Black Poetry Day
On October 17, 2020, we celebrate Black Poetry Day in honor of Jupiter Hammon, who is believed to be the first African American to publish poetry in the United States. He was born into slavery in Long Island, New York on October 17, 1711. His poem An Evening Thought was first published on Christmas Day […]
Selecting Culturally Relevant Texts
Culturally relevant educators acknowledge and appreciate children’s home cultures and validate every student’s experience by seizing opportunities to strengthen the connection between home and school while building better school culture. Building a Better School Culture This can be challenging for teachers who find themselves restricted by curriculum and materials that broadly mirror the experience, values, […]
An Educational Leadership Field Guide for Addressing and Unpacking Anti-Racist Inhibiting Mindsets
Antiracist Teaching In response to the Black Lives Matter protests following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, a principal I support engaged in conversations with members of her staff to express support and solidarity with Black colleagues, and to invite feedback on moving forward as educators during a massive civil rights […]
A Call to Reflection and Action for White Female Educators
A 2017-18 National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) report shows that 79 percent of elementary and secondary educators are white; 7 percent are Black. Further, 76 percent of elementary and secondary educators are female. Given white women make up the vast majority of the public education workforce, what are our critical responsibilities when teaching a […]
In Celebration of Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865: the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told slaves of their emancipation. “In accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free,” Granger read to a crowd. That day came more than two years after President Abraham […]
An Acknowledgment on Behalf of Our Community
At CT3, we’re publishing a series of blogs to address the COVID crisis and offer support for our community and partners. We also have the opportunity and feel the moral necessity to create a series of blogs on behalf of our community and partners about a different, ongoing crisis. The crisis we are addressing today […]
Claiming to Not See Race Leads to Inequity in Education
A post about anti-racism. This post originally appeared in Education Week’s Classroom Q&A on February 9, 2020. (This is the fourth post in a five-part series. You can see Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.) The new question-of-the-week is: What are the best ways to respond to educators who say they “don’t see race” when […]
School Culture Quiz
School culture impacts everything we do as educators, and reflects our ability to meaningfully engage students. How is the school culture in your building? Below are questions to help you reflect. 1. Think about the first-person people see when they enter one of your schools. Does this person accurately represent the tone and mood of […]
Cell Phones in Schools: One No-Nonsense Nurturer’s Perspective
I train coaches in schools around the country to support teachers with student engagement. This year, more than any year before, I have been consistently surprised by how many students have their phones out in middle and high school classrooms, and how difficult it is for teachers to get students to put them away. For […]
Repost: Every Teen Needs a Champion
This post originally appeared in ASCD Express on May 9, 2019. “Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.” — Rita Pierson While teenagers sometimes act as if they know everything and don’t need anyone, […]
