TL;DR: Three action items to promote equality and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ community members in the classroom include learning the acronym, teaching and learning LGBTQIA+ history, and expanding your allyship to become a co-conspirator. Make a commitment to teach with pride! LGBTQIA+ Pride Month isn’t just parades and rainbows. It’s about history, celebration, struggle, and love. Students and teachers who identify … Read More
Great Leaders Know When to Get Off Their Soapbox
TL;DR: We all have a soapbox. It may be more important to get off the soapbox than to constantly stand on the soapbox and announce our good intentions. The “Knowing-Doing Gap” is created when school staff know the jargon, but fail to change their practice. Eduspeak is one of the main barriers to supporting more students and transforming teaching and … Read More
Self-Care: Learning to Say “No”
TL;DR: Self-care isn’t always bubble baths and massages—it’s also learning to say “no.” To improve your quality of life, it’s important to know when to stop activities that do not allow you to fully operate in your gifts. Self-care has to be about clearly defining what is most important in life and prioritizing. When we let go of those things … 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 During a Pandemic: We are #BETTER! (Part 3)
TL;DR: Teaching during a pandemic began with feeling lost. Experiencing this year has led to a renewed hope for the future. Transitioning back to in-person learning after virtual learning for so long was a challenge at first. We are better after having taught during the pandemic. Lessons learned from this time are shared. My Purpose My purpose in blogging is to … Read More