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I’m a Teacher Not a Boxer, and I’m Tired of Being Beat Up by My Students
I had a job interview recently. Even though I am pretty well known for my work with older students I was interviewing for a K-2 special education classroom. There are lots of reasons for the change but...
View ArticleYes, I’ve Been Hit by Students, But I Still Believe Suspensions and...
Betsy DeVos wants to end the Obama-era discipline guidance that addresses the over-suspension and expulsion of students of color. Betsy DeVos is wrong. And I say that as a special educator serving...
View ArticleWe Have to Treat Every Student Like They’re Our Own, That Includes...
Our job is about a promise to every parent who leaves their child with us. We promise to watch over their children and teach them. We promise to do no harm and to stand in harm’s way to protect them....
View ArticleMy Student Turned His Life Around Thanks to Hands-On Learning
When I first met Oscar, a junior at Health & Science High School in Beaverton, Oregon, he was an extremely disengaged, cynical young man. He skipped school all the time and when he did show up, he...
View ArticleI’m One of the Most Well-Known LGBTQ Teachers in the US and I Was Called Out...
I messed up today. I messed up, and a nine-year-old called me out. In front of the whole class. That’s right, one of the most well-known LGBTQ teachers in the United States was called out by a fourth...
View ArticleDeVos Has Dramatically Scaled Back the Protection of LGBTQ Students
This week a report from the Center for American Progress showed that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has dramatically scaled back protecting the rights of LGBTQ students....
View ArticleTo Support Your LGBTQ+ Students, Love Them and Give Them Someone to Look Up To
Every student deserves a role model with whom they can relate. For many students, literature and curriculum are resources they can use to find role models at school. However, many LGBTQ+ students...
View ArticleThe Moment When You Realize Just How Much You #LoveTeaching
A few years ago I was asked to be a mentor teacher. Not to a new teacher at my school, or even in my district, but to a group of some of the very first special education teachers in Bangladesh. It...
View Article5 Hands-On Activities to Help Parents Teaching at Home
It is crazy to think that this Monday, for the first time in my career, my school is closed for a virus. For any health issue, for that matter. But this tragic event happens to fall at a time of human...
View ArticleMrs. O’Brien Wasn’t Always My Favorite Teacher, But She Is Now
I have a long list of students who think I am a pretty good teacher. However, the list of teachers who thought I was a good student would be much, much shorter. Throughout my entire school career, I...
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