Stories

ACE Blog

Students talking to each other.

Screenshot of CBS On the Road Series. Picture of the bottom of a swimming pool from atop with text that reads, "If I couldn't handle not being good at something, then how could I consider myself a successful person?"

What's Not in the Lesson Plan

It might be crazy to admit that one of my objectives on Fridays is to get my students to cry, but it isn’t because I am giving an impossible test...

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ACE Teachers posing before So-Cal Marathon 2026

Running Through Discomfort

I feel great. Granted, I’m only 3 miles into my 13.1 mile journey, but I feel better than ever. It’s hot, but I’ve run in this weather countless times. After...

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rigaliblog

Creating the Body of Christ

Three months before my 22nd birthday, I did something that I always aspired to do: I earned a degree from my dream school, the University of Notre Dame. I was...

SteinmeyerBlog

If I Could, I'd Still Choose You

Eight months after resolving to move back home to Chicago after college, I'm standing with one of my community members in front of a fourteen-foot plastic alligator at an official...

HigherLearningPt2

What is Higher-Powered Learning? - Part 2

So now you have met the team behind Higher-Powered Learning (HPL), but you may still be wondering, “what is Higher-Powered Learning?” If you’re reading this post, you probably understand the...

BellBlog

Trust the Process

The NBA season is well underway, and as a native Philadelphian now teaching in Sacramento, I do my best to keep up with both the Kings and the Sixers. While...

FB_middleschool

The Middle School Roller Coaster

I love it when their eyes widen. That is my favorite part. "You teach English? To middle schoolers?" people ask, incredulous, awed. "Oh man, I was the worst in middle...