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Laura Sofen is a middle school writing teacher in Sparta, N.J. She is also a holistic health coach with a master's degree in teaching.
Laura Sofen
Pages authored by Laura Sofen
| Title | Body |
|---|---|
| Eagle Scouts Honor Integrity Through Protest | In the years since they graduated from middle school, several of my former students earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. I was proud of them.... |
| Finding a New Challenge for the Gifted Girl | Katie is the student I imagined all my students would be like when I first started teaching. In my fantasy, all my students were motivated,... |
| Respect for Faith Community Includes Staff | I am a bad Jew. My knowledge of my heritage is anecdotal. My practice of my culture is reduced to lighting the menorah at Hanukkah. While I have... |
| R-E-S-P-E-C-T | Every marking period I contact the parents of my most remarkable students to tell them how great their kids are. I do this for a few reasons. Too... |
| Why Do I Teach? I've Changed My Answer | When I was studying to be a teacher, I had to write a philosophy of education. This essay was to explain what I believed about kids and the role... |
| Why Can’t We Be (Digital) Friends? | While working on a project for class, a student of mine casually mentioned the names of some of my relatives. When I looked up in horror, he rattled... |
| Getting Through the Vicissitudes of Life | The O’Brien boys were a handful. Apathetic overstates how disinterested in school they were. They wandered in and out of my class, and when I wasn’t... |
| The Boys in My Study Hall | The boys in my study hall think I hate them. Because I am constantly demanding silence, because I am constantly reminding them to be courteous of... |
| Y-Factor Leads to a Positive Turnaround | Mr. Franklin changed my son’s life. Alex used to hate school. He angrily questioned and resented every assignment, no matter how easy or fun it... |
| Closing the Gossip Pipeline | Today somebody vomited in fourth-period study hall. Before the period had ended, kids in my study hall already knew about it. On my way to fifth-... |
| Overcoming the Limits of Labels | There are some new labels kids have created for one another since I was in school. When I grew up, there were no skaters or noobs. No one was goth or... |
| Poor in the Land of Plenty | Something about Belinda’s brave smile looks familiar to me. The briefest shadow darkens her face while other students banter about the gifts they’ve... |
| Being Jewish in a Christian World | While I share some aspects of my life with my students, one thing I don’t share is that I was born Jewish. I am ashamed of my shame, knowing that... |
| Overcoming Intolerance Learned at Home | During the school year, I try to empower my students to make their own decisions and form their own opinions. I begin with a unit I call, “Question... |
| Coping With Issues of Weight | During the first week of school, we received a note from Margot’s parents. Margot was battling an eating disorder than had left her hospitalized for... |
| When “Have A Nice Day” is Considered Weird | It’s not that hard to stick out in middle school. The unspoken code of social conduct is unyielding and inflexible. Anything outside of those narrow... |
| Why I Teach: Catching Kids Before They Sink | I used to be a bad girl. I was self-destructive, angry and fearless. These traits, coupled with a decent amount of intelligence, took me to all the... |