Christopher Pepper (He/Him)

6 Routines to Get Students Unstuck When students are grasping at straws, these self-directed strategies help them to pause, make a plan, and pivot more effectively.

Love when I get to speak to my younger self through my work. 💗

This one is dedicated to the little girl who used to throw her hands up and declare she was *bad at math* when she got stuck on something. Still not great at math to be fair 😅, but much more resilient. 💪

My latest for @edutopia.org:

The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents | Fortune Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath said older generations “screwed up” giving students access to so much technology: “I genuinely hope Gen Z quickly figures that out and gets mad.”

Now THAT's a headline.

"The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents"

fortune.com/2026/02/21/l...

Alysa Liu telling 60 Minutes “I love struggling, it makes me feel alive” is a legit revolutionary statement from a Bay Area native in a time when copious amounts of time and resources are being put toward convincing us to opt out of experiencing struggle, friction and self-actualization

Alysa Liu’s Olympic run came with terms. Her choreographer helps her express them Liu is the best U.S. hope for an Olympic medal in women's figure skating, which would be the country's first in the competition since 2006.

“When Liu, 20, decided to return to skating, she did so with conditions. She’d wear what she wants. Dance to the music she wants. Eat what she wants. Take breaks when she wants…. [Skating] would be the vehicle through which she displayed the real Alysa.”

she did it! her! way!!

Jeffrey Epstein helped fuel the campus culture wars The academics in the Epstein files aren’t all criminals, but they shared beliefs about whose work matters.

Take a load off your minds everyone, it was regular old misogyny the whole time

Prince Andrew's Arrest Across the pond in Britain, justice and accountability is a serious matter

Never in a million years did I ever fathom when I resurrected the Epstein story in 2018 that it would lead to first arrest of a British Royal in four centuries. Not since King Charles I was arrested in 1647.
open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...

Opinion | Kids are struggling. Banning social media won’t fix that. Governments are embracing the wrong solution to rising mental health issues.

A different take. What do you think?

OPINION: Kids are struggling. Banning social media won’t fix that.
Governments are embracing the wrong solution to rising mental health issues.
wapo.st/3Oo93N9

Misogyny Is Rising in U.S. Classrooms. Where Is the National Response? As Europe rolls out national programs to confront misogyny and harassment in schools, the United States still lacks a coordinated response.

Misogyny Is Rising in U.S. Classrooms. Where Is the National Response? msmagazine.com/2026/02/09/m...

Workers’ resolve drives increase in unionization in 2025 In 2025, 16.5 million workers in the United States were represented by a union—an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in the U.S. in 16 years. These 16.5 million ...

Union membership grew by nearly half a million last year—including tens of thousands of educators and healthcare workers who joined AFT to win better wages, stronger benefits, and safer, more dignified working conditions. That’s the power of a union. #ProtectWorkers #1u www.epi.org/publication/...

The front line in America’s child-vaccine battle How far can Robert Kennedy junior push state policies? West Virginia will provide an answer

West Virginia has done well on child immunization - avoiding measles while its neighbors have outbreaks - thanks to its strong school immunization mandate.
Now, anti-vaccine efforts are putting the law - and WV's children's health - at risk. www.economist.com/united-state...

How Political Chaos Is Affecting Americans’ Mental Health - Dame Magazine As political instability rises, so do anxiety, depression, and disengagement. New research shows how national turmoil is reshaping Americans’ mental health.

If you’ve felt exhausted, anxious, or numb in the face of nonstop political turmoil, you’re not imagining it and you're definitely not alone.

@sarahsloat.bsky.social looks at the research on the psychological and physical toll of polycrisis.

I appreciate how much @anandwrites.bsky.social references her book "Nobody's Girl" as a crucial text for understanding the Epstein situation.

Opinion | Why Public School Families Are Protesting Linda McMahon’s Visits

Why Public School Families Are Protesting Linda McMahon’s Visits

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/o...

The Research on Protecting Teacher Well-Being Laurie Santos, host of the popular podcast The Happiness Lab, on how our minds deceive us, why "time affluence" matters, and what we can do to reset our parasympathetic nervous system.

The Research on Protecting Teacher Well-Being
Laurie Santos, host of the popular podcast The Happiness Lab, on how our minds deceive us, why “time affluence” matters, and what we can do to reset our parasympathetic nervous system.

www.edutopia.org/article/laur...

One Year of RFK Jr. Has Left Public Health Devastated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a lot of promises on his way to becoming health secretary. He pledged to Make America Healthy Again, of course, and to restore trust in embattled health agencies. And he sai...

For my latest for @opinion.bloomberg.com, wrote about RFK Jr.'s disastrous first year as health secretary:

How did we end up threatening our kids’ lives with AI? - Anil Dash A blog about making culture. Since 1999.

It is a vile scandal that 2 of the biggest AI companies in the world attack children by inciting them to self-harm, and by generating sexually exploitative imagery of kids for profit. I wanted to document this so that people in tech will stop saying they don't know: www.anildash.com/2026/02/18/t...

Trump’s Deportation Warehouse System Already Matches a Very Specific Period in History The government has begun construction of a multibillion-dollar detention camp system in the newest phase of Stephen Miller’s mass deportation strategy.

"We have more people in immigrant detention today than Nazi Germany did seven years into the Third Reich, which I think is just astounding when you think about it."

slate.com/news-and-pol...

Young men - of basically every political persuasion - feel overwhelmingly positively toward unions and unionization, even when reminded of how union fees work, and I still think it's one of the most under-capitalized-on findings we've had in recent public opinion

open.substack.com/pub/youngmen...

'Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs:' Inside an AI-Powered Private School Leaked documents reveal the inner workings of Alpha School, which both the press and the Trump administration have applauded. The documents show Alpha School's AI is generating faulty lessons that som...

This whole thing is so bleak, and I am astonished that Alpha School is still in business.

www.404media.co/students-are...

Screenshot of a CNN segment shared by Acyn. A split-screen shows commentator Lydia Moynihan on the left and Kevin O’Leary on the right during a heated exchange. The chyron reads, “Obama: Dems need to avoid scolding and ‘virtue-signaling.’” The post quotes O’Leary referencing China and concentration camps, and McGowan responding about West Virginia.

I spent my childhood inside of American concentration camps. I know one when I see one. And that is what ICE is building.

As school cellphone bans gain in popularity, lawmakers say it’s time to go bell-to-bell • Stateline States that have passed laws requiring some kind of cellphone policy now are considering going further by mandating daylong bans, even for high schoolers.

As school cellphone bans gain in popularity, lawmakers say it’s time to go bell-to-bell

stateline.org/2026/02/03/a...

From Pill Mills to Prop Bets: Prediction Markets and Mobile Sports Betting Apps Are Fueling America’s Next Addiction Crisis Against the gamblification of the world.

I see no reason not to look at the online gambling and prediction market craze as a new opioids crisis.

It will wreak havoc on lower-income Americans and leave a trail of destruction and despair in its wake.

The companies are just Purdue Pharma 2.0

www.liberalcurrents.com/from-pill-mi...

Social media age verification is full of risks and unclear rewards - Salon.com Efforts to protect children’s mental health online raise unresolved data privacy concerns

Social media age verification is full of risks and unclear rewards
Efforts to protect children’s mental health online raise unresolved data privacy concerns www.salon.com/2026/02/11/s...

Let's Talk About Immigration Does America still welcome the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free"?

I think you’re right, @greghere.bsky.social, that there is a big opportunity right now for new messaging and thinking. Here’s a post I wrote with some tips about how to get young people to discuss their values and beliefs around immigration. open.substack.com/pub/teenheal...

My theory of the moment: The extraordinary courage of ordinary people in places like Minneapolis is reawakening us to our social and economic ties to immigrants. It's making "love thy neighbor" cool again. That's the ultimate antidote to MAGA hate.

Thoughts on this:

newrepublic.com/article/2059...

Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month Age verification for all.

Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next monthBeginning in March, all accounts will have a ‘teen-appropriate experience by default.’ www.theverge.com/tech/875309/...

Braden Peters is the new Andrew Tate: What parents needs to know about ‘mogging’ In a new shift in the manosphere, boys are being told their looks now matter more than their brains, as being AMOG *Alpha Male of the Group is seen as above and beyond anything else. Chloe Combi looks...

Braden Peters is the new Andrew Tate: What every parent needs to know about teen boys and ‘mogging www.independent.co.uk/life-style/b...

Mental health issues in teen boys: What to look for and how to help Here’s what experts want you to know about mental health in male teens — from signs of anxiety and depression to helpful treatments.

Mental health issues in teen boys: What to look for and how to help

Here’s what experts want you to know about mental health in male teens — from signs of anxiety and depression to helpful treatments.
www.care.com/c/mental-hea...

Students Across the U.S. Are Protesting ICE. Texas Wants to Punish Their Schools.

Students Across the U.S. Are Protesting ICE. Texas Wants to Punish Their Schools.

In dozens of states, students have staged walkouts over immigration enforcement. In Texas, they’re doing so despite threats from Gov. Greg Abbott. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...

Handsome at Any Cost

Handsome at Any Cost (New York Times)