We need a collective pause, a collective reflection, and a collective reckoning with the idea of respect. I have spent the last seven years studying dignity and encouraging prosocial critical thinking in classrooms, organizations, and individuals. My work is grounded in the research of Donna Hicks Ph.D, a pioneer in operationalizing the idea of …
One of the first things I did at the start of a new school year was order personalized pencils. I would hand them out with abandon to students, coworkers, parents, or anyone having a hard moment. I bought them from this rad woman, The Carbon Crusader. She has all kinds of awesome options, but I …
My parents like to talk about how easy I was as a baby. Apparently, I was always happy, smiling, slept seven hours the first night they brought me home, etc. Little did they know it was all a ruse to force them to love me unconditionally before the tides shifted. Emotional consistency in the face …
Sometimes, it still astounds me that I am a teacher. I hated school. I graduated high school with a 2.45 GPA and would frequently call the front office from the bathroom pretending to be my Mom so I could leave for the day. At 15, I went out of my way to learn things about …
For Berkeley Carroll’s 2018 STEAM Fair, I hosted Shoe Design Lab in my classroom. Shoe Design Lab is an immersive experience for young adults and children on the ideation, design and prototyping of sneakers. It was created by LAMA SIX, a Brooklyn-based creative studio. I collaborated with LAMA SIX in providing direction and feedback on …
It was such an honor to host the Q&A with R.J. Palacio at this special premiere of Wonder in Brooklyn. I am a huge fan of the book, as it is such a powerful and humanizing work, and it was a delight to see the film and facilitate the session with R.J. Palacio afterwards. …