10 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Set Up Your Classroom This Year

We needed that summer break. We deserved that summer break. As my students would say, no cap!

Donuts and Deals with the Devil: A Love Story in Space—Kind of

No cap, I have the worst singing voice in the world. Birds have dropped dead out of the sky upon hearing it. My children used to fall fast asleep just to stop any lullaby I started. Glassware has broken from the notes I’ve hit—granted people threw that glassware at me, but the fact stands: I have a...

Cuban Pastries, English Tea–No Berry

Unpopular opinion–British Baking Show is way overrated. Okay, very unpopular opinion. I just don’t like it and feel it my mission in life to de-cultify people from machinations of Mary Berry.

Hits, Hoverboards, and Alternate Realities

Back in the days before television screens were flat, before we had televisions in every room of the house, before crazy high screen resolutions let us see every line, wrinkle, and flaw on previously unflawed celebrities, I remember watching a boxing match during the Olympics with friends and...

A Magical Must-Have

It’s Stranger Things season four that everyone asks you if you’ve watched yet.

Immigrant and Refugee Stories: The Sun is Also a Star

From speaking with students I’ve taught over the past ten years and interviews conducted by my student journalists about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), immigration, and being undocumented in the U.S., I've learned that getting to America is one journey—staying is another entirely.

Immigrant and Refugee Stories: Enrique's Journey

There’s something to be said about putting yourself in another person’s shoes. Even if those shoes will never fit perfectly, and you struggle to stay upright because you could never fully understand the perspective, journey, or fortitude that led them through it. Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a...

Immigrant and Refugee Stories: Ink Knows No Borders

Poetry offers a creative outlet for writers to explore their emotions, experiences, and dreams for the future. It offers extraordinary literary freedom. It can look and sound like anything the author wants—it could rhyme (or not), it could be a haiku with short and simple syllables, or it could be...

Immigrant and Refugee Stories Month: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Something I think students with siblings might be able to relate to is competing with each other to please their parents or be the best. In some cases it’s all in good fun, but other times young teens might feel pressure to match their sibling’s grades, experiences, or behavior. 

Immigrant and Refugee Stories Month: American Street

The best part of my job is the gift of diversity and the stories I get to prompt students to produce in a creative way through narratives, short stories, digital media, and art. As a teacher, it allows me to broaden my horizons and understand our world a little more.