Students

Introduction to Poetry 
By Billy Collins 

I ask them to take a poem 
and hold it up to the light 
like a color slide 

or press an ear against its hive. 

I say drop a mouse into a poem 
and watch him probe his way out, 

or walk inside the poem's room 
and feel the walls for a light switch. 

To wrap up Women's History Month, we wanted to highlight and celebrate women who are doing incredible things and making history today. From diversity and inclusion advocates to young poets to teenaged trailblazers, these women are influencing the world as we know it, impacting the lives of young learners all over the world. If you can read this post and not feel inspired then we haven't done our jobs.  

It's March already. 😬 But March means Women's History Month and we love that! 🙋‍♀️💪 In honor of this, we've curated a short list (much shorter than deserved) of extraordinary women who have impacted younger generations through education. These women have overcome obstacles to blaze the trails for those who would follow them and continue moving education toward a more equitable experience for all students. Feel free to share in your classrooms, research more influential women, and encourage your students to learn more! 

In short, yes. And the answer to your next question can be found in the rest of this all-too-brief, digestible, 5-minute-read blog. 

Why should your students participate in peer review? Why is it important? 

"In your own words" 
"Cite your sources" 
"No, you can't just copy and paste that entire website as your essay." 

Things teachers say quite frequently when giving writing assignments. Well, hopefully not the last one, but we all know there are students who will try. 

PIVOT – the word for the 2020-2021 school year. There are also words and phrases like learning loss, zoombombing, unstable connection, and asynchronous. 

By: Kay Walling, guest writer High school ELA, Texas

We’ve learned how teachers have grown even more flexible with virtual school and that parents have pulled out most of their hair trying to keep their kids on task in Zoom lessons. Our general appreciation for teachers has deepened significantly. But what have students been doing over the last year? Struggling. Making it. Missing teachers and friends. Growing.  

There isn’t a group of people who have not been affected in one way or another by the global pandemic of 2020. Last month, we introduced a few teacher friends who have been trudging through the challenges of virtual school and gave you an idea of how some teachers are faring. This month, we are looking into what it’s like to be a parent of children who have at least started the 2020-21 school year online.