Every week I write a quotation on the board and ask my students to write responses to it in their journals. One of our favorite quotes is by William Butler Yeats: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." This quote aptly captures the reason why I teach. A group of minds in a room–thinking through problems together–can generate amazing heat and ignite a fire.

Teaching students about the role children have played in the march for civil rights—historically and today—is just one of many ways teachers can bring the Women’s March into the classroom.

This high school English teacher in the Dominican Republic wanted to combine her students’ knowledge with action. The resulting project did just that.

Seeking to push fellow teachers’ thinking around social justice issues, this teacher and her colleague started a book study group. Here’s how they did it.

In the world of alternative facts, media literacy is becoming an increasingly essential component for raising critical thinkers in the classroom. A recent movie promotional campaign highlights this need and offers a great teachable moment.

Teachers often have mixed feelings as the new school year approaches, but one of the most common—and least talked about—is dread. Here’s what the TT Advisory Board had to say about it.