Day: May 16, 2023

A Florida teacher is under investigation by the state’s Department of Education after she showed her students a Disney movie that features a gay character.
Jenna Barbee, who teaches fifth grade in the Hernando County School District, says a student’s mother lodged a complaint with education officials after Barbee showed the film Strange World in her classroom.
Barbee said the movie focuses on humans’ relationship to the environment, which was why she chose to show it to her class after a section on ecosystems, plants and animals. She said a subplot about a boy having a crush on another boy never crossed her mind before screening the film.
“It talks about love to all things, and that’s literally what this movie represents,” Barbee told NPR. “I find it interesting that now I’m getting in trouble for a similar topic.”
Strange World, a PG-rated Disney movie released last year, features actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union among others and tells the story of three generations of a..

Poetry is a mindfulness practice for award-winning author and poet Clint Smith. But as a young person, Smith felt that poetry “was something that wasn’t for people like [him].” In a recent interview with KQED Forum, Smith said that poetry can feel intimidating when presented as if it’s a “geometric proof” or “a code that [students] are supposed to unlock.” He recommended that teachers instead emphasize that no interpretation is wrong. Online resources, too, can show young learners “that there are poets who are alive” and “reflect the diversity and plurality of the human experience of our society.”
“You don’t have to be published to write a poem,” said Smith. “Poetry is in all of us.” He said it’s important for educators to “make poetry feel like an invitation rather than intimidation.” Below, three poetry teachers from around the country shared how they expand the boundaries of poetry in the classroom.
Music and murals
In Carrie Mattern’s high school classroom in Flint, Michigan, st..