The Blog
I was inspired to write a song called SHHH (She Hangs Her Head)! The song is based on a true story and the content is as relevant now as it was when I first penned it. For numerous reasons I never had the chance to publish this song until now, even though I have performed this song in various...
Being a teacher who is black, indigenous, or a person of color (BIPoc), can be challenging in and of itself. So many resources that come across don’t always speak to our experiences in the classroom as a teacher. There are commonalities and trends to what we experience as teachers, and...
I work toward welcoming marginalized voices into my classroom while moving my students toward a stance grounded in love and freedom. As a student, I never encountered a curriculum that did that. When I first became an educator, I struggled to find examples of curricula or lessons that effectively...
Lorena German and fellow educator, Jazmen Moore, presented at the International Literacy Association’s (ILA) conference in Austin, TX this past weekend (July 2018). They were there on behalf of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Their session:...
We all learn in multiple ways. Besides being an auditory learner, I am also a visual learner. Coming off the heels of the Montessori For Social Justice Conference where I performed the spoken word poem BEAUTIFUL BLACKNESS, I figured it would be worthwhile to complement it with a...
WE SPENT THIS LAST WEEKEND OF JUNE 2018 IN ST. PAUL, MN AT THE MONTESSORI FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE CONFERENCE.
Wow! What a powerful conference. What a powerful group of people working together to change Montessori and all other educational spaces. What a radical and justice-oriented community...
Growing up an immigrant of color in the U.S. can be full of challenges and trauma.
My family came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in the late 80s. I was four. While I was born there and have dual citizenship, and can’t deny the island breeze in my veins, I’m also very...
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....
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...
