Fidgeting, constant chatter, disruptions, these are the tell-tale signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that educators have come to expect. But that’s only part of the story. ADHD shows up in far more ways than most people realize. ADHD is a condition that makes it hard for a person to focus, stay organized, and control their impulses. The CDC …

‘Tis the season for renewed goals, hopes, passions, and aspirations. We quickly pack up the Christmas decorations in hopes of a fresh start and a closed door on the previous year. Some choose a special word to define the new year, some reflect back on the year before, while others set goals in hopes of a better year ahead. Oftentimes, …

TV cameras captured players waving a huge flag emblazoned with the number 94 on the sideline of a late-November Dallas Cowboys football game. The Cowboys mounted a comeback win from 21 points down against the Philadelphia Eagles, perhaps powered by extra motivation. Number 94 belonged to rookie player Marshawn Kneeland, who was found near AT&T Stadium on Nov. 6. He …

We often think of the holidays as a season of joy, but for many of us, they’re also stressful. On top of our already packed to-do lists, we’re juggling a full calendar of celebrations, the pressure to find perfect gifts (and the financial strain that comes with them), and the emotional complexity of family gatherings. It’s no wonder that The …

Sharing your story, good and bad, can be terrifying. Will you be judged? Is anyone going to listen, hear, or relate to you? Will it even make you feel better? It’s been 1,175 days, and all those thoughts are spiraling through my mind as I type this. I feel scared but also ready to share a story that changed me …

Today’s teenagers have a lot going on, yet they are often blamed for their attitude, behavior, selfishness, and for constantly being on their phones. As a high school teacher, I had a front row seat with teens and often found that they felt misunderstood, unheard, and weighed down with pressure to hold it all together. In fact, I noticed that …

If you had told me a few years ago that paint, color, and canvas would become the language I use to speak about grief and hope, I probably would have laughed. I wasn’t a trained artist. I was a mom trying to survive the unthinkable — losing my 15-year-old son, Jason, to suicide. There are moments in life that divide …

Grief is strange, isn’t it? It settles in your chest, a heavy, unwelcome guest that you just can’t get rid of. For me, grief was no stranger. As the youngest child of older parents, I had experienced loss several times, and I thought that made me an expert, but what it actually did was teach me maladaptive coping skills that …

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with anxiety. In second grade, I was terrified that my inability to write a cursive “r” would somehow end up on my “permanent record.” By my mid-twenties, the stakes felt infinitely higher, and I was regularly in five- alarm fire mode. At that point, I wish I had recognized how unsustainable …

In 2021, after twelve years as a high school English teacher, I stepped away to be present with my then four-year-old daughter and eleven-month-old son. While I’m still unsure what motivated that decision—motherhood, the pandemic, changes in education or myself—it set me on a path of growth and healing. We called it “The Year We Spent Together.” ​ Before that …