Wendy Kennar

Wendy is a freelance writer who finds inspiration in her son and from her experiences from her twelve-year teaching career. Her writing has appeared in several publications and anthologies, both in print and online. She prefers sunflowers to roses and thinks chocolate is okay at any meal. You can find her at www.wendykennar.com where she writes about books, boys, and bodies (specifically living with an invisible disability).

On my son’s first day of kindergarten, we brought his teacher a red apple. She was so surprised by this small gesture that it made her cry.

When I taught upper-grade students, one of our end-of-the-year activities was a reflection/evaluation letter. I asked my students to complete an in-class, two-paragraph writing assignment using the friendly letter format we had learned. In the first paragraph, I asked my students to tell me about things that worked — things they liked about our class, …

A whole week off school! For many families, spring break is a nice break from the frenzied morning rush to get to school on time and the frenzied evening rush to get everything done before you go to bed and repeat the process all over again. But then reality hits. A whole week off school! …

It’s been my experience that people are quick to criticize Los Angeles public schools. Critics contend that classrooms are over-crowded and poorly funded. They believe students are undisciplined and unprepared for the future. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would instead like us to acknowledge all that is good within our public schools. After …

When I was a teacher, I was known for many things: not allowing use of the word “hate,” wearing a lot of rings on my fingers, and hugging. Whether I was teaching kindergarten, fourth, or fifth grades, I always hugged my students (if they wanted a hug). I hugged them hello and goodbye, I hugged …