I have lost count of the number of times I have been told that rules without relationships lead to rebellion. Yet today, relationships with students seem to be feared instead of embraced. Over the years, quite by accident, I have discovered that this precept from days gone by is critical to classroom rules and to learning itself. Relationships are an essential part of learning, especially relationships between teachers and students.

A day as a teacher is filled with unpredictability, split-second decisions, and a go-go-go mentality that begins as soon as students set foot in the building. In a day like that, a meeting is a brief respite.

Starting to feel slightly worn out in my current role, I wanted to avoid burning out altogether, so decided that it was time for a change.

While teaching a Western Civilization course to high school students, I found a unique opportunity to introduce the topic of critical thinking along with the subject matter.

The height of the pandemic brought many moments of upheaval and uncertainty, but amidst the tensions, there were also moments of laughter.

As a newer interventionist, I faced a formidable task: engage reluctant readers and address their needs with minimal resources for an entire 90 minutes.

Now is the perfect opportunity for teachers and students to develop consistent mindfulness practices, together.

It is imperative that teachers are aware of how their subject or subjects are vertically aligned from other grade levels, both below and above.

I believe it is vital for some form of investment education, along with the other elements of financial literacy, to exist in every school. In every classroom.