Unexpected Conversations Traveling in a beat-up taxi from Cancun to Puerto Morelos, I found myself in a conversation I never expected: discussing climate change in Spanish with an evangelical Christian. The air conditioning in the taxi was bravely, but ineffectively, trying to combat the scorching temperature and swampy humidity outside…

There were many very powerful moments in the March for Our Lives movements all over the country, but I was grateful for one in particular. The kids from Parkland who have spearheaded this movement have worked to be very inclusive, and other young people who have been the victims of…

Just Be Glad to See Me I’ve started to think that most of being a good teacher is just being glad to see the kids. That’s an oversimplification, of course, but very very important. …

[If you’d like an explanation of DACA, it can be found here and here.] How many of you were born in another place and moved to what you consider your home as a baby or toddler? Do you remember your birthplace? …

Every teacher gets excited when their kids have those “lightbulb moments,” times when they figure something out and you can actually see it happen. Many of my colleagues say that is why they are teachers; that they live for these moments. For me, the lightbulb moment that stands out most…

I had the great honor to speak to classes of 9th graders in the Civitas program at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento this month. This is a unique program which has been around for almost 25 years, winning awards from the Department of Education and the California State Supreme…

[Excerpt from Literally Unbelievable: Stories from an East Oakland Classroom] I know a park is not technically a need. It’s not like food or shelter or clothing. But I tend to think of it as a basic need for children. However, like many people, I sometimes overuse the word “need.”…

Let me start by saying that, to my knowledge, I’ve never been more qualified than a Secretary of Education before. I have by no means agreed with or approved of everything they did, but at least on paper, they were qualified. Not so with Betsy DeVos. We all know by…