TL;DR: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. offers us insights that are applicable to our practice as teachers. His teachings can act as entry points into our own lives by calling on us to have the courage to do difficult work for and with our students. “In a real sense, all life is interrelated. All people are caught in an inescapable … Read More
WSPD ’21: Talking to Students About Suicide
TL;DR: It’s important to talk about suicide. It’s everyone’s role to discuss, prevent, and destigmatize suicide. Suicide prevention is social justice and access issue as well as a mental health issue. We need to become a trauma-informed, caring educator so we can support students who need help. Below you will find a list of common myths about suicide talk. Generally, … Read More
Teaching and Remembering 9/11 Twenty Years Later
TL;DR: Never Forget: Teaching 9/11 twenty years later. This post shares ideas on how to include September 11th in your classroom through a trauma-informed lens. Remembering September 11, 2001 Almost everyone I grew up with has a story related to the attacks of September 11th. Some of the kids I went to school with or grew up with lost relatives, … Read More
What Are Book Deserts?
TL;DR: A book desert is defined as a “geographic area with limited access to age-appropriate books, print materials and reading culture.” Reading requires time and access to materials. Students have a right to quality, diverse, and robust selections of books. Consider representation in reading materials. Readers who can see themselves in books are more likely to pick up more books. What is … 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