During our staff meeting that afternoon, my colleagues and I learned our school had six new students who were Syrian refugees.

By engaging critically with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, newcomer students develop more than just a broader vocabulary or sharper analysis skills.

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.

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?

As the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide approached in April 2014, I took it as an opportunity to teach my students about this horrific and tragic event.

In a school made up of just 10% African American students, after the bell rang, more than half of the students still in the halls were African American. This made me wonder if Black kids are allowed to roam the halls all over America’s urban landscape.

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

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

As students transition from elementary to high school, teachers have an opportunity to practice gradually releasing control. Restroom privileges are a good place to start.