COVID-19
I Desperately Want to Get Back to School, But My Students' Safety Is My First Priority Right Now
I desperately want to return to school in the fall and be with my kids. In the most non-melodramatic, non-trivial way possible—I am lost without them. I imagine it’s somewhat similar to how...
Teaching
Advocating for My Students Means Calling Out Racist Statements From Educators
I have done a lot of self-reflection over the last few weeks. I am angry with myself. I, who pride myself on being culturally competent, feel like a fraud. Why? Because I was not doing enough. The...
School Discipline
If You Want Justice, Teach Kids How to Read
In 1990, I was a brand-new teacher in an unusual environment: a Chicago alternative high school where teens and young adults could earn their diplomas after dropping out—really, after being pushed...
equity
James Baldwin’s ‘Talk to Teachers’ Is Just as Relevant Today
As I sit here, processing my thoughts on the severity of events that are currently grappling with our nation, I reflect on the historical circumstances that contributed to today's conflicts. As an...
School Discipline
White Teachers, Our Whiteness Is Getting in Our Way
Since the murder of George Floyd, teacher leaders across America have sought to prove the necessity of antiracism in public education. And rightly so: from our curriculum to our disciplinary...
COVID-19
What If We Radically Reimagined the New School Year?
Monday night I sat on my back patio staring up into a rare, starry Chicago night. I squinted and made out each point of The Big Dipper and then turned to see what I decided was Mars, twinkling in the...
