The New York Times reports that “[a] group of selective schools and programs geared to students labeled gifted and talented is filled mostly with white and Asian children,” even though the vast majority of the 1.1 million students in New York City are Black and Latinx. And so a “high-level panel appointed by Mayor Bill… Continue reading NYC’s Gifted and Talented Programs Need Accessibility, Not Elimination.
Why is it a problem for some when academic spaces are comprised of more Black teachers than White teachers? I continue to be baffled by the resistance to this change, especially from White teachers. The reality is that many Black teachers function in predominantly White academic spaces for the entirety of our careers, often without… Continue reading An Impassioned Plea For The Purposeful Hiring of More Black Teachers
I’d planned to write about the literacy for this week’s blog post, but I could not do that in good conscience without acknowledging a literary genius who affected my life so greatly: Dr. Toni Morrison. Where do I begin? When I found out that she died, I immediately thought of my professor, Dr. Hedda Marcus… Continue reading An Ode to Toni Morrison — And How Teachers Can Continue Her Legacy.
Most of my students are visual learners; I’ve written before about the role Broadway musicals played in my classroom before I retired in June. Motion pictures played a strategic role as well. I wanted to make connections through film that would help students retain content knowledge in my Global History, U.S. History, African-American Studies and… Continue reading This Veteran NYC Teacher “Meets Students Where They Are.” How? Let’s Go to the Movies!
This is a response by John Dukes, Vivett Dukes’ husband, to her most recent post. He describes himself this way: “You should know that first and foremost, I am a family man who loves God. I honor my commitment to my marriage, my children, and my friends fully. I am a happy person who has… Continue reading A Survivor of the School-to-Prison Pipeline Speaks Out.
On Valentine’s Day when we celebrate love, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around where the love could have possibly been in the hearts and minds of the teachers who allowed nooses to be displayed in their Long Island middle school classrooms. According to The Grio and several other news source outlets, “Three… Continue reading I Think We Have Integrated Ourselves into Oblivion
How is it that a White teacher — at a professed Christian school, no less — can go before her students dressed up in Black face and a dashiki during an assembly about Africa? In New York. as well as other states, the act of “conduct unbecoming” is a judgement that can get a teacher… Continue reading Hey, Racist White People, Burn your Black Face Makeup Kits The Way You Burn Your Crosses And Just Stop!
For me there’s something inspirational and informative when you weave together music and dance in order to convey meaning. While I’ve been told that I can’t sing or dance (haters), I think I’ve learned a thing or two from Broadway musicals. Man of La Mancha depicts Europe during The Middle Ages. Ragtime the Musical presents… Continue reading This Teacher Brings Broadway into His Classroom! “Hamilton,” Anyone?
With the midterm elections now behind us in New York, a historic election of women has resonated lately with my students and me. The gender biases that the election results’ uncovered dismantled my students’ preconceived notions about both male and female roles. Our recent midterm elections yielded a change in who occupied seats and the… Continue reading Attention all Teachers! Auntie Kalyca on What The Midterm Elections Can Teach Our Students About Gender Bias
The narrative earned Mr. Sassau acceptance to St. John’s University in New York. There was one problem: None of it was true. “I was just a small piece in a whole fathom of lies,” Mr. Sassau said. I read this statement in in the New York Times when a colleague sent it to me and I… Continue reading What Does Airing The Louisiana Landry School’s Dirty Laundry Mean For The Rest Of Us?
