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First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others thinking and writing about public education.

School refusal was excruciating. Here’s how I overcame it.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
School refusal was excruciating. Here’s how I overcame it.

My story of school refusal and recovery

By 
Anika Merkin
 | May 29
Weekly meetups at a Detroit library remind my friends and me about the power of IRL connection
FROM Chalkbeat Detroit
Weekly meetups at a Detroit library remind my friends and me about the power of IRL connection

Weekly meetups at the Detroit Public Library remind my friends and me about the power of IRL connection.

By 
Charisma Holly
 | May 28
My school enforces its cell phone ban. It is the change teachers need, and kids need even more.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
My school enforces its cell phone ban. It is the change teachers need, and kids need even more.

I’m no longer fighting Silicon Valley’s best efforts to capture human attention. Now, I battle boredom, and that’s a winnable fight.

By 
Gilbert Schuerch
 | May 23
My high school Spanish teacher showed me what AI can’t do
FROM chalkbeat National
My high school Spanish teacher showed me what AI can’t do

As a teacher, I know ed tech will never compare to building IRL relationships with students.

By 
Becca Katz
 | May 20
 In prison, I finally learned to embrace social-emotional learning
FROM chalkbeat National
In prison, I finally learned to embrace social-emotional learning

I can’t help but wonder what my life might have been like if I’d had access to these tools earlier on.

By 
Anthony Baye
 | May 12
My ACE score reflects my history of trauma. It also connects me to my students.
FROM chalkbeat National
My ACE score reflects my history of trauma. It also connects me to my students.

As a school psychologist, I help young people facing hardships. My own upbringing offers perspective.

By 
Brittany Lewno-Dumdie
 | May 8
I am many things, from many places. That’s something to celebrate.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
I am many things, from many places. That’s something to celebrate.

Here’s what I wish I could say when someone asks, ‘Where are you from?’

By 
Ginger Roger Ceballos
 | May 5
I grew up in Harlem. A trip to Korea helped me understand the two cultures that shaped me.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
I grew up in Harlem. A trip to Korea helped me understand the two cultures that shaped me.

Harlem was home. Then a trip to Korea helped me understand the two cultures that shaped me.

By 
Oscar Scribner
 | April 18
Schools have an expanded role amid immigration crackdowns
FROM Chalkbeat New York
Schools have an expanded role amid immigration crackdowns

Kristin Cahill, a principal in New York City, reflects on a new role for schools in a changing society.

By 
Kristin Cahill
 | April 10
Here’s how teachers develop ‘eyes in the back of their head’
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
Here’s how teachers develop ‘eyes in the back of their head’

Why do teachers seem to have eyes in the back of their heads? They’ve mastered the art of noticing.

By 
Ronak Shah
 | April 7
School libraries are literacy hubs. They are also safe havens.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
School libraries are literacy hubs. They are also safe havens.

School libraries have been an unfunded mandate in New York. Let’s change that, says student Salma Baksh.

By 
Salma Baksh
 | April 4
Did COVID change educators more than it changed students?
FROM chalkbeat National
Did COVID change educators more than it changed students?

Five years after the pandemic closed schools, some educators remain wistful for before times.

By 
Brandon McCoy
 | March 18
We can celebrate the 100th day of school without caricaturing centenarians
FROM chalkbeat National
We can celebrate the 100th day of school without caricaturing centenarians

It’s time to stop telling kids to ‘dress up like you’re 100.'

By 
Barbara Gottschalk
 | March 17
As a first-year teacher, I focused too much on getting my students to like me.
FROM chalkbeat National
As a first-year teacher, I focused too much on getting my students to like me.

I forgot what was important: getting the kids to learn and understand the material.

By 
Ivy Sage
 | March 14
5 years on, fights over COVID policy still cast a shadow over school boards
FROM chalkbeat National
5 years on, fights over COVID policy still cast a shadow over school boards

I led a school board through COVID. It took a toll on my mental health.

By 
Erika Cohen
 | March 12
My education research was canceled in the name of ‘government efficiency.’
FROM chalkbeat National
My education research was canceled in the name of ‘government efficiency.’

I study early childhood education. Defunding this research will have far-reaching effects.

By 
Jenn Finders
 | March 6
I’m a high school student who fled the war in Ukraine. I still miss home.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
I’m a high school student who fled the war in Ukraine. I still miss home.

It hurts to see the U.S. turn its back on my homeland.

By 
Arina Limarieva
 | March 6
I’m a principal. The Trump administration has changed the reality for school leaders like me.
FROM Chalkbeat Colorado
I’m a principal. The Trump administration has changed the reality for school leaders like me.

Changes out of Washington have only increased the degree of difficulty, writes Chris DeRemer.

By 
Chris DeRemer
 | February 21
Teaching English has gotten away from exploring literature. Here’s why that’s a problem.
FROM Chalkbeat New York
Teaching English has gotten away from exploring literature. Here’s why that’s a problem.

Reading passages cannot take the place of reading books.

By 
Daniel F. Levin
 | February 18
The manosphere: During COVID school closures, I found myself drawn to hateful online content
FROM Chalkbeat Detroit
The manosphere: During COVID school closures, I found myself drawn to hateful online content

At home during COVID school closures, I consumed misogynistic content in an endless loop. My brother walked me back from the brink.

By 
Bryan Campbell
 | February 12

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