“I’ve asked you three times now to be quiet. If you continue to talk, I will write a referral to the office,” I said to a student today. “But I was just trying to ask him a question,” the student responded. “It doesn’t matter. I asked you to be quiet, and I told you the consequence if you talk again,” I said. “But I’m…” she trailed off muttering something under her breath. I’ve had conversations similar to this with more students than I could count—even with my own children. The need to get the last word in is overwhelming for some of these students. The longer I’ve been in education, the more of an issue it has become. These are what I call “Yes, ma’am moments.” They are times when I give a correction, and all I need is a “Yes, ma’am.” I do not need an explanation; I do not need you to plead your case. I do not need you to talk back. I simply need you to recognize that a correction needs to be made and then correct the behavior. That’s it. The more I watch my students...
In March, executive orders from governors across the country forced us to stay home, to close schools and churches and to shut down private businesses. Businesses were classified as either "essential" or "non-essential." All businesses deemed "non-essential" were forced to close. This included markets, clothing stores, boutiques, dine-in restaurants, and beauty salons. State parks, city parks, beaches, walking trails, lakes, and other wide open spaces were closed as well. Many people feel that the "social distancing," as it has come to be known, and stay at home executive orders violate their constitutional rights, such as our First Amendment right to freely exercise our religion, our right to peaceably assemble, and that we shall not be deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some of the people who feel their rights have been violated have decided to exercise their First Amendment right to protest. Some have even chosen...