Teachers, you know #Ramadan is coming up, right? Don't forget to check in with your students to make sure they're okay. Fasting without community can be very hard.

It's a holy month of fasting & prayer, but it's also one where we typically spend time together with friends and family, especially at the time of iftar (breaking the fast). Now, that's no longer a possibility.

My 13yo was looking forward to fasting several full days this year, finding comraderie among his other Muslim schoolmates. Facing lunch period together. Feeling strong. Feeling good.

I worry how this month will now go for him. Last week he told me dreamed of his Muslim pal Yusuf who'd moved away to Canada. I think I know why. He's thinking of Ramadan without his community

Because let's face it, he's 13. I'm not his community as much as his friends are. The friends at school, but also the ones at the mosque. He won't get to see them this year and that's got to be stressful.

Ramadan is already a challenging month for youth. They want to grow up quixkly and fast, but their bodies often aren't ready. They need that practice. But they also need emotional help that comes from other people.

So if you have any Muslim students who are fasting this year, please be gentle with them. Ask them how they're doing. Send them some.words of encouragement. Tell them you're proud of them.

Also realize that every Muslim student of yours isn't going to be fasting. There are lots of parents (like me) who don't let their kids fast until they're older. But they're still a part of Ramadan, a holy, sacred, very special month