As an elementary school art teacher, it is my job to engage my students and get them thinking critically about what and how they create.

My students needed to experience success. And they needed to see that their writing could impact a broader audience than the one held captive each day in their classroom.

When my principal asked if I would like to lead our school’s new Justice, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee, I was both surprised and delighted.

I, among other things, define myself as a rapper, and it’s a fact of which my students are all too aware.

I avidly recall a second grade class that would excitedly huddle around my rocking chair for story time. Students scrambled around sliding chairs to the carpet where I read heartwarming and sometimes zany tales, they reminded me that story time was counted among the most meaningful and cherished moments of a child’s day. Story time is a child’s portal into endless worlds, kingdoms, and dimensions.

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

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.

Over the years, our ELL students have eagerly shared stories about an important festival that falls over spring break: Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

When I reflect on my years working in classrooms with students, I think about how much time it took to access and use essential technology B.G. (before Google). I compare it with what it must have been like for people before electricity and after electricity. B.G.