Category: Anti-racist work

Series: White People Homework (24) Read, listen, take action

You can find better novels.

I read another tweet from the founder of #ProjectLit, Jarred Amato, about The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. In two occasions he’s used this text as his go-to for discussing how we should abandon old, irrelevant texts in our classrooms. And I get it, I really do. Post #22 speaks to the canon. But here is a another secret of upholding systemic racism in our schools, classrooms, and libraries: some “white canon, colonized” books take up oxygen we could be using to read others’ beautiful works. And–and here’s the catch–we can still use them as historical texts as examples of themes, context, and ideas. And he’s also right.

Whole lotta white gaze going on here

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The issue is we English teachers get stuck on our books. We fall in love with a text, and stay put. Grounded. Stubborn. We defend these texts with passion and lizard-brain emotion. And I mean white teachers, if I was being too subtle. Over my fifteen years of teaching, even recently, there is still so much “othering” of books written by authors of color, global viewpoints, etc. It’s become a binary conversation: this or that. White books or Non-white books. But here’s the thing: let go. Just–let go. Look at your canon and take out what is worth discussing, and eschew the rest. Don’t teach the entire novel. Have it as a reference for a timeline, but otherwise, release. Relook. Review. There are brilliant educators doing the work right now, in real time, who can help you find better novels with thematic clarity, relevancy, and rich, deep philosophies.

Shared on Donalyn Miller’s feed: Weeding Out Racism’s Invisible Roots: Rethinking Children’s Classics | Opinion

Important School Library Journal post from Padma Venkatraman about the importance of reading and sharing #ownvoices books instead of timeworn “classics” that perpetuate harmful stereotypes:“Powerful books can transport us to different places and times and also transplant us, temporarily, into a character’s body. Protagonists haunt us, move us, and sometimes spur us to act by sowing empathy and respect for diversity.Conversely, exposing young people to stories in which racism, sexism, ableism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hate are the norm may sow seeds of bias that can grow into indifference or prejudice.”

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=weeding-out-racisms-invisible-roots-rethinking-childrens-classics-libraries-diverse-books&fbclid=IwAR1tLqUM20kaVeIF9b-8GFyEsN3LNG7JkXdUKWZpPksNbvncHVDazqYDTqE

And I would ask that you bookmark this, watch it, take notes, keep, review, and place high on your priority list.

Series: White People Homework (23) Will This Be On the Test?

The test. Blech.

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Note: I’m just beginning to dig into this.

I’ve been trying to find what my Twitter friend Jennifer Binis describes as Black parents asking for standardized testing from a historical perspective. I will in good faith ask her, because I know she’s an educational historian and scholar. When she and I have had the conversation and exchange of ideas about the state standardized testing, created by Pearson and presumably based on Common Core Standards, all I have to offer are my own observational and test data: the test sucks. It’s biased, racist, and does not achieve the educational equity that may have been its original intent. If we go by intent versus impact, its impact is overwhelmingly damaging. During the COVID19 shut down, the testing was either cancelled outright or put on hold. It costs districts millions. It takes up weeks out of the 180 days of educational instruction time, and speaking for the ELA (reading/writing) uses dissected and random autopsies of texts for students to show their “skills” but never strategies, background or contextual knowledge. Teachers struggle to teach strategies, background or contextual knowledge because of this cursed assessment.

It looks like the beginning of the end of America’s obsession with student standardized tests

History of Standardized Testing in the United States

The Racist Beginnings of Standardized Testing

What would many of us like to see instead? Project-based learning based on cross-content disciplines, portfolios, etc. There are many other more authentic assessments, both formative and summative, that we can look toward.

I’m planning on doing more research this summer regarding assessments, and found this in the meantime: https://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/basic/basicc.html

If anyone would like to join me, I’ve got my #2 pencil ready and am ready to learn.

Series: White People Homework (22) ‘Canon’ Fodder

Districts and English departments are scrambling for “diverse” books–while some of us have been doing this work, time to continue and support.

I’m going into year 15 next school year, and during this time I can vouch that I continue to seek answers and strive to be a better teacher for my students. This is built on my master’s thesis, which was using engaging children’s literature–I contend this was a solid foundation for my practice. But I’m out of patience waiting for others to catch up. And I’ve encountered this request and steerage multiple times. I’m not a patient person by nature anyway, or so I’ve been told by a friend. It would be my life lesson. I’m beginning to think patience, when it comes to children and education, is highly overrated and is not, as painted, a virtue, but a sin.

And I saw this:

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And this:

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I would add that I am here for any conversation about books, novels, problematic texts, and the approved “canon.” Districts and district leadership: I beseech you: do not make it so difficult to get great literature written by BIPOC writers in our classrooms. We don’t have time to wait.

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Book Recommendations for my current teaching position: link here.

This is a screenshot from a recent Webinar sponsored by the International Reading Association

Series: White People Homework (21): Solstice

June 21 is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. That’s only half the world. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the Winter one. And yet, we’re all still here together on this tiny, blue planet. Some have daylight to spare, and some are going to have more nighttime. And yes, as we spin and circle around the sun, our Northern days will begin to shrink, and Southern begin to expand. And round and round we go.

And here in our own little corner of the hemisphere, the one that has a small percentage of people yet consumes mass amounts of its resources, we might be finally, too slowly, but finally beginning to realize that we are better, stronger, when we include everyone. I’m keeping a keen eye on how to disregard the cultish fervor of Trump supporters and keep sustainable growth for myself, my family and my students–growth of perspectives, global ideas and big thinking. One of my sons is going to Seattle today to join the protests. I know he’ll do his part to stay safe, keep his mask on, and come home safely. If we are in a place where my sons can go protest, and their friends, and the friendships and connections they’ve made on their own, without my explicitly saying so, that gives me hope.

Amid Protests, Majorities Across Racial and Ethnic Groups Express Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement

https://hasanminhaj.com/

And white people: this is our mess to clean up. Please don’t listen to Hasan Minhaj and expect BIPOC to clean up our mess.

There Is No Such Thing as a “White Ally.” by Catherine Pugh, Esq.

Series: White People Homework (20) Who?

I read a Tweet yesterday about “canceling Lincoln.” No one is ‘canceling Lincoln.’ But I am asking teachers to do a much better job and overhaul the curriculum and framing of the Civil War.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1opJxIuOFfFzQic_2eX0fouXljf2sjX0D/view?usp=sharing

Teachers: I used this document as a shared reading piece. The students came to their own conclusions: no, Lincoln did not free the slaves.

This thread by Jared Yates Sexton is also a good place to start with thinking about Lincoln’s role and shifts in philosophy.

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Dr. Kendi discusses #Juneteenth:

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Contextual framing is required for teaching our history. We must teach the concepts of paradoxes, of conflict, and abstract thinking skills so students, and us teachers, too, can hold conflicting thoughts, ideas, and facts in our minds in order to construct a broader, more accurate view of history. This is the challenge in our times of transactional, binary “leadership” and thinking. We think in terms of winners and losers, and we must move and evolve to consider what harm is caused, consequences, and how fear, greed, culture and needs impact us.

Featured image from: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/stuff-what-you-tell-me/john-brown

Series: WPH: Juneteenth (19)

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https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/16/good-question-what-is-juneteenth/
From a local Minnesota TV station, June 16, 2020
Go buy this t-shirt: https://www.blackonblackbk.com/products/juneteenth-unisex-t

June 19, 1865: “Juneteenth” Emancipation Day

From Zinn Education Project: https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/juneteenth-emancipation-day/

JUNETEENTH: THE GROWTH OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HOLIDAY (1865- )

Juneteenth: The Growth of an African American Holiday (1865- )

Although news of emancipation came at different times during that Texas summer and autumn 1865, local blacks gradually settled on June 19 (Juneteenth) as their day of celebration.  Beginning in 1866 they held parades, picnics, barbecues, and gave speeches in remembrance of their liberation.  By 1900 the festivities had grown to include baseball games, horse races, street fairs, rodeos, railroad excursions, and formal balls.  Two distinct trends emerged with these early celebrations.  First the oldest of the surviving former slaves were often given a place of  honor.  That place of honor rose direct proportion to the dwindling numbers of survivors with each passing year.   Secondly, black Texans initially used these gatherings to locate missing family members and soon they became staging areas for family reunions.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/juneteenth-birth-african-american-holiday-2/

Teaching Juneteenth https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-juneteenth

A common mistake among those who teach the history of American slavery is to center the U.S. government’s role in granting freedom while also placing the onus to navigate through a racist society solely on the formerly enslaved.

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-juneteenth

In other words: The Emancipation Proclamation was signed January 1, 1863. Enslaved peoples did not hear of the news until over two years later. And the white general and military want a medal for that. But at least Al Edwards tried to make it an office Texas state holiday. When I read some articles about it, the levels of critical thinking skills to parse out some of the underlying racism and white supremacy to all my brain power. Our nation did not honor the blood taken during the Reconstruction. We have a chance to make things better, right, and just. If you believe in a higher power, and that higher power speaks to you, listen.

https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm

“Texas Blazes the Trail“

“On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition.  Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America.“

If you, white person, don’t know much about Juneteenth it’s never too late. Imagine our nation and its ability to heal, and tap into its more generous and loving side, if Juneteenth had been made into a national day of remembering, asking for forgiveness, and most importantly: reparations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/04/16/lift-every-voice-and-sing-the-story-behind-the-black-national-anthem-that-beyonce-sang/

Black Americans Have Our Own National Anthem. Stand Up and Sing It With Us.

Series: White People Homework: Poetry (18)

Three sources for resources about poets and poetry.

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Poetry comes in our lives when we may be turned facing other needs: or we may seek it to soothe our souls. The abundance of poetry and beauty shared by BIPOC is vast and luminous. This post shares a fraction of places to find poets and poetry.

#TeachLivingPoets https://teachlivingpoets.com/

Poets.Org https://poets.org/

Poets.Org provides multiple resources for poets and poetry. It has lessons for teachers, and superb curated content.

I Can’t Breathe

Pamela Sneed

I suppose I should place them under separate files
Both died from different circumstances kind of, one from HIV AIDS and possibly not having
taken his medicines
the other from COVID-19 coupled with
complications from an underlying HIV status
In each case their deaths may have been preventable if one had taken his meds and the
hospital thought to treat the other
instead of sending him home saying, He wasn’t sick enough
he died a few days later
They were both mountains of men
dark black beautiful gay men
both more than six feet tall fierce and way ahead of their time
One’s drag persona was Wonder Woman and the other started a black fashion magazine
He also liked poetry
They both knew each other from the same club scene we all grew up in
When I was working the door at a club one frequented
He would always say to me haven’t they figured out you’re a star yet
And years ago bartending with the other when I complained about certain people and
treatment he said sounds like it’s time for you to clean house
Both I know were proud of me the poet star stayed true to my roots
I guess what stands out to me is that they both were
gay black mountains of men
Cut down
Felled too early
And it makes me think the biggest and blackest are almost always more vulnerable
My white friend speculates why the doctors sent one home
If he had enough antibodies
Did they not know his HIV status
She approaches it rationally
removed from race as if there were any rationale for sending him home
Still she credits the doctors for thinking it through
But I speculate they saw a big black man before them
Maybe they couldn’t imagine him weak
Maybe because of his size color class they imagined him strong
said he’s okay
Which happened to me so many times
Once when I’d been hospitalized at the same time as a white girl
she had pig-tails
we had the same thing but I saw how tenderly they treated her
Or knowing so many times in the medical system I would never have been treated so terribly if I
had had a man with me
Or if I were white and entitled enough to sue
Both deaths could have been prevented both were almost first to fall in this season of death
But it reminds me of what I said after Eric Garner a large black man was strangled to death over
some cigarettes
Six cops took him down
His famous lines were I can’t breathe
so if we are always the threat
To whom or where do we turn for protection?

The Academy of American Poets Announces Six New Poem-a-Day Guest Editors for Summer Series Centering Black Poets: https://poets.org/academy-american-poets-announces-six-new-poem-day-guest-editors-summer-series-centering-black-poets

PoetryFoundation https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/147872/the-drone

Series: White People Homework: Educators (2) (17)

These educators shape my practice, keep me accountable, and provide the resources and inspiration we can all use in keeping us sustained, accountable, and growing. Their generosity is unsurpassed. These are teachers I’ve met in the virtual world that have included me in direct, collaborative projects.

Monise Seward: Monise is THE go-to educator for all things math, special education, and just all-around amazing. She supports students first. She invited me to work on curating resources this summer, and I don’t want to let her down. You can find her on Twitter: @MoniseLSeward

Alicia Blankenship–caring, resourceful, and generous:

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Larry Ferlazzo: though I’ve followed his work for years, since becoming an EL teacher his work is holds greater value for my practice. https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/ Follow his work: I am wondering if he has a clone somewhere because his work and energy is boundless!

Holly Stein and Kim Norton: two of my writing project teachers, and very dear friends. I’m still working on that book, ladies.

#ProjectLit: becoming a community leader in #ProjectLit, started by Jarred Amato, which provided me with the opportunities to meet Jason Reynolds, introduce me to Mrs. Hall, and many other teachers who share a passion for books that our students want to read.

It’s hard to express the joy of finding others to work with, share, create, who inspire, and show me grace and love. And since this series is “White People Homework” I am asking white teachers who grumble, complain, and disparage “those students” I would feel pity for you if you weren’t harming children. But alas, I don’t. I’m not that generous. But if you’re feeling sad, hateful, and discouraged, there are others out there who show and share love and generosity. You can have those gifts, too. But you must let go of that ignorant hate first. It’s your choice.

Series: White People Homework: Educators Part 1: Doing the Work(16)

Part 1 of some of the anti-racist educators.

We can’t do this work alone. And I’ve recognized that if I’m not “the” teacher that connects with a student, I know that there will be one for them along the way. I don’t want to be “the one” anyway — truly. I want all of us to provide each child we teach and in our care to be respected, model self-respect, and supported. And just like children need different supports, so do adults. How one colleague begins their anti-racism work and their place on the journey toward an equitable, just society may look different for each of us. This is Part 1 of some of the educators who’ve influenced, inspired, and become an integral part of my community.

Here are some of the educators doing this work, and they can help you on your journey:

Jess Lifshitz approaches anti-racism work with humility and great love. And don’t be fooled; she is a powerful and amazing educator.

Beyond The Statements: Doing the Work To Create More Anti-Racist School Districts
From Crawling Out of the Classroom

John Spencer has been a friend of mine for years. I trust his voice and his work.

Tom Rademacher is direct, no-nonsense and will help you with direct, honest conversation about anti-racism work. I cannot recommend his book, It Won’t Be Easy, enough.

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Mrs. LaQuisha Hall — it would be a challenge to find an educator as generous as she.

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Series: White People Homework: Let’s talk (15)

Thank you to Larry Ferlazzo

In a Facebook group whose mission is to discuss anti-racism and equity issues (one of about a thousand of these groups) a member asked if it’s “okay to compliment an accent.”

My short answer was “no.” She was not satisfied with this. I told her I would research it further, but my first response comes from being an ELA/ELL teacher, and complimenting someone’s accent or dialect may make them feel singled out, “other” ness. It may discourage students who speak one or more languages other than English, and while they’re working on English will feel self-conscious.

And I am wondering why I am still so irked. Why wasn’t it enough for me to say “no?” The reason is because when a white person doesn’t get the answer they want, it takes a trajectory of time (confirmation bias strength) and friction (cognitive dissonance). She wanted to continue her behavior. I get it. I still like to tell students they’re amazing, beautiful, smart, loyal friends, courageous, and creative. When we’ve done pop-up toasts as a class and they need to speak to/about other students, it’s my honor to help them find ways to compliment one another that’s healthy, loving and profound.

Further Reading:

Note: even the word “microaggression” sounds like “small racism.” They’re aggressions.

What exactly is a microaggression?

This is from a person who works as a dialect coach: http://accenteraser.com/blog/4-things-people-with-accents-wished-you-knew/

“And maybe, just maybe I don’t want to tell you where I’m from because I might look at this country as being my home. I’ve worked hard to become part of your world. And I love it here.”

Please Know This Before You Comment on My Accent

Micro-aggressions in the Classroom: https://www.messiah.edu/download/downloads/id/921/Microaggressions_in_the_Classroom.pdf

YOU HAVE AN ACCENT, I HAVE AN ACCENT, EVERYBODY HAS AN ACCENT….by Larry Ferlazzo