For years, I struggled with understanding my mission in life. I was raised Jewish in New York City, where there was strong familial pressure to become a doctor or dentist. Without too much resistance, I went to dental school…

I grew up in the oil refinery town of Farmington, N.M., with an Italian father and Ghanaian mother. My parents bickered and yelled constantly at each other, and I came to adopt these same angry, confrontational traits. I…

“Of course, if you make no efforts, your dreams will amount to nothing but sheer fantasy. Effort and hard work construct the bridge that connects your dreams to reality. Those who make steady efforts are filled with hope….

In 2001, I became a first-grade teacher at a New York City public school. A senior teacher told me that I could expect a “honeymoon period,” where students are on their best behavior for the first week or…