Introduction Across the United States, a renewed wave of book challenges and bans has increasingly targeted young adult (YA) literature, particularly texts that explore race, gender identity, sexuality, mental health, and civic resistance. While debates over censorship in education are not new, the current scale, coordination, and politicization of these challenges have created urgent consequences … Continue reading The Right to Read: Crafting and Publishing Rationales for Banned Books by Remington M. Foust
Teaching Narrative Through the Fine Arts: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Student Comprehension by Susan Decker
Teaching abstract English Language Arts (ELA) concepts using parallels from the fine arts increases student learning due to both biological and psychological responses to the arts. This deliberate duet between the fine arts (specifically visual art, music, dance/theater, and film) and ELA also has great academic benefits, as the beauty of ELA thus becomes more … Continue reading Teaching Narrative Through the Fine Arts: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Student Comprehension by Susan Decker
Cover Me Up: Quilts and their Substitutes in Southern Fiction by Kay Walter and Arley-Beth Cravey
The tradition of American Patchwork Quilting is nowhere more vital than in the Mississippi Delta. The Gee’s Bend quilters, a group of rural Alabama African American women descended from enslaved people who create abstract quilts using improvisational designs, made their Delta quilting world-famous. A quilt can be many things, but at base it is a … Continue reading Cover Me Up: Quilts and their Substitutes in Southern Fiction by Kay Walter and Arley-Beth Cravey
The Case of the Missing Counterargument by Gail M. Netland Froyd
Argumentative writing is a common component of both secondary and postsecondary composition instruction; in the contemporary onslaught of constant information and misinformation from social media and AI, information literacy and the ability to comprehend, construct, and deconstruct arguments is more crucial than ever. Critical thinking that leads to the ability to anticipate needs and concerns … Continue reading The Case of the Missing Counterargument by Gail M. Netland Froyd
Using Concept Albums to Engage with Layers of Theme by Susan Decker
From beloved heartwarming Christmas melodies to intense songs of angry political and social protest, music is one of the most emotionally charged forms of expression. Although the psychological research behind that statement is fascinatingly complex, the layman’s explanation is quite simple: music is a powerful combination of both lyrics and sounds. These two elements work … Continue reading Using Concept Albums to Engage with Layers of Theme by Susan Decker
The Kids Can Do It: Slow down, Collaborate, and Scaffold by Chelsea Bowker, Austin Castro and Anastassia McNulty
Across the United States, many educators will face what often feels like an insurmountable predicament. The goal is to provide students with complex, grade-level academic challenges designed to achieve a rigorous set of standards. The problem is comparable to a 20-foot brick wall in front of us and our students, and we have 120 days … Continue reading The Kids Can Do It: Slow down, Collaborate, and Scaffold by Chelsea Bowker, Austin Castro and Anastassia McNulty
New Kinds of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors: Destigmatizing Mental Health in Our Classrooms through Young Adult Literature by Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez
A review of Kia Jane Richmond's Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature: Exploring Real Struggles through Fictional Characters. ABC-CLIO, 2019. After meeting Kia Jane Richmond at the Annual NCTE Convention in Baltimore in 2019, I knew I had to read her work. Rather than starting with a short article—of which she has written many—I began … Continue reading New Kinds of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors: Destigmatizing Mental Health in Our Classrooms through Young Adult Literature by Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez
Engaging Minds, Inspiring Readers by Jen McCarty Plucker
In classrooms filled with diverse learners, engagement doesn’t come from compliance—it comes from connection, curiosity, and relevance. Before we can expect students to meet us in rigorous academic work, we must first understand the often-hidden reasons behind their resistance. In my teaching practice and research, I’ve discovered that many seemingly disengaged behaviors are actually defense … Continue reading Engaging Minds, Inspiring Readers by Jen McCarty Plucker
Strategies for Changing Hearts and Minds by David Beard
Teaching about anti-Semitism has never been more important and, possibly, more complicated than it is today. The Anti-Defamation League identifies anti-Semitism as on the rise (e.g., in “U.S. Antisemitic Incidents Skyrocketed 360% in Aftermath of Attack in Israel, According to Latest ADL Data”). It has also become more complicated, as a topic for civic life … Continue reading Strategies for Changing Hearts and Minds by David Beard
Finding “The Wisdom to Know the Difference” about AI by Matthew Schempp
The Serenity Prayer Like many other schools across the state of Minnesota, we at BlueSky School have struggled with the dual opportunities and threats of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the last three years. Last May, we presented our struggles, guiding philosophy, and paths to teaching in this new environment. In … Continue reading Finding “The Wisdom to Know the Difference” about AI by Matthew Schempp
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