aerial view of khor virap monastery with mount ararat

Teaching the Weight of Words

Writing as Ethical Witness During Genocide Remembrance Month Each April, Genocide Remembrance Month invites us to pause and remember histories of violence that too often fade into abstraction or silence. Several major genocides have key anniversaries in April—the Armenian Genocide beginning April 24, 1915, the …

photo of women sitting on orange sofa

A Woman in the News

March 2026 is Women’s History Month. When women choose to get involved in the process of community building, they typically join forces with men and collaborate in various ways. They organize events, educate people, start community projects, or just change the room’s atmosphere with their …

in library

A Woman in Literature

March 2026 is Women’s History Month. When women choose to get involved in the process of community building, they typically join forces with men and collaborate in various ways. They organize events, educate people, start community projects, or just change the room’s atmosphere with their …

woman kissing woman with boutonniere on chest

A Woman in Your Family

March 2026 is Women’s History Month. When women choose to get involved in the process of community building, they typically join forces with men and collaborate in various ways. They organize events, educate people, start community projects, or just change the room’s atmosphere with their …

group of young people jumping in the air at the church steps

It’s VerseLove!

Dear Ethical ELA community, April is just around the corner, which means it’s time to begin preparing for one of our favorite traditions: #VerseLove, our month-long celebration of poetry and community writing. Each April, we gather as writers, readers, and witnesses to poems. Some of …

woman in black jersey playing basketball

Rethinking the March Madness Poetry Bracket

A Humanizing Approach Using Living, Open-Access Poems Each March, many classrooms fill with brackets. Inspired by the energy of the basketball tournament, teachers invite students to read poems head-to-head and vote for their favorites. The structure is familiar and playful. It gives shape to the …

multiethnic girls talking about school and writing in textbooks

Towards More Humane—and Productive—Rubrics

by Kate Sjostrom Just over ten years ago, right around the time Ethical ELA was founded, I began teaching writing methods courses to pre-service English teachers. While I strived to model an ethical approach to the teaching of writing, there was one area in which …

a children looking the laptop

The Boundary is Still Blurry

Looking Back at 2021 by Abby Kindelsperger While much continues to evolve in our world and our schools, when I look back on my Ethical ELA post from 2021, I am struck by the consistency of my teaching philosophy. I still learn from my students, …

black smiling girl with friends during theater performance

Speaking Up in Class: Two Strategies to Encourage Meaningful Conversations and Every Student Voice

by Barb Edler Hello, readers. I am a retired public school Language Arts/Composition teacher from Iowa. Currently, I am an online writing tutor for Kirkwood Community College. My teaching instruction has been greatly influenced by the Iowa Writing Project, and I have worked with students …

pancake with maple syrup

I Believe In…

Our Host Stacey L. Joy is a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, L.A. County and LAUSD Teacher of the Year. This is Stacey’s 40th and final year of elementary classroom teaching. She currently teaches 5th grade at Baldwin Hills Gifted Magnet and Pilot …