This year, more than ever, we've got to give our students a chance to open up and connect. See below for a new activity that invites young people to share stories and write poems about "intriguing objects."

For additional inspiration, join our webinar tomorrow on Creating an Affirmative Space for All. Details below! And if you missed last week's hugely popular webinar on Fostering SEL & Self-Care in the Coronavirus Era with Victoria Cheng-Gorini, you can watch it on demand now!

Nicole will guide you in exercises and activities to demonstrate how we as anti-racist educators can use aspects of culture, from music to movies, to ensure that our students are seen, heard, and acknowledged. Join this AFT Share My Lesson webinar on Thursday, August 20, 5-6 pm EDT.

Register now!

Create connections and invite creativity through this virtual or in-person activity in which students share an intriguing object, tell a story about it, then write and share a poem about another student’s object. By Lili Arkin.

Students deepen their knowledge of the civil rights icon's history and values, reflect on their own values, and share their thoughts and reflections.

By Nicole Lavonne Smith

This School Year Will Be Messy. That's OK. "Putting aside sadness and rage might be efficient, and sometimes it can lead over time to real healing, but right now it also speaks to a privileged level of blindness." By Clio Stearns at Chalkbeat.

Black Student Voices: Reflecting on Race and Racism in Schools. Ten Black high school students from across the country talk about how they think issues of race and racism should be handled in school. Listen to their powerful insights at Education Week.

- HS student Helena Almaw