Apr 20, 2022
Why Are “Good” College-Application Essays So Awful to Read?
For many, our education in first-person writing begins with the college application essay, which rewards uplifting narratives with neat-bow conclusions. This is a bad thing.
The Perils of Academic “Potential”
We don’t need to accept potential as currently defined. We can change the questions we ask, the learning environments we create.
May 26, 2021
A Black Physicist Is Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past
I want to live in a world where I can be a physicist without also being asked to speak on or compensate for the persistent racism of institutions.
Mar 17, 2021
While Teaching in Japan, it Took an Enemy to Make Me Feel at Home
Yuka took my feelings of alienation and monstrousness and turned them into a hilarious joke we shared.
Dec 19, 2017
My Mother’s Hope: On Being a First-Generation Latina in College
“We can make a positive impact and pursue our dreams in this country—even when we feel unwelcome in it.”
Oct 17, 2017
Teaching Under Threat
“During that class, I did not feel like a teacher; I only felt like a woman, a body in danger.”
Sep 27, 2017
A Case for Studying the Humanities in a Time of Neo-Fascism
“Trump and his administration are readable. And we must read them carefully.”
Sep 12, 2017
Why I Want My Daughter to Be Free at School
“I would rather have a daughter who acts out than one who falls in line.”
Aug 31, 2017
Teaching in Trumpland
“Fueled by the 2016 campaign, ugly prejudices deeply rooted in our community would slither into the light.”
Aug 21, 2017
Why Writers Should Teach High School
Many writers spend years looking for the light at the end of the adjunct tunnel. I took another route: teaching high school.
Aug 09, 2017
How My Students Have Given Me Hope Since the Election
“I generally try to keep politics out of the classroom, but this year it hasn’t been possible.”
Jul 05, 2017
Teaching in the Trump Era: How Do We Provide Support and Sanctuary to Our Students?
As an educator, I’m still discerning what it means to try and protect my students while empowering them.
Jun 08, 2017
The Future in Motion: Why I Judge High School Debate Tournaments
“You hope and hope they’ll get their chance and you know it’s possible they won’t.”
May 22, 2017
Notes From a Young Professor: Writing and Teaching Through Charlottesville’s Culture Wars
The police are there, expecting us, academics in revolutionaries’ outfits.
May 04, 2017
A Conversation About Disability Rights in Education
“We need to move our schools toward increased inclusion and disability justice.”
Mar 22, 2017
What Not to Wear (and Other Things No One Tells You When You’re a First-Generation College Graduate)
“My father could do no more than snap a picture.”
Dec 06, 2016
Common Usage Problems
A high school English teacher considers the systems that control much more than grammar.
Oct 06, 2016
