Maintaining a Summertime Social Justice Practice

Teach Better TeamBlog, Connect Better, Engage Better, Reflect Better, Teach Happier

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

Celebrate Poetry: What Will Your Verse Be?

Teach Better TeamBlog, Engage Better, Lesson Plan Better

TL;DR: Poetry offers students an access point into language. Spoken and written word have the power to foster conversation, liberation, and increase student voice. Poetry instruction that is multimodal (spoken word, video, and audio) increases engagement and can be a great way to delve into social justice topics in the classroom. It’s OK to just celebrate poetry without feeling intimidated … Read More

Amplifying Black History All Year

Teach Better TeamBlog, Engage Better, Lesson Plan Better

TL;DR: Black history should be amplified all year long. Black voices belong in students’ curriculum and content for more than 28 days. Amplify Black authors and achievements in all subjects by citing Black teachers, creators, authors, and thinkers, reading text that celebrates black excellence and joy, and helping students understand Black history. Teach Black identity intersectionality and be mindful of … Read More