TL;DR: Advocate for equity and inclusion by being brave and honest. Know you can’t control the reaction of others, but you can control your actions to create positive spaces. Don’t let the voice of someone be silenced. It’s not ok, so speak up. This post shares 4 steps to having courageous conversations. Journaling/Reflection Questions for Courageous Conversations: Can you plan … Read More
Maintaining a Summertime Social Justice Practice
TL;DR: Social justice work is about consistent commitment and action. Reflect, disrupt, and teach to maintain a social justice practice this summer. Summer is a time when teachers rest, relax, and catch up on the reading we didn’t get to do during the school year (or is that just me?). Most teachers, even through summer, spend time planning for the … Read More
Create Safe Spaces
TL;DR: We remember what is taught through stories with courageous conversations. Stories help us understand, connect, and give a pathway and multiple opportunities to teaching concepts. Stories resonate with us and are close to our hearts to empower our spirit when there is a safe classroom discussion space. Create safe spaces by incorporating storytelling, reflection, journaling, and using graphic organizers … Read More
The Gift of Listening: Supporting Our LGBTQ+ Students
TL;DR: Teach through an equity lens and reflect to make sure all students are feeling supported. Some questions to ponder include how are: How do you support your LGBTQ+ students and colleagues? How are you an ally? What kind of materials are you using in your classroom that include all gender identities and sexual orientations? Other questions for school leaders … Read More
Teaching Towards Diversity
TL;DR: Embrace diversity in the world by accepting differences that make us unique. Teach about diversity so that everyone learns to accept and embrace it. Can we represent every single student in a given year in our lessons? We say yes, absolutely! This post shares 3 picture books that you can use in your classroom. Why is it important for … Read More