Feed

The first time the Russian soldiers caught him, they tossed him bound and blindfolded into a trench covered with wooden boards for days on end. Then they beat him, over and over: Legs, arms, a hammer to the knees, all accompanied by furious diatribes against Ukraine. Before they let him go, they took away his passport and Ukrainian military ID — all he had to prove his existence — and made sure he knew exactly how worthless his life was. “No one needs you,” the commander taunted. “We can shoot you any time, bury you a half-meter underground and that’s...

Just like in kindergarten and first grade, we begin teaching second grade readers with baseline assessments. Your second-grade students have spent two years on their reading journey, but they are not all in the same local. Assessments will help you determine where each of your students are in their travels. As their guide, you need to point them in the right direction. The right assessments will help you do that. These assessments will act as the GPS system of your reading instruction. Teaching second grade readers takes preparation. So, resist the urge to jump right into instruction. You need to...

Remember being a high school student, eagerly waiting for the time you’d be free to flee your parents' home and settle into your own crib where you’d be the one setting the rules? From not making your bed to not washing the dishes, to not waking up early, to… you get it. The truth is, living on your own couldn’t be further from that careless and rock and roll-inspired freedom we dreamed of when we were little. Renting a place means bills, chores, responsibilities, then more responsibilities and more bills, and… yep, never-ending chores. What nobody tells you before becoming...

After my second son was born, my family crossed a painful threshold: We started spending more on child care than we do on rent. The situation is temporary, I keep telling myself—promising myself, praying for myself. My older son will be able to enroll in kindergarten in two years and my younger son in four. But it is excruciating. And I say that from a place of privilege. Most American families earn less than mine does. That does not make day care any cheaper for them.Indeed, child care is unaffordable for pretty much everyone but the rich, and especially unaffordable...

Riverside Arts Academy will hold its annual fundraising gala, “City of Love: Past, Present, Future,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside. This year’s gala will celebrate the 10 years Riverside Arts Academy has served children in Riverside and will feature musical performances directed by Nové Deypalan, Riverside Arts Academy’s music director, and performances by many of the organization’s community collaborators, including pianist Alpin Hong, who was Riverside Arts Academy’s first music director. Other performers will include pianist Elvin Rodriguez, professor of music and associate dean of the College of Arts and...