
It’s Child’s Play: The crisis on the US playgrounds.
“Kids nowadays don’t know how to play anymore. When we were their age…” We didn’t have playgrounds, slides, hula hoops or four square....

SCHOOL REFUSAL: Tips & Tricks
School Refusal: When your child won't go to school. Understanding the issue from your child’s perspective. The first step is to identify...

Ten Ways To Help Your Child Feel Loved
By: Aleksandra Chawda, M.Ed. 1. RESPECT THEM Parents are the role models and they shape their child’s behavior. Kids are experts at...

Out of the Mouths of Babes: on street life & why the good kids join gangs.
Amaya* “Pancakes, bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs.” That was the standard answer Amaya gave every time a teacher would ask what she had...


Trust at the heart of a trauma-sensitive culture.
100% of our population has been traumatized by the pandemic. Every single one of us. The way each person reacts & processes the...

Back to School: Cultural Competence & Trauma Awareness.
August 1992: It was supposed to be a five minute walk. I spent many summer afternoons practicing the route, making sure I knew how to get...



The Aftermath of School Shootings.
April 20, 1999. Columbine Senior year of high school. I don't even remember where I was when it happened. All I remember is the next day....


Put a little gratitude in that attitude!
The view is quite different from the other side. Being back in the classroom, as an "older student" and having taught for 15 years gives...

Every Great Dream Begins with a Dreamer: the hardships of first-generation students.
Every time someone would ask me, "How did you end up becoming a teacher?", my heart would sink a bit. SPOILER: There is no cute story...

Culture Shock for all: studying and traveling abroad on the cheap.
Studying, living, and volunteering abroad gives you a new perspective on life. Shockingly, only 42% of Americans have a passport. This...

Chocolate & Vanilla Swirl with a Sprinkle of Cinnamon on Top: All about raising biracial children.
The first time I saw a nonwhite person was when I was ten. The society I grew up was very ethnocentric, homophobic, and racist. That's...

Confessions of THAT parent: My child is flunking 1st grade and I'm totally okay with that.
I have the utmost respect for the parents that have to work remotely, take care of the household, themselves, keep track of their kids'...

Tension at the Table: How 2020 is the perfect recipe for reinventing outdated traditions.
The story of the first Thanksgiving has very much been romanticized, just like the idea of a Thanksgiving dinner during the Pandemic....

"How are you?": The worst question in the English language.
The first thing you learn in English is the question, "How are you?" and that's when you become programmed to give "Fine, thank you, how...

Rebels at recess: hanging out with the "bad" kids with the biggest hearts.
I was alway a tomboy. I would've rather spent my free time chasing my sister around with a pig's tail (don't ask...), and pretend to play...




















