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First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others thinking and writing about public education.
Changes out of Washington have only increased the degree of difficulty, writes Chris DeRemer.
Reading passages cannot take the place of reading books.
At home during COVID school closures, I consumed misogynistic content in an endless loop. My brother walked me back from the brink.
I want school leaders who are struggling with their mental health to know they are not alone.
Learning doesn’t have to be student-driven to be student-centric.
We teach foundational literacy skills. We just make it look like play.
In the second Trump era, educators consider what ‘sanctuary’ looks like in their schools and communities.
Debilitating pain turned me into a student I didn’t recognize. Here’s how I got back on track.
Post-COVID, fostering new friendships seemed like an impossible task.
After years of struggling with body image, I turned to crash dieting. It took a terrible toll.
I’ve endured student aggression throughout my decade in the classroom.
Here’s how I reassured teachers ‘fearful of speaking the truth.’
At Forest Glen, I learned that authentic, empathetic leadership can transcend language and cultural differences.
The transfer process was time-consuming and full of disappointment. It was worth it.
What the writer, who died this week at age 81, taught me about Mars, freedom dreaming, and the power of a good cry.
Options included journaling, lab work, and oral reports.
Taking a college-level biology course while still in high school (and learning English) showed me a path forward.
I was trying — and failing — to teach literature to teens. Then I discovered ‘The Piano Lesson’ and ‘Fences.’
My grandparents raised me as a ‘satellite baby’ in China. When I returned to NYC at age 5, I got to know my parents for the first time.
My Gen Z clients are digital natives who communicate effortlessly over text.