Teaching
Even in Death, Black and Brown Students Are Dehumanized
In my second year of teaching, I had a notorious student we’ll call Israel. After the first day of class, we sat down and discussed appropriate expectations, whom he could work well with and we...
trauma
I Hope My Story of Sexual Harassment Can Lead to a Teachable Moment in Our Classrooms
I have been watching silently this week as women are stepping forward to discuss times they felt uncomfortable about their interactions with male colleagues and feeling violated in their personal...
Poverty
A Psychology Professor Explains How Racial Trauma Impacts Students of Color
Dr. Maryam Jernigan-Noesi has been thinking about and studying children’s mental health since she was a child herself. I recently talked to her about the racial trauma students of color experience in...
trauma
DeVos Is Planning to Rollback Guidelines That Protect Students From Sexual Assault
As the parent of a high school sexual assault survivor, I’ve seen how pervasive sexual harassment and assault in our K-12 schools can shake entire communities. That’s why I’m sounding the alarm about...
Mental Health
What 'Surviving R. Kelly' Means for My Black Daughters and the Schools They Attend
As the Black mother of two Black girls, I am always acutely aware of how Black girls are harmed in this society. However, there are some moments in America, when it is amplified that me and my girls,...
Poverty
This Has Been a Different Type of School Year
Engage. Enrich. Educate. That is what we, the educators at Phoenix Charter Academy in Chelsea, Massachusetts, set out to do while embarking on a different type of school year in September 2018—one...
