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
The first day of school jitters…I remember them well from being a kid. I would agonize over what outfit to wear, which school supplies to bring, and how I would get to school. I would be sleepless the night before over the excitement and anxiety of seeing people on that first day that I had … Continue reading
No doubt, teaching in urban schools can wear you down. I can’t even tell you how many times I have sat in my classroom and cried, cursed, or just stared at my bulletin boards that needed updating, paralyzed and practically drooling on myself from exhaustion, frustration, or anger. Everyone has their own methods for coping … Continue reading
I am not sure how I became a White teacher of all kids of color. Honestly. It was never my objective as an educator to teach classrooms filled with all minority students (can we really even use that term “minority” anymore since children of color now represent more than half of America’s population under the … Continue reading
There are many, many instances when my teaching life and my parenting life either overlap or stand in stark contrast to one another in painful or beautiful ways. These instances have only increased since my daughter entered pre-kindergarten this past fall in our neighborhood public school in Brooklyn. We live in an area that has … Continue reading
