After the Bell: Back to School with Dr. Kem

Chalkbeat’s new advice column, After the Bell, was conceived as a refuge for busy teachers.
We heard your calls for validation, support, and actionable advice. We launched this column as a space to share your teaching joys, frustrations, wins, challenges, questions, and everything in between.
While After the Bell aims to provide support year-round, we know that the start to a new school year brings its own unique challenges and questions. That’s why our columnist, Dr. Kem Smith, joined us virtually on Wednesday, August 31 at 5:00 pm ET to answer your back-to-school questions.
The conversation featured Dr. Kem and Chalkbeat Reader Advisory Board member Janine Scott, and was moderated by Gabi Birkner, features editor.
Dr. Kem is currently a 12th grade English teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, but she has taught everything from preschool to college during her two decades as an educator. She’s excited to share her tried and tested strategies for a successful back-to-school season with the After the Bell community.
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Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering one of the city's most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education.
After the Bell is Chalkbeat’s first advice column, made specifically for teachers. Subscribe to our How I Teach newsletter to receive the column in your inbox every Thursday: newsletters.chalkbeat.org/hit/