THOSE KIDS: No One Wants Better For Me Than Me
You want me to change. You want me to do better and make better choices. You want me to learn to cope and overcome and put myself on the right
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THOSE KIDS: The Who Matters. The What and The Why Can Come Later
They are getting ready to walk through your door for the first time. They are waiting to see how you will greet them. They are going to judge if they
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The Voices of THOSE KIDS: Below the Surface
The hardest part for me was that you didn’t realize I was one of THOSE KIDS. You saw me as a good student who was capable of making good grades
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The Voice of THOSE KIDS: Please don’t focus on my story. Focus on Me.
I’ve been through a lot. That’s not an excuse. It’s a fact. I don’t want to share what happened to me and I actually really don’t like when people think
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THOSE KIDS: The One Who Changed Everything
That one interaction changed the way I teach. It changed everything. The student wasn’t a good student and most of the time was difficult to even like. He was one of THOSE
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The Voice of THOSE KIDS: I’d Rather Be Not Liked for Being Mean Than Not Liked for Being Me
The minute I hit school, it was pretty much game over for me. I was one of THOSE KIDS. It didn’t matter what I did or didn’t do – you
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I’m Not Going to Talk About the Gay Kid Anymore.
I’m not going to talk about the gay kid anymore. Or the bisexual kid. Or the transgender kid. Labels. How come the labels always get to me before the student?
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I Told My High School Son to Just Stop Studying
Just Stop Studying. Actually, what I said was if you try to study for that test, I am going to burn your study guide. You are not studying. Doesn’t sound
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To THAT student…I’m Sorry I Wasn’t Better
Dear Student, I found a letter you wrote over 15 years ago to me at the end of your 8th grade year. You were thanking me for helping you and
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THOSE kids…
I recently ran into a group of new teachers at lunch. We had a brief conversation about where we work. When they heard where I teach, an inpatient psychiatric hospital,
Read MoreThe VOICES of THOSE KIDS
During preservice a few years ago, I ran into a group of new teachers at lunch. We had a brief conversation about where we worked. When they heard where I taught, a PRTF (Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility), one of the teachers said, “Good for you. I couldn’t work with THOSE kids.” I said, “You do realize when THOSE kids leave […]
Learning is Not Closed
Changing aren’t coming. They’re here. Everything is changing. Again. Hard decisions were made in most of our communities. Precautions and restrictions and shut downs. Quarantines and capacities and illnesses. I know emotions are high and opinions are all over the place. Not everyone agrees or understands. Some will make the transition relatively easily and some it’s going to hit hard. […]