Educators: Speak out against hate. Defend love. Racism is a diabolical social construct. The truth is that there is only one race — the human race. We need more love, friends. All this anger and hatred is literally eating us alive. From its impetus, America has been built upon divisiveness, corruption, and hate. Do we… Continue reading Be Brave: Teach America’s Ugly Truths
In a few short weeks school will resume in New York and I’m already thinking about how we are going to address racism within the four walls of my classroom. I can already see us previewing images like the one above for a Do Now discussion and quick-write. I’m thinking about what texts, historical and… Continue reading Addressing Racism Within The Four Walls Of My Classroom — And Yours
I only had one Black teacher in my entire K-12 academic career. One. I graduated from Elmont Memorial High School (EMHS) on Long Island almost 25 years ago. I always brag about the quality education that I got there. It really was top-notch. The neighborhood in which we lived and attended school was culturally diverse.… Continue reading How Are These White Teachers At A Long Island High School Helping Black Kids Achieve Above- Average Graduation Rates?
Recently I’ve been forcing myself to take a news fast but earlier this week, while out socializing with some members of my new education family at the Education Post Blogger Summit, I learned about the murder of a pregnant Black woman in Seattle at the hands of two White police officers in front of her children.… Continue reading The Education Plantation: It’s Time I Move From The Field To The House
When I went on break today and checked my Facebook page, I began reading the usual stories of love, tragedy, comedy, politics, and spirituality that run the gamut of my feed. However, my jaw dropped when I read this post. (I’ve deleted names to protect privacy.) Got a call from the deans office at my… Continue reading “I Am Not Your Nigger”: Racial Slurs Run Amok in Schools Across America
Educational Bias and Bigotry Are Flourishing Under the Leadership of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
Writing is helping me make deeper connections among various topics. Follow me right now, if you will. I’m beginning to see how the school-to-prison pipeline continues to flourish because of a lack of culturally relevant pedagogy. Culturally-relevant pedagogy is lacking because of a void of Black teachers, especially Black, male teachers. One reason there… Continue reading Educational Bias and Bigotry Are Flourishing Under the Leadership of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
Restorative justice. Restorative circles. Equity in education. College and career ready. These are all buzz phrases about initiatives high on education’s lexicon list. They sound good but, without any action taken towards their actual fruition, they are words that mean absolutely nothing. Just saying them or writing them surely isn’t doing much to change the… Continue reading Our Schools Need Support Staff, Not Police!
A teacher’s expectations and the standards to which he or she holds students accountable may very well be the largest factor in academic success, or lack thereof. I write these words to you with such a frustrated spirit and a heavy heart because the crass reality is that some students, particularly poor Black and Brown… Continue reading The Sad State of Our Schools
(This is a story told to me by a devastated friend, struggling to make sense of this new America. He wishes to remain anonymous.) “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This is far from the truth: I did not know racism until I came to this great country.… Continue reading How Do I Help My Children Feel Pride in their Heritage in the Face of Ignorance?
I don’t know why but I find myself monitoring and questioning my voice a lot these days –too much, I think. I’m so cautious about not being pigeonholed as another “Angry Black Woman,” but I can’t worry about all of that political correctness because the truth is that there is nothing correct about what’s going… Continue reading YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS TEACHING CHILDREN!!!!
