Summary: On a grey, rainy day right before Inauguration Day, I sat down Beth Simmonds, a 1st grade teacher at KIPP Promise Academy in Washington, DC. She reflected on her parents’ influence during her childhood, specifically her dad’s involvement in their community and the importance of her mom’s advocacy of her when diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. Also, the challenges of talking about this disorder with her students. We discussed whether or not the No Excuses approach is the right one for kids and how Beth creates a safe space in her classroom.
