Oct 18 Column: 2016 is making me rethink how I teach elections By Ryan Werenka Assigning students to watch the presidential debates and discussing candidate's platforms have been fairly commonplace practices for most U.S. government and civics teachers -- until Election 2016. Ryan Werenka teaches AP U.S. government and economics in Michigan and says this… Continue reading
Sep 10 Column: 17 years after 9/11, how have students’ reactions changed? By Patrick Welsh In what seemed like about a half hour after the second plane hit, we heard a loud explosion outside the school. Continue reading
Sep 10 Column: I was there on 9/11. Now it’s a history lesson that I teach By Annie Thoms Students in my classes remembered September 11 as high-schoolers; then as middle-schoolers; as grade-schoolers; then, only through their parents’ stories. Ten years later, the experience was already a generation removed. Continue reading
Aug 24 Column: He, she, they? Why it’s time to leave this grammar rule behind By Steve Gardiner As a high school English teacher, I have been crossing out the singular use of the word “they” for many years. It's time to move on. Continue reading
Aug 05 Column: In Rio, students tackle social issues like Olympians By Andrew Sherman When people from all over the world come together, it is time to consider what actions can be taken locally to make a difference. Continue reading
Jul 05 Column: College planning now may mean less stress for seniors come fall By Shondra Carpenter As summer gets underway, rising seniors may want to think about getting a jump start on college planning. Continue reading
Jun 09 Column: In the face of anti-LGBTQ rights laws, my students give me hope By Douglas Ray My experience for the first 18 years of my life in Mississippi was very much limited to the company of people who looked and lived just like me. As a teacher, I’ve noticed my students are infinitely more worldly wise… Continue reading
May 29 Column: How I answer my students’ tough questions about military service By Darrell Jones Darrell Jones, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, shares how he teaches his classes about the history of Memorial Day and how he answers the question often posed by his students: does he know anyone who… Continue reading
May 27 Column: How one military veteran teaches his students about Memorial Day By Demetrius Ball High school teacher Demetrius Ball hopes that by sharing a little about what life was like in the military, his students might further understand the meaning of Memorial Day. Continue reading
May 13 Column: Students are addicted to their cellphones, and they need our help By Steve Gardiner Addiction is a strong word, but it accurately describes the dysfunctional behavior exhibited by teenagers in my high school English classroom when I ask them to put away their cellphones. Continue reading