The Blog

Numb in School classroom education reflection social emotional learning texturedteaching Sep 11, 2023

"He sits there and keeps his down and just does his work. He's such a good student." 

"Mary was diagnosed with cancer and we didn't even know! She's such a trooper." 

"Juan barely talks and responds only when called upon." 

"They're such a difficult student. They fidget all day and...

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4 Questions to Guide Your Back-to-School Planning #antiracistedu abar anti-racist schools classroom curriculum reflection Aug 12, 2022

When we're planning for the new school year, we're often thinking about classroom set up, decorations, start-of-the-year activities/events, and even what our first book or reading might be to welcome students. While those aspects are important, they're not the crux of teaching. You can have all...

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Nothing Can Steal My Joy reflection May 29, 2021

In 2016, at the Montessori for Social Justice Conference we delivered a keynote that focused on joy as a form of resistance. This was two years after the death of Philando Castile. That death rocked us. The conference was in the Minneapolis area. The Mississippi River runs through that city. The...

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What I Remember reflection May 07, 2020

I remember in 7th grade when one of my teachers, Mrs. B, did a terrible thing. My classmate was reading aloud. Slowly. Struggling through the lines. Working his way. Making gains. And doing it in front of all of us. You know what Mrs. B did? She blurted out, as he walked through the letters and...

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Whitening Our Students #antiracistedu #carbte #disrupttexts abar blackness csp racism reflection Feb 22, 2020

There exists a movement among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color all around the world (basically wherever there was colonization) to Whiten our skin. The lure of the proximity to Whiteness as a privilege and as a means for survival is both real and not new. For those of us that can’t...

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To say that you survived Colón and his heinous crew is the most powerful and amazing thing one can say. columbus day indigenous people's day reflection tainos Oct 14, 2019

Indigenous People’s Day is an important holiday and it also brings up many feelings… like anger, frustration, pain, and exhaustion. There are still so many that argue that Columbus was an “explorer” and that we must focus on “the good” of his...

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EquitySpaceATX reflection Sep 21, 2019

One of the challenges of living in Austin, Texas is navigating the insistent gentrification taking place. It rips communities and takes your friends away. It forces potential friends to leave, too. 

Roberto and I have worked hard to intentionally find and develop friendships with...

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Is my school welcoming to People of Color? anti-racist schools antiracist bipoc csp diversity inclusive reflection resources welcoming Aug 07, 2019

I recently read Kiese Laymon’s book Heavy. I can’t stop talking about it. It was powerful, raw, beautiful, impactful, and heavy. (Pun intended!) One of the moments he narrates is about an incident that happened to him as a college professor. He was the only Black male professor...

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We’re In This Together bipoc classroom education reflection teachers Oct 19, 2018

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...

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