The digital world can either serve as a confidence-enhancer or self-esteem-suppressor, depending on how it is used.

During my time as a program coordinator, I learned a lesson that has stuck with me ever since: school values don’t collapse in one dramatic moment, but rather erode one decision at a time.

Students often display a morbid curiosity that I feel I cannot ignore, but can I lean into it? Can I use this fascination in a way that engages students, but also humanizes them?

You see, here’s the thing that some of us – teachers and parents alike – don’t really take time to stop and think about: kids’ feelings have value too. And they all have their own needs and wants at any given time.

As teachers, we’ve been given the role to navigate what technology now looks like in our classrooms. At my school we have developed a model to support technology use.

Getting kids to write in this day and age, where entertainment is merely a swipe away, can be like asking them to eat their vegetables.

To succeed in the ELA classrooms of today, teachers must possess the ability to go way beyond subject area knowledge.

It's nice to think of the Internet as a wonderful invention that has made our lives both richer and more efficient. It's a nice notion and it's an accurate one—the Internet has changed our lives for the better. We can now communicate with people from all four corners of the globe. We can share, swap, and gain as much knowledge as we could ever want or need. There are no negatives associated with instant knowledge—or are there?

Students want to read stories that matter to them and, most of all, they want to see themselves reflected within the pages of their beloved comics.