SEL & Reading Enrichment · Grades 6–12

Honesty isn't
always pretty.
But it's always
pretty necessary.

Your students are navigating identity, relationships, pressure, and hard decisions every single day. Most programs give them a worksheet. This one gives them a room. No devices. No videos. No teacher prep: just students in a room doing the real work.

Schedule a 30-min call See the 5 sessions
Students in classroom conversation
Now booking — '26–'27 school year
Zero teacher prep
required
Zero teacher prep SEL + reading standards Fully facilitated All materials included
Aligned to your district

Standards alignment sheets ready for PGCPS, DCPS, FCPS, APS, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County, plus PGCPS Non-Traditional Programs.

Reading standards mapped to MCCR, VA SOL, DCPS CCSS, and more. SEL competencies mapped to each district's framework. Drop one in front of your principal or counselor. The paperwork is already done.

Prince George's County

PGCPS · MD
Reading: MCCR Standards SEL: PGCPS Trauma-Informed Framework
Middle school · 6–8 High school · 9–12 NTP Addendum

District of Columbia

DCPS · DC
Reading: DCPS Common Core (CCSS) SEL: DC OSSE SEL Standards
Middle school · 6–8 High school · 9–12

Fairfax County

FCPS · VA
Reading: Virginia SOL SEL: FCPS Framework (CASEL-aligned)
High school · 9–12

Arlington County

APS · VA
Reading: Virginia SOL SEL: APS SEL Framework
High school · 9–12

Baltimore City

City Schools · MD
Reading: MCCR Standards SEL: Student Wholeness Initiative (CASEL)
High school · 9–12

Baltimore County

BCPS · MD
Reading: MCCR Standards SEL: CASEL Competencies
Middle school · 6–8 High school · 9–12

Anne Arundel County

AACPS · MD
Reading: MCCR Standards SEL: AACPS Strategic Plan, Social-Emotional Growth (CASEL)
Middle school · 6–8
What it is

One story. Five sessions. That's the full program.

Tonya writes original short stories based on the real challenges students face, with themes such as identity, relationships, pressure, and hard decisions. She brings them into the classroom where students read closely, analyze character choices, discuss themes, and connect the text to their own lives. Each story is delivered across five 45-minute sessions, fully facilitated. Students build social-emotional skills and meet reading standards in the same room, at the same time.

"Just stories, real conversation, and activities that keep students engaged. The only rule is in the name." Tonya Duncan-Galloway, Founder

Five sessions.
One story arc.

Each session is 45 minutes. Each one builds on the last. Customizable based on grade level, student need, or classroom dynamics; but the shape stays the same.

01

Enter the Story

Read together. Meet the characters. Set the room.

Feeling Charades
02

Feel With Them

Explore what the characters felt, and why those feelings make sense.

Emotion Timeline
03

Choose Wisely

Analyze the choices the characters made and what those choices cost.

Choice Road
04

Connect to You

Bring it home. Share the personal connections: out loud, on paper, or with a partner.

Silent Write + Voice It
05

Grow Together

Reflect on what shifted. Name it as a class. Celebrate it.

One Word Wall
How it works

Six steps, end to end.

From the first planning meeting to the completion report in your hands, every piece is already thought through.

01

Planning meeting

Short call with your staff to align on grade level, group, and schedule.

02

Pre-series survey

Printed reflection survey to capture where students are starting.

03

Five 45-min sessions

One story, delivered in person by Tonya. Fully facilitated.

04

Post-series survey

Printed survey to measure what shifted.

05

Staff debrief

Short conversation to walk you through what we saw and what students said.

06

Completion report

Survey results and student certificates delivered to your staff.

The program

One classroom. Up to 15 students.

Every program includes the story, all sessions delivered in-person by Tonya, every activity material, an end-of-series completion report, and a certificate for each student. Zero prep on your end. Available during the school day, before or after school, and in summer. Larger groups for out-of-school programs: contact us.

What's included

An original short story from the NJA library, matched to your grade level and delivered in person.

5 sessions · one classroom · up to 15 students
  • Original short story from the NJA library
  • Five 45-minute sessions, fully facilitated
  • All facilitation materials included
  • Completion report + certificates
  • Zero teacher prep
Schedule a call

Contact us to discuss bringing No Judging Allowed to your school.

Students engaged in story discussion
Zero teacher prep. You bring the classroom. I bring everything else: the story, the materials, the conversation.
What this hits

Aligned to the standards that matter.

Every story does double duty: it builds the literacy muscles your reading standards already require, and it builds the human muscles CASEL has been calling for for over a decade. Builds durable skills: critical reading and thinking, communication, problem solving, and ethical decision-making.

Reading Standards

  • Character analysis
  • Theme identification
  • Cause and effect
  • Making inferences
  • Citing textual evidence
  • Collaborative discussion

CASEL SEL Competencies

  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Social awareness
  • Relationship skills
  • Responsible decision-making
2Mviews and counting.
"In January 2026, neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath testified before the U.S. Senate that students today are less cognitively capable than the generation before them, despite record spending on classroom technology." The clip has been watched over 2 million times on CSPAN.

No Judging Allowed is a different path. No screens. No worksheets. Just original stories, honest conversation, and human connection. Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing, January 2026 (CSPAN, 2M+ views).
From the classroom

This already happens.

Real moments from real sessions. Not stock photos. Not concept art. Pinned here the way a teacher pins them above her desk.

Group conversation around tables
the whole circle, talking.
Student smiling in classroom
session three. they're in.
Teacher and student
choosing wisely — together.
Two students discussing
"so wait — why'd he do that?"
Two girls laughing
joy counts too.
Student thinking
silent write. all gold.
Student listening
the listening posture.
From past No Judging Allowed sessions · shared with school & family permission.

What teachers are saying.

Delivered since 2018 at schools including Oxon Hill Middle School and Phelps High School. Approved PGCPS vendor. DCPS registered partner. Fully insured.

"
Our young people have become excited about reading, thoughtful in their decisions, and positive in their interactions.
V
Victorious HallFormer 8th Grade Academic Dean · Oxon Hill Middle School · Prince George's County, MD
"
No Judging Allowed's interactive sessions create a welcoming environment where students feel seen, heard, and valued, fostering a strong sense of belonging while encouraging them to meet rigorous academic expectations.
J
Jonas N. Strickland, M.Div., MLISCertified School Librarian · District of Columbia Public Schools
"
No Judging Allowed involved students with the narrative and real talk conversations. Students felt they could open up and ask questions about real issues. This program brings real talk, enlightening, and eye-opening conversations to any school. I strongly recommend them.
A
Arjetta FaulknerDirector, Saturday School Program
Tonya Duncan-Galloway, founder of No Judging Allowed
Founder & Facilitator

Meet Tonya Duncan-Galloway.

Founder · Facilitator · Writer

Tonya writes every story herself, then walks into the classroom and runs every session herself. There's no curriculum binder to interpret, no contractor showing up in her place. The work she designs is the work she delivers.

No Judging Allowed serves middle and high schools across Maryland, DC, and Virginia. If your students are ready for a real conversation, get in touch.

Ready to give your students
a room to say what's real ?

The '26–'27 calendar is filling now. Book a 30-minute call, we'll talk about your grade level, what's going on in the room, and which story fits.

Schedule a 30-min call Email Tonya directly
Get in touch

Let's talk.

Tell me about your school, the grade level, and what's going on. I read everything that comes in, usually back within a day or two.

Book a 30-min call Email Call 202-688-9835
Serving Maryland · Washington, DC · Virginia