Ashley Lauren Samsa teaches high school English in the south suburbs of Chicago. She also does some freelance writing.
Ashley Lauren Samsa
Pages authored by Ashley Lauren Samsa
| Title | Body |
|---|---|
| Building a Healthy Body Image Can Be Fun | Last month, I took students from my afterschool girls’ empowerment group to a leadership conference hosted by our Regional Office of Education. There... |
| Respect the 'Little Q' in Your Class | Each year, on the first day of classes, I pull up the rosters to try to pronounce my students’ names before they rush into my classroom. I don’t want... |
| ‘Rape Culture’ Lives Close to Home | The other day, a student was angry about something she was studying in another class. “Did you know that there was just a girl who died from being... |
| Facebook Posts May Hurt College Plans | It’s that time of year again—when former students come into my classroom to vent about the college application process. I’ve already written more... |
| Day of the Girl Inspires Student Action | The first International Day of the Girl, a United Nations initiative to promote gender equality around the world, was Oct. 11. When I explained the... |
| Celebrate Reading Freedom with a Banned Book | Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is my favorite book to teach. It’s the reason I became a high school English teacher. Years ago when my teacher... |
| Keep Students Strong While We Stop Bullies | After teaching a particularly grueling class, I looked forward to the solace of my 55-minute planning period. I started to organize the black hole... |
| After Tragedy, Rally Students for Change | The day after Valentine’s Day 2008, I watched my 1st period students file into the room. They were uncharacteristically quiet. When the bell rang,... |
| Personal Connections Empower Students | I just started my sixth year teaching high school English. This year began with the same question as always: “How will I empower the young women in... |