Teaching
Once You've Got a Seat at the Table, You Need to Have the Tough Conversations
During my time in school, I only had two Black teachers and they were both female, one in the fifth grade and the other in seventh grade. I never saw myself represented in the teachers who taught me,...
bias
We Can’t Be Teachers by Day and Oppress Our Students of Color by Night
A few summers back, I was at a wedding reception, exchanging the customary pleasantries one does when seated next to people one has only just met. We discussed our relation to the bride and groom,...
Teaching
It's Not Just Hollywood, It's Time to Sound the Alarm on Sexual Harassment in Our Schools
This is a guest post submitted by an author who prefers to remain anonymous due to the nature of the content. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey (Weinstein), we are hearing more and more about acts of...
whole child
The Worst Thing About Being a Homeless Student Was the Hunger
Have you ever been so hungry that it caused you physical pain? I’m not talking the kind of hunger that sneaks up when you’ve realized you haven’t eaten all day because you’ve been busy. I’m talking...
student achievement
Could This Teacher and Leadership Program Be Part of the 'Secret Sauce' for Chicago Schools?
In most urban school districts, "turnaround" is a dirty word. Turnaround schools are first identified as failing and left to languish for some time in obscurity. Then, when the student test scores...
Teaching
It's Not Enough to Denounce Racism, We Have to Own Our Part in It
I often think about the 16-year-old Black girl who took my honors English class a few years ago. She was the only person of color in the class, and I allowed myself to believe over the course of the...
