California
My Students Deserve to Share Their Stories On Their Own Terms
I found "The Bluest Eye" on my own in my older sister’s classroom books. I was in ninth grade. I can’t remember what I thought when I first saw it. Curious. I opened it up and I didn’t understand...
student achievement
Don’t Buy Into the Hype Around Learning Loss
I get it: “learning loss” is scary. Considering the unprecedented overuse of the word “unprecedented” to describe what our nation’s K-12 education system has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, we...
student achievement
How Public Schools Fail to Recognize Black Prodigies
Amid numerous articles about how Black students lag behind others in educational achievement, occasionally you may hear about a young Black “prodigy” who got accepted into college at an early age....
COVID-19
Teachers, I Hate Feedback as Much as You, but Sometimes We Need to Hear It
Once, many years ago, I was arguing with a colleague. I have no idea what we were arguing about. I am sure, however, that I was as much to blame as she, if not more so. We were having a hard time...
Mental Health
I’m Telling My Story So My Female Students Never Feel Powerless Like I Did
I am a firm believer that in order to become an anti-oppressive educator and advocate, one must fully understand the nature of oppression. While finishing my dissertation last year, I spent a...
COVID-19
After a Year of Teaching Dangerously, We Found a New Appreciation for School
This year has been the ultimate educational experiment. For years the question has loomed: Given a strong curriculum, can students learn just as effectively online as in person? This COVID year has...
