Taylor Dazzo

The most impactful books I read in high school were either banned or challenged in the education system. I couldn't believe there were people that didn't know books existed because they weren't allowed in the school. It all seemed like an incredible disservice to me. Books are meant to be read. Banning can take place due to sexual content, profanity, racism, violence, or religion, but there are also countless other reasons that can come up for reasoning. I'm not sure someone should have the power to take a piece of literature out of the hands of an individual, especially children who cannot make the choice for him or herself. Of course, there is content in books that may not be suitable for students due to age or maturity, but it is up to the adults to be advocates for their students and never say no to reading. As a teacher, I see a few different approaches on how to approach parents that don't want their children reading certain things. It is always the parent...

Technology is changing the world. It isn't something that is just impacting a specific industry or realm but everything! We currently have political figures and news outlets that share breaking news on Twitter and other social media platforms. People are expressing more ideas and opinions globally while connecting to those all around the world. Individuals are able to choose what they want to consume while being at the forefront of it all. So how is this impacting the current and next generation of learners as they are growing up in this changing time? It has to be in some ways, if not all! The experience of being in a classroom while all students have access to their phones or other types of screens is intimidating. How in the world can one compete with a source of instant gratification the students can get from the powerful, little thing in their hands?! Does this mean we, the teachers, have to be that much more interesting? What are we going to have to do to engage our studen...