Pick your battles is one of my favorite teaching and parenting slogans. I even have something I coined, no battle Friday, which takes place most Fridays during the school year […]
Author Archives: Simone Larson
Simone Larson is a third generation teacher. She lives in Skokie-Evanston with her husband, two young children and a dog.
Posted inSchools
Simone Larson: A letter to my students during the winter doldrums
Dear Students: Welcome to the doldrums of winter. During this time of year, it can be incredibly difficult to find motivation to do much of anything. All I really want […]
Posted inColumns
Simone Larson: A trauma-informed approach to education
Trauma is universal. It extends across color and socioeconomic lines. I highlight this fact at the risk of being labeled as “colorblind.” I highlight it to remind everyone that trauma […]
Posted inColumns
Simone Larson: The teachers we remember
In our current educational climate, there is much to grieve. At the national level we’ve been barraged with bad news: declining academic test scores related to pandemic “learning loss,” school […]
Posted inColumns
Simone Larson: Making sense of the middle of the middle schooler
There is something deeply confusing about the middle-school mind. An outsider looking in will find themself baffled while observing a middle schooler; even a parent fails to recognize their own […]
Posted inColumns
Simone Larson: My Reluctant Reader
It’s time to read. This phrase, when uttered inside the walls of a classroom, can be met with a startling plethora of reactions: groans, cheers, shrugs, silent resignation. Who knew […]
Posted inColumns
Simone Larson: Back to school
Editor’s note: This is a new column from an Evanston teacher who will discuss the many positive things being done by teachers in District 65. My mother, a teacher who taught […]