The Blog

Talking to Your Kids About Race resources video May 12, 2018

Dear parents,

Who better to teach your children about race than you? Yet, to best educate your children means you have to be committed to educating yourself. The resources are plentiful and we would be wise to utilize them because our children are learning about race whether we teach them or not....

Continue Reading...
Unit: TwitterLove&Magic #antiracistedu abar classroom csp curriculum education ela resources Apr 18, 2018

The Intersection of Rhetorics and Justice: An IB unit of study

When teaching about historically marginalized and oppressed communities, that’s usually what students understand: we are in pain, in sorrow, and are oppressed. While there is accuracy to that due to systemic oppression, we often...

Continue Reading...
Beautiful Blackness arts & literacy black history month blackness poetry video Feb 25, 2018

In honor of Black History Month, Roberto performed a poem entitled “Beautiful Blackness” and blew us all away! The words are below and a viewer’s recording included here, also.

BEAUTIFUL BLACKNESS

Sweet juice drips from the BLACKberry on full lips

Adding to our fullness

And...

Continue Reading...
What is Your Baby Reading? books homeschooling inclusive literacy picture books reading resources Dec 13, 2017

Children love books and storytelling. As parents, it’s a go-to activity. In my home, my almost-3-year-old reads on her own even though she doesn’t know how to read. She loves looking at the pictures and will read for 30 minutes all by herself! I love watching her eyes scan the page,...

Continue Reading...
A Lesson on the N-Word #antiracistedu abar antiracist black lives matter classroom discussion ela reflection resources Nov 01, 2017

You can’t teach the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and not discuss the n-word. Ignoring it is irresponsible. So, how does a teacher engage her class in a discussion around this very controversial and complicated word? 

My current teaching context is a small...

Continue Reading...
Dust Your Shoulders Off classroom reflection Jan 04, 2017

I’ve had many difficult teaching moments. Some were a result of my own doing, yet many were a result of systemic inequalities that bled into the four walls of my classroom. I once had a student drop out of his junior year in order to work full time so he could help his family back home in...

Continue Reading...
What I Told My Seniors classroom reflection Nov 14, 2016

I didn’t realize how unprepared I was for Trump’s election. I had simply not thought that result through. Immediately I began receiving text messages. My father’s words to all of his children will stay with me. I was teary-eyed as I dropped Analiz off at school. I cried a bit...

Continue Reading...
Takin’ On the Hard Topics csp Oct 31, 2016

Recently, I wrote a response to the Larry Ferlazzo’s Classroom Q & A blog question: What are good strategies teachers can use when exploring “controversial” topics? Since my courses are infused with what folks consider to be controversial topics, this was somewhat...

Continue Reading...
Teachin’ Ain’t for the Weak reflection Oct 17, 2016

Teaching at Headwaters is quite the change of pace & style for me. The main differences are the creative autonomy I have and the student academic freedoms they enjoy.  I wrote more about that here.

What are the main differences? 

1. Debriefing class/lessons.

2....

Continue Reading...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7