AFT Teach

Everything is bigger in Texas, including this election! Ken Paxton has defeated a sitting U.S. senator in the most expensive Senate primary in American history and now faces Democrat James Talarico in a race that could shape the 2026 midterms and influence the future direction of the Republican Party.

Bring this timely topic into your classroom with free resources that help students analyze elections, political parties, voter behavior, and the role of primaries in American democracy. 📚✨

Explore the lesson from Share My Lesson and discussion resources:
https://sharemylesson.com/todays-news-tomorrows-lesson/texas-senate-primary-paxton-talarico-midterms

📱 Devices down. Eyes up. Hands on.

Explore Randi Weingarten’s 10-point plan for helping students thrive in the AI era through active learning, well-being and strong public schools. 👩‍🏫✨
https://sharemylesson.com/blog/where-we-stand-devices-down-eyes-hands-learning

AFT

Meet Tyseeke Edwards, AFT Tulsa’s Support Professional of the Year, whose dedication to students, families and community partnerships helps make Anderson Elementary feel like home. ❤️

From connecting families with food, clothing and healthcare resources to building lasting relationships that extend far beyond the classroom, Tyseeke shows how support professionals help students thrive every day.

Read her inspiring story and discover why she says, “I love coming to work every morning.” 🌟 https://sharemylesson.com/blog/tyseeke-edwards-i-love-coming-work-every-morning

AFT AFT Teach Oklahoma City AFT

Being Seen
Embracing Identity to Enhance Students’ Engagement and Academic Achievement
By Shaylyn Marks

How can educators create classrooms where every student feels valued and ready to learn? One powerful answer lies in inviting students to share their cultural knowledge, experiences and perspectives as part of the learning process. In her article for the Spring 2026 issue of American Educator, teacher educator Shaylyn Marks explores how culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy can deepen student engagement and academic achievement. Drawing on research and her own experiences as a Black student and educator, Marks explains that when students are encouraged to connect their identities and lived experiences to academic content, classrooms become places of collaboration, inquiry and discovery for all.

READ MORE: aft.org/ae/spring2026/marks

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, has passed away. Try this Share My Lesson high school lesson to dive deeper into this landmark graphic novel: https://sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/visual-analysis-persepolis-252132 AFT

Visual Analysis of Persepolis Visual Analysis of Persepolis lesson plan template and teaching resources. This resource was designed to provide a critical analysis of Persepolis. This includes a PowerPoint presentation, a handout on graphic novel/comic terms and a reading quiz.

Distracted by Design
Smartphones Harm Children’s Mental Health and Learning—But We Can Fight Back
By Jonathan Haidt

Over the past decade, we’ve learned that smartphones and social media are harming our youth, increasing anxiety and depression while causing distractions that reduce learning. In the new American Educator, professor and bestselling author Jonathan Haidt argues that the problem isn’t with kids, teachers or parents: it’s tech’s profit model. Online platforms use algorithms, autoplay and social feedback systems to keep young users engaged as long as possible—and away from the face-to-face interactions and free play that healthy development requires. But schools, families and policymakers can fight back. From phone-free schools to stronger protections for children online, Haidt outlines practical steps to reclaim childhood and restore students’ focus.

Read more: aft.org/ae/spring2026/haidt

When Students Think Beyond the Moment
Enhancing Adolescents’ Development by Engaging Their Emotions
By Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Christina Kundrak, and Kori Street

When students reflect, empathize and wrestle with complex issues, they aren’t just learning content—they’re developing intellectual agency and building the neural foundations for lifelong learning. In the Spring 2026 American Educator, researchers (and former teachers) Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Christina Kundrak and Kori Street explore how students’ developing brains are uniquely prepared to grapple with meaning and purpose and how teachers can harness meaning-making to help students learn and grow.

READ MORE: aft.org/ae/spring2026/immordino-yang_kundrak_street

How can educators help students thrive in a world full of digital distractions? In this issue of American Educator, learn from educators and researchers how smartphones and social media are reshaping adolescence, why schools across the country are reconsidering cellphone policies and how engaging students’ emotions and embracing their cultural identities deepen learning and engagement.

Also in this issue: AFT President Randi Weingarten and American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson explain why protecting public colleges and universities is essential for democracy and educators share how they are using AI tools to enhance lesson planning and creativity.

Read more here: aft.org/ae/spring2026

Check out this new opportunity via First Book!

Meet Me at the Intersection of First Book and The Moth Discover how First Book and The Moth are inspiring educators through storytelling, literacy and community-building. Amber Chandler shares why this unique collaboration offers powerful classroom connections, creative curriculum ideas and engaging resources for the new school year.