Republican State Senator Erin Grall’s proposed bill, SB 1620, seeks to mandate publishing lists of approved websites, prohibit personal wireless communication devices, and ban posting student images. — Governor Ron DeSantis and similar Florida politicians have made it clear that they are determined to silence the voices of young people who dare to speak out on issues that matter to them. Their latest move to curtail student voice across all school types, including private and independent institutions, is…

I oppose lending credence to vicious falsehoods embraced by our President. My stance is not a matter of politics; it’s a matter of honesty and decency. — As a high school humanities teacher, my blood boiled when on Thursday, Nov. 5, President Donald J. Trump claimed widespread voter fraud in a primetime address from the White House grounds. “If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” he said. “If you count the illegal votes, they can…

Caitlin Flanagin’s cover story favors easy insults and zingers over practical advice and bridge-building. — Several years ago, this high school history and journalism teacher was covering anti-private school rhetoric in the mainstream press. I wanted (and still want) all school sectors to work together, not against one another, and I just couldn’t take the complete lack of ethics involved in some truly horrendous reporting.

Help stressed out, anxious, teenagers with social and emotional learning. — At the end of the fall semester, a distraught junior met with me about her grade in American History. “This isn’t fair with all of my studying and hard work,” she said. “My parents will be angry and demand that I need to do better, that an A- is not…

Administrators offer bogus excuses for not having vibrant student newspapers—even as school mission statements trumpet the importance of student voice. It’s time to take decisive action. Here’s how. — From the fourth grade on, and now as a high school teacher at my alma mater, I’ve been privileged to belong to the independent school community. Not only have I experienced firsthand what makes our small but vibrant community special, but I’ve also connected with colleagues and peer institutions to…

Educators must speak out against the President’s recent tweet about Elizabeth Warren’s presidential bid announcement. There is no gray area with such racist, ignorant, abhorrent language. — As a high school history teacher, I had always felt strongly about remaining opaque politically. For the following reasons, I justified my stance to my students. 1. Indoctrination. I believe that much of the nation automatically identifies teachers as liberals. While there might be some truth to this stereotype…

“I see a direct connection between what I learned in journalism and what I’m doing now,” says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham. — However much I struggled, only when I found my passion for news reporting did my success in the humanities begin to soar — so much so, in fact, that I now teach journalism to my own history students, hopeful that they too will benefit from the combination. I think it’s…

If teachers must give high-stakes assessments, allow for full-credit retakes. — Once during an exam on the Civil War, one of my 11th graders burst into tears, fearful of what a low grade on the test might do to her future. “I’ll never get into college now,” she told me, as I tried to console her. “I might as well give…

Opening one’s ears is never as dangerous as closing them. — As an educator and a new parent of a son, I intend to do my best to raise him into a caring, responsible individual. …