I have written about racial microaggressions before, but I had the humbling experience of being called out on my own racial microaggression this fall by my brave student Stephanie (name changed). For those who don’t know: Racial microaggressions have been defined as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, … Continue reading
This fall semester I taught I class I designed called Ethnography of Education. In the class, the students learned sociological concepts/theories of education and ethnographic research skills. They created a simple research question, chose a research subject, and observed and interviewed their subject. They retrieved a document from their subject and/or related to their research … Continue reading
“I’d like to see you as a Black woman,” is what a student said to me after class last week. I was thrown. What?! That ranks up there with the strangest student comments I have ever received. I mean, I’d kinda like to know what I might look like as a Black woman, too (please … Continue reading
This fall I am teaching a new course: Ethnographies of Education. This is a two part sociology course: in the fall the students will learn sociological terms and theories about schooling and they will conduct their own ethnographic research on a student/teacher/professor to answer a simple research question related to schooling/education; in the spring they … Continue reading
I got an iPhone the February of my last year teaching high school. I am one of those ridiculous people who has about 1500 photos on my iPhone, some from that time (2011!). Last Friday I was at my daughter’s camp performance and trying to make a video of her reluctantly walking on a tightrope … Continue reading
I literally squealed with excitement when I heard yesterday that our House within our community college was selected for a second year to hand out books for World Book Night. Last year we handed out books and I swear to you, the students had the best. time. ever. doing it. I wrote about their experiences … Continue reading
Trayvon Martin (Feb. 5, 1995 – Feb. 26, 2012) should have celebrated his 19th birthday today. Two years after his death, I find myself still thinking of him. I think about who he might be now (who was I at 19?), I think about his parents’ battle for justice, I think about the stupid insanity … Continue reading
When I wrote the curriculum for the Arts in NYC course that I am currently teaching at my community college, I wanted a concept to guide it. I have written before about two amazing professors from my undergraduate experience who largely formed how I study and experience all forms of art: Carol Mavor and elin … Continue reading
You know how it works: the semester is coming to a close and suddenly every student has an excuse as to why that last paper just isn’t going to be on time. You get frantic emails sent off at 3:47am about the sudden onset of the stomach flu, an aunt that has died and a … Continue reading
Part of our first year experience curriculum includes self-reflection essays. During these essays, students are meant to pause–think–and write about what has happened to them as learners in the past 6 weeks, 12 weeks, etc. These are my FAVORITE essays to read because I learn a lot about how they see themselves, my class, our … Continue reading
