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Maya Angelou was an activist up until the very end of her life: visible, accessible, present to the people to whom her work and her message of hope meant the most.

By incorporating quarterly independent reading projects into her curriculum, this English teacher ensures that every student reads culturally responsive literature.

Last week, I had a chance to preview documentary films that showed how a strong arts program—and that could range from mariachi to Shakespeare to poetry slams—could turn struggling schools into powerhouses of energy and promise. Last night, millions of viewers got a chance to see what students from a school that values the arts look like—on the Academy Awards, no less.

The whine of the projector subsides. Someone clicks on the lights. As the professor asks for commentary, the rapid raising of hands signifies an eagerness to respond. I remain still. Listening to my peer’s criticism of the Appalachian people featured in the made-for-TV special, I am humiliated.

Dim the lights and get ready to learn with these TT-approved films!

This toolkit for the feature story “Ask Angy” links to videos created by activist Angy Rivera in association with her advice column for undocumented youth, “Ask Angy.” The videos and prompts will spark students’ thinking about the issues that affect undocumented youth living in the United States.

They blaze into Room 309 at 8:16, sporting new t-shirts and vintage ones, silver watches and Silly Bandz, first-day-of-school garb. I hand them a yellow index card. "Write for me," I say, "Begin with, 'I am...' or 'I am not..."' Off they go, scribbling first words with their newly sharpened pencils. They despise school. They adore school. They'd like school, if only, if only, if only... Their summer? They've gone swimming with sea turtles in Hawaii. Their parents have divorced. They've been diagnosed. Or, trapped in summer school. Their beloved grandmother has died. They are 13 years old.

"When you went downtown, did you see a hobo?" The tone was mocking with a giggle at the end. I cringed. Turning around, I saw one of my students: a young girl with freckles and a polka dot bow in her hair. She was a student who always had a smile to share, was the first to offer an extra pencil if anyone lacked and was always willing to help others. The callousness of her remark was out of character. I wondered if she was repeating something that someone else had said. Perhaps she just thought hobo was a funny word.

This afterschool educator empowers her students to step into the role of teacher and share their skills with peers. The outcome? A more positive and inclusive environment.

A weekly sampling of articles, blogs and reports relevant to TT educators.