When we were kids we used to joke about having ESP, extra-sensory perception. We thought it would be a blast to be psychic, read people’s minds and look into the future. Now, as a junior high teacher, I am often
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Hitting the Like Button: Using Social Media to Grow an Online Community
I joined Facebook in 2002 when you had to have a college email address to sign up for the social media site. Each day I checked my account in anticipation of the new friend requests I received. Over the years,
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The Reset Button: Why We Need to Experience Failure to Reach Success
My husband, Tyler, plays video games when he has a free moment on the weekends. While I have no desire to pick up an XBox controller, I mindlessly listen while grading a stack of papers or finishing a chore as
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African American Influence on U.S. Government
African American Influence on U.S. Government As February winds down, let’s remember that the celebration of African American influence does not have to end. In honor of this, we will take a look at some of the ways that
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Four days. Three nights. Sixty students. Ten Teachers. One Million Smiles.
I returned home two weeks ago from Vikingtown, a diversity and leadership camp. The four days, three nights with sixty students and ten teachers created one million smiles. This was my first Vikingtown experience and I had zero clue what
Read More We Are More Than Dr. King
I was blessed to grow up in the rich African American (Black) culture that resides in the Washington, D.C. area. I saw our good and bad, our strengths and weaknesses, our beauty and shame wherever I looked. I was secure…I
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Online Learning: Building Relationships in the Digital Age
This week, I began teaching an online class. I have little experience in online education. I started my undergraduate degree when AOL still used instant messaging. Online classes were rare; in fact, I think I took one biology lecture and
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A Jonah Day aka Academic Struggle in High Achieviers
There I stood in my lovely class of 1st – 3rd graders with 29 eagerly engaged students and 3 crying in agony. The cries were not from physical pain, but the emotional turmoil that sets in when we sit in places of discomfort.
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I’m Fun at Holiday Parties, Really!
Around the holidays, many visitors and holiday party-goers comment on how tired I look. I don’t think they mean this unkindly – it’s true, I do look exhausted this time of year (and many other times throughout the school year).
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From Chanel to Shakespeare
Coco Chanel ruled my life for seven years. The bold French designer who revolutionized women’s fashion dictated nearly every decision I made after I graduated from NAU with a degree in merchandising. You are probably wondering, “What the heck does
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