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Posts by Sarah Styf

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I Let Life Get in the Way of Social Media And I have no regrets

I realize the irony in posting this on social media, but the news this past week has made me realize just how much I've come to despise the type of person I become on social media.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/i-let-life...

7 months ago 3 0 0 0
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Sitting in the Messy Middle Is Not Weakness It is an admission that being human is hard and a deep desire to have difficult conversations about human flourishing

Yes, some use "moderate" as an excuse to never take a strong position on anything.

But for those of us who take strong positions on many different issues that do not pass any kind of ideological purity test, the messy middle is where we find ourselves.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/sitting-in...

7 months ago 4 0 1 0
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Marriage Still Matters And I refuse to leave it to those who want us all to embrace the narrowest definition of what marriage should be

Can't we just be happy for Taylor and Travis and everyone else who wants to get married?

Because I believe marriage still matters.

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

7 months ago 1 0 0 0
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We're Never Going Back What started out as a campaign slogan has become a reality that is as terrifying as it is full of promise for something so much better

Going back is not available to us.

It’s time for us to start planning for how to move forward, and bring people along with us.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/were-never...

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Diversity at the Table Matters But getting that diversity at the table is going to require us to care about politics and work for meaningful reform

We need diverse ideas and people at the table. We need to renovate our systems to make that diversity possible. And we need to stop purity testing because no one can be fully satisfied.

How do we get there? I’ve got some thoughts.

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

8 months ago 1 0 0 0
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I'm Done with Consuming I'm finally tired of all of the "stuff" and want to build something better

I reflect on our cultural obsession with stuff and my desire to do better.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/im-done-wi...

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
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A City Girl in a Small Town, Kind Of And learning to love it more than I ever thought possible

This week, I reflect on our transition to living in a small town instead of a large city.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/a-city-gir...

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
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How School Vouchers Hurt Everyone But we don't have to let it turn our education system into "us vs. them"

Like with many issues, this requires a nuanced conversation that people on both sides of the debate aren’t willing to have because we aren’t willing to have the most important conversation of all: What is the purpose of education?

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/how-school...

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
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I'm a Christian, and I Don't Want Religion in Public Schools No one benefits and everyone is hurt when religion is weaponized against citizens

I believe we need to learn ABOUT religion in public schools to better understand our neighbors and also literary allusions, but religious instruction of all kinds should be left at home.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/im-a-chris...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Teaching Argumentative Narrative A full unit plan to help students turn their experiences into meaningful arguments

This is seriously one of my favorite writing assignments I’ve created. If you are looking for a way to teach both narrative and argument and help students understand what it means to establish their credibility as writers, this is the unit for you.

styfteachesenglish.substack.com/p/teaching-a...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Teaching the Holocaust With Elie Weisel's memoir Night

Do you know anyone who is looking for ideas for teaching Holocaust studies this fall? Here is my whole unit plan.

styfteachesenglish.substack.com/p/teaching-t...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Let Me Reintroduce Myself - 2025 Edition Who is Sarah and what can you expect On the Journey?

Have you checked out my blog? Here is what you'll find if you subscribe.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/let-me-rei...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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When Boys Will Be Boys But in the best ways possible

“Boys will be boys” doesn’t have to be an excuse for bad behavior. It can also be all the best parts of parenting boys who will become men.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/when-boys-...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0

Five pages into the book Abundance and this quote: “And yet, the story of America in the twenty-first century is the story of chosen scarcities. Recognizing that these scarcities are chosen—that we could choose otherwise—is thrilling. Confronting the reasons we choose otherwise is maddening.”

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Teaching Definition Essay A full unit plan to help students expand their understanding of a single word

With three weeks until I’m back in the classroom, I’m working on getting my lesson plans written out for other teachers.

If you know any English teachers who are new to the classroom or who need help, share with them!

styfteachesenglish.substack.com/p/teaching-d...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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My Books Checkout out this list on Bookshop

Bookshop dot org is doing free shipping this week to counter Prime Days and I’m here for it.

You can purchase my books here.

bookshop.org/lists/my-boo...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Midwestern Reflections on the Lone Star State | On the Journey | Sarah Styf | Substack We lived in Texas for six years before moving back to Indiana. These are my reflections on those six years as Midwest transplants. Click to read On the Journey, by Sarah Styf, a Substack publication w...

I started this series a couple of years ago to explore what I learned as a Midwesterner living in Texas. I hope this will give some people a better understanding of a state that has far more influence on the rest of the country than most people realize.

sarahstyf.substack.com/s/midwestern...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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My American Dream Defining what the "American Dream" means to me in the chaos of 2025

I'm not giving up on it.

My 4th of July thoughts for 2025.

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Final Thoughts From the Bourbon Trail What I took away from the trail and why it matters to all of us

We loved our trip on the Bourbon Trail, but there are lessons beyond how bourbon is made and tasting all of the varieties.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/final-thou...

9 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Isn't Everyone Tired? When do we finally decide that fear, greed, and hatred have to stop?

Like many, I’m processing, and sometimes that processing is messy.

But here we are.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/isnt-every...

10 months ago 0 0 0 0

It was so cool!

10 months ago 1 0 0 0
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A Surprising End to Our Bourbon Trail Adventures Day 3: Four Roses and Buffalo Trace

Here is our last day on the trail. Reflections in the trail coming on Friday.

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

10 months ago 0 0 1 0
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I Just Want Real Talk My desire for deep conversation without losing everything

I don’t want everyone to agree with me all the time. That is boring.

But I do want to know that my faith and humanity are not being questioned. And I don’t want the words that come out of my loved ones’ mouths to make me question their humanity either.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/i-just-wan...

10 months ago 1 0 0 0

When I was protesting in Indy last month, it was SO encouraging to have people driving by, honking in support. Let people know you are with them in spirit, even if you cannot stand with them for hours outdoors.

10 months ago 0 0 0 0

I really want to participate in the protests this Saturday, but I will be in Kansas for my grandfather’s 95th birthday celebration. If you are like me, and you don’t feel you can attend a protest, here is a suggestion.

Do a supportive drive-by.

10 months ago 1 0 1 0
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A Trip Down Whiskey Row Day 2: Michter's, Angel's Envy, and the Evan Williams Experience

Yes, there are a lot of important things that I need to write about right now, but I have to have fun too.

This is our second day on the Bourbon Trail, this time in downtown Louisville.

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

10 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Learning History on the Bourbon Trail Day 1: Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark, and Chicken Cock

I’m a couple of hours later than normal, but here is the first day of our explorations of the Bourbon Trail. Enjoy!

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

10 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Bourbon Trail - Reflections on Day 1 A recording from Sarah Styf's live video

I only got to do one live video while we were on our Bourbon Trail trip. These are my day-after reflections on our first day on the Bourbon Trail.

open.substack.com/pub/sarahsty...

10 months ago 0 0 0 0

How do I know that I have anxiety about getting to places in time this week?

I've had three bad dreams three days in a row that I was late for school.

My last day was last Friday 🤦🏼‍♀️

10 months ago 0 0 0 0
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The Summer Without a Vacation Plan Learning to accept a summer without a formally planned vacation

We’ve planned a summer vacation every summer for the last 9 years. This year we’re not and I was having a hard time with not planning one.

This is how I’m processing our family growing up.

sarahstyf.substack.com/p/the-summer...

10 months ago 1 0 0 0