Doorstops
They didn’t know. We gave them space to reflect: they had ideas. We taught them agency: they fought for change.
Not sure which one fits? Describe your problem and we’ll find it for you.
What evidence to bring and the email that gets a wrong grade changed.
AI detectors are often wrong. What to gather, what to say and how to appeal.
A copy-paste email, when to send it and what to do if they say no.
Emails for asking on your own or with your whole class.
Get your principal to adopt a test limit, with a policy draft and emails.
From one email to a schoolwide push for fairer participation points.
Tell us what’s going on and get a script, or a mentor who’s been there.
Start a hard conversation with a teacher without them feeling attacked.
Thirteen quick questions to find out, and what to do about it.
A fix to try now, and a schoolwide fix if it keeps happening.
The red flags to report right away, and scripts for setting boundaries.
Which reasons counselors accept, and an email that asks.
Send your teacher a recording of your name before the first day.
Set up a routine with your teacher so you can step out without trouble.
Find the students everyone watches and ask them to lead one change.
Turn down the pressure over grades, APs and who deserved what.
Behavioral psychology tested in classrooms and cafeterias like yours.
Change what the crowd rewards, and reach the students who fight.
Alert a trusted adult about bullying or assault without your name on it.
The listening moves hostage negotiators use, with practice.
How to respond when people comment on what’s on your plate.
Passes, no time to go, no dividers: pick the problem, get the fix.
No soap or broken stalls? A six-step campaign to get them fixed.
Check your state’s law and get the bathrooms stocked.
Survey your school and stop vapes getting passed around.
Gross food, no microwave, no time to eat: pick the problem, get the fix.
Ask your tech team for teacher-approved videos, with two free tools.
Who really decides things at school, and how to get them to say yes.
Principal, superintendent, board, state: who can overrule whom.
Phones, bag searches, posts: what your school can legally do.
Survey students, get teachers on board and take a proposal to your principal.
Some schools lose thousands when you’re absent. See if yours does.
How one student got his school to add a holiday, with the email he sent.
Who decides, what it costs and the emails that ask for it.
Prove interest, find an advisor and ask for funding in three steps.
A budget, a one-page proposal, and the PTAs, sponsors and grants near you.
Speakers, a student survey and a half-day schedule in about eight weeks.
Match students with adult mentors, with a sponsor and safety training.
Upperclassmen mentor freshmen, with a free matching tool and a year plan.
Essays, recommendations and what makes an application stand out.
Who to ask and the emails that ask someone to mentor you.
Cold email a company with ideas to improve it, no experience needed.
Easy extra credit and other tricks from real students.
American education imposes a social asphyxia on students, who see no way for their varied needs to be met. The only reform not yet tried in this gridlocked, under-resourced system is one led by the “powerless” students themselves.
We share Doorstops through social media and social referents interventions in schools.
