Hi, I’m Alicia.

Teacher. Wife. Mom. Perpetual student. Collector of animals, degrees, and apparently opinions.

I’m a high school journalism and communications teacher in rural Georgia, where my classroom is rarely quiet, my lesson plans are always subject to change, and there’s a pretty good chance I’m thinking I need more coffee than I’ve already had that day.

I also teach adult education, advise student media, and spend an unreasonable amount of time thinking about education, technology, teenagers, parenting, and how all of those things collide.

Hence the website.

I’m not here because I have everything figured out.

Quite the opposite, actually.

A lot of what I write about comes from things I’ve learned the hard way, both as a teacher and as a parent. Sometimes I’ve done the research. Sometimes I’ve watched something go spectacularly wrong and thought, Well, we’re never doing THAT again. Usually it’s some combination of the two.

I’m especially interested in the way technology is changing childhood and education. That means you’ll probably find me talking about phones, social media, AI, digital literacy, parental controls, educational technology, and the increasingly complicated job of helping kids learn how to exist in a world that gives them access to basically everything before their brains are remotely prepared for basically everything.

I don’t think technology is the enemy. I actually love technology.

I just think the adults need to be adults about it.

About the teacher part…

I teach high school journalism and oral and written communications, which means my days involve everything from public speaking and writing to photography, yearbook design, student publications, video production, and occasionally asking a teenager why the camera is pointed at the ceiling.

I also teach GED classes two nights a week.

I recently completed my master’s degree in Secondary English Education, something I’m ridiculously proud of because my path to getting here wasn’t exactly a straight line.

Twenty years ago, I walked away from college.

Five years ago, I was trying to convince myself just to finish my bachelor’s degree.

Now I have a master’s.

In January, I’ll begin working toward my Education Specialist degree in Instructional Technology, with plans to continue into a Doctorate of Education program.

I’m still getting used to this sentence:

Someday, I’m going to be Dr. Alicia Babb.

And then there’s the rest of my life.

I’m married to a ridiculously good man who packs my lunches, reminds me to drink water, and generally keeps me functioning like a properly cared-for houseplant.

I’m also a mom of three.

Two are grown, which seems impossible because I’m clearly far too young for that, and the youngest is still in elementary school. Parenting kids across such wildly different stages of life has given me plenty of opportunities to learn that I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.

Our house is also home to two dogs, three cats, a bearded dragon, and approximately twelve chickens.

I say “approximately” because they’re chickens. I’m not taking attendance.

So what is Alicia Has Thoughts?

It’s where I get to talk about all of it.

Education.
Technology.
Parenting.
Journalism and media literacy.
AI.
Grad school.
Things I’ve learned.
Things I’m still figuring out.
Things I think we’re getting right.
And things that make me wonder what on earth we’re doing.

You don’t have to agree with me.

Actually, I hope you don’t always agree with me. I’m a journalism teacher. I’m a pretty big fan of asking questions, checking the evidence, considering another perspective, and changing your mind when the facts give you a good reason to.

I’m not interested in pretending to have all the answers.

I just have thoughts.

And apparently, I have enough of them that I bought them a website.

Welcome.

I’m Alicia. I’m glad you’re here.