Dear Elaine Vaughn, You are the greatest woman I have ever known. Not only are you a remarkable educator who is equally intelligent in your topic as you are in effective teacher practices, but you are also a one-of-a-kind friend. You were there for me when I needed a friend and you provided a rational … Continue reading Level Up: Dear Teacher Ally →

My friend Ashley shared a story about her third grade teacher. When Ashley was younger she had a lot of issues with her hypochondria and her teacher was always very supportive of her. She held a conference with Ashley and her parents to discuss how she also had hypochondria and how she wanted to be … Continue reading Impactful Teachers →

The first great teacher that I read about was the 'swim whisperer', Conrad Cooper. Cooper is a swim instructor who uses a more "strict" structure for his lessons, and because of that has remarkable results. He acts as an ally for his swim students by allowing them space to grow away from their parents. The … Continue reading Level Up: Great Teachers →

This Keith Edwards dude sure knows what he is talking about. His entire article was really impactful and made me have to seriously contemplate my own motivations and impacts as an aspiring ally. I would like to say that I am an 'Ally for Social Justice' 100% of the time, but I would be lying … Continue reading Teacher as Ally — Keith Edwards’ Article →

Today is just beginning for me, so I haven't achieved much other than consuming a jar of yogurt and granola. However, in the past week I feel like I have accomplished quite a lot. Working on my Teacher as Advocate badge has taken up a majority of my time and I have been steadily checking … Continue reading Morning Pages: The Little Victories →

The resource I chose to read to help me expand my knowledge on tools, tips, and methods that I can include in my Advocacy Plan was the “Taking It to the Streets: Teachers as Advocates” article from the NCTE Council Chronicle Online. This article provided an incredible list of 40 ways that teachers can instruct and inform … Continue reading Tools, Tips, and Methods (Oh My!) →

In the article by the Seattle Times, "Charter schools can continue to receive state funding, Washington's Supreme Court rules", they discuss the decision that the Supreme Court came to that determined the use of lottery money to fund charter schools not to be unconstitutional. One piece of this article that really struck me was this … Continue reading Level Up: Charter Schools →

The first website I found (technically Cindy found, but I'm taking credit for it anyway) was for an organization called ProEnglish that is advocating for English to be declared as the official language of the United States of America. Through proposing this, they also want to end bilingual education which directly opposes with what I … Continue reading Opposing Websites →

My boyfriend and I broke up on Monday night and since then I have experienced so many acts of kindness that I don't really know what to do with myself. That night, two of my friends came and picked me up and let me sleep over at their apartment. We baked cookies, cracked jokes, worked … Continue reading Morning Pages: Acts of Kindness →

Post election day has me reflecting on all the obstacles women have had to face in America over the years. 118 women were elected into office, including the first Muslim and Native American women, as well as many other exciting firsts. As a woman, I am thrilled at the massive strides we are taking for … Continue reading Women Are SO Cool! →