empathyeducates – I Don’t Know How to Talk to White People About Ferguson

empathyeducates – I Don’t Know How to Talk to White People About Ferguson:

• 

I Don’t Know How to Talk to White People About Ferguson

Photograph; Ali Barthwell
Ali Barthwell | Originally Published at xoJane. August 14, 2014 at 12:30PM

I don’t know how to tell people that I’d rather be let down by white society than be let down by white individuals.

Witnessing racial violence feels more personal when you’re black. I couldn’t watch the video of Eric Garner being strangled by the NYPD because his large frame and dark skin reminded me of my father and my uncle. Trayvon Martin was killed as I was teaching black teens on the west side of Chicago who wore hoodies to class every day. The first time I had seen women with bodies like mine (full soft bellies and pendulous breasts) on screen was in the film “12 Years a Slave” as they bathed to prepare for auction.

The ongoing tragedy of police brutality, media manipulation, and injustice in Ferguson, MO, is unbearable to watch but I can’t tear my eyes away. I’m consuming every piece of news and every editorial that emerges from the tear gas and no-fly zone. Seeing images of black people like me lying dead or injured in the street is creating chaos and turmoil inside me.

But as a black woman in a mostly white social circle, I don’t know who to turn to and how to talk to them.

How do I talk to white people about this!? How can I possibly explain the rage, fear, sadness, and every other emotion I don’t have a name for yet as I watch these events unfold?

My white friends are tagging me in posts and articles about the shootings and subsequent protests forcing me to look at more images of racial violence because I’m their politically conscious black friend.

Will my white friends understand that those images remind me of my younger brother? Will my white friends understand that I’ve been lying awake at night wondering if my younger brother, who is the same build as Mike Brown, will be stopped by the police? Have they ever sat in front of their younger brother at empathyeducates – I Don’t Know How to Talk to White People About Ferguson:

The Coming Race War Won’t Be About Race

Photograph; A protestor during demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo. on August 17, 2014. | Credit; Jon Lowenstein—Noor for TIME Kareem Abdul-Jabbar @kaj33 | Originally Published at Time. August 17, 2014 Will the recent rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, be a tipping point in the struggle against racial injustice, or […]

by empathy / 2h 

All Things Education: To fix racism is to fix poverty is to fix education

All Things Education: To fix racism is to fix poverty is to fix education:

To fix racism is to fix poverty is to fix education

I am cooking up a follow-up post to my recent post about teacher diversity in DCPS but given recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, I feel I needed to finish and publish another post I have been planning for a while.

As I explained in that post about teacher diversity, growing up going to the schools that I did in DC, with the classmates and teachers I had, was a positive experience that meant I grew up surrounded by people of color as well as regular conversations about race and racism. This has granted me a unique white person's point of view, one that is perhaps a much more open and tolerant one. However, it has also meant that not only did I sometimes have blinders on as to my own work to do on racism, I had blinders on as to the extent of racism in our country. For example, I went through a it's-no-longer-about-race-it's-about-poverty/ it's-the-classicism-stupid phase, but I've since been convinced otherwise. Classicism certainly exists, but racism is also still alive and well. So the blinders are now off, but only in so much as they can be given that one is always blinded to a certain extent by their own perspective/privilege, experiences, and surrounding culture.

The post I was planning was in honor (or maybe in response to?) the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, but not in the conventional sense. I am not big on anniversaries, for one. Second, for as monumental as Brown v. Boardwas, it has not accomplished  (see, for example, this 2005 report on segregation in DCPS) what many seem to says it did or hoped it would. And I think that's at least partly because so many other policy areas, such as housing, did not or have not adequately, if it all, addressed racism in their manifestations.

My life's work is teaching, writing, and education. I know a great deal of change can be affected within classrooms, schools, and school systems but the current reformers' saying "fix education and you've solved poverty" is dangerously and hopelessly myopic, especially when many reformers and their funders are actually hostile to the idea (like the Waltons) of solving inequality or don't agree ( like Bill Gates) that income inequality is a problem.

But also those who want to work on solving poverty first can be myopic; they don't always look at what causes poverty. So much poverty among people of color is caused by institutionalized racism. People who say we must fix poverty in All Things Education: To fix racism is to fix poverty is to fix education:

8-18-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

The Missouri compromise.

I never promised I wouldn’t check my email while on this late August hiatus with my family. I doubt it would surprise you that I received tons of hate mail of late. Hatred not so much directed at me, but at what I have had to say about the death of Michael Brown and the people’s response in Ferguson, Missouri. It is a level of white racism and hatred – real racist language – that I do not allow t

by Fred Klonsky / 23min 

8-17-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: I support Carlos Rosa for 35th Ward Alderman.State Representative-elect Will Guzzardi and State Senator Willie Degado with candidate Carlos Rosa.by Fred Klonsky / 46min 8-16-14 Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherFred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public scho

by mike simpson / 8h

empathyeducates – Why More and More Restaurants Are Banning Kids

empathyeducates – Why More and More Restaurants Are Banning Kids:

• 

Why More and More Restaurants Are Banning Kids

By Roya Wolverson @royawolverson | Originally Published at Quartz. August 16, 2014

The first time I saw an infant at a raucous concert in Brooklyn, NY, I was shocked. I was in my late 20s and had had it with the abrasive noise and spilled beer after about 30 minutes; I could hardly imagine how accosted the baby felt. Good thing the parents had him outfitted in giant, noise-cancelling baby headphones.

I chalked up this experience to the foibles of culture-crazed Brooklynites who stumble begrudgingly into parenthood. But as it turns out, this kind of baby-toting at grown-up outings is no longer limited to American metropoles like New York or San Francisco. More parents globally are hauling their tots to shows and restaurants once mostly considered adults-only.

And more establishments are imposing restrictions or outright bans. A slew of restaurants in Korea haveclosed their doors to children recently because of safety and legal concerns. Cafes in Berlin have banned strollers and created child-free zones. AsiaAir created a “quiet zone” for fliers age 12 and above. Malaysia Airlines banned children under age 2 in first class. In Texas and Pennsylvania, restaurants have banned kids to placate customers who go out to dinner to escape their own.

There are strong feelings on both sides. Parents who want to include their children in adult outings feel they’re no more burdensome than the loud talkers or drunken prom-goers at the next table. Naysayers say the kids are a nuisance or a danger—and often point the finger of blame at more permissive parentingamong the middle classes.

Across the globe, more parents are having children later in life, often at a time-intensive stage of their career when every spare moment with one’s children counts.

Source: OECD

In the US, sociologists and parenting experts call this tendency over-parenting, “helicopter parenting” or even “death grip parenting.” Its main causes are three-fold, according to a New Yorker interview with Hara empathyeducates – Why More and More Restaurants Are Banning Kids:

8-18-14 The Whole Child Blog — Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement

Join Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, flipped classroom pioneers and authors of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day, in a free webinar to learn how the flipped classroom model can help teachers gain more face-to-face time with students, foster real differentiated or personalized learning, and challenge students to take responsibility for their learning. Tuesday, Augu

by Klea Scharberg / 3min 

8-16-14 THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog ASCD’s New ED on EdJudy Seltz, ASCD's new executive director, outlines her plans for the association and her vision for education in a wide-ranging interview with Education Week blogger Peter Dewitt. In the process, Seltz details some of the association's policy priorities and recent successes. Read on for highlight

by mike simpson / 48min 

On Due Process, Or What You Call Tenure - The Jose Vilson

On Due Process, Or What You Call Tenure - The Jose Vilson:



On Due Process, Or What You Call Tenure

For the purposes of this essay, I’m using the term “due process” in lieu of tenure because people like Whoopi Goldberg (and millions of others) confuse “tenure” for “job for life.” If that’s what we call “tenure,” then “due process” is more exact. More and more, what it means for K-12 educators and college professors is coming to a confluence.

As far as my contract is concerned, it’s not like, after my third year, I got a job for life. Due process just gives me a better chance at talking back.

Teachers earn (please know this) due process after three years of working and building up a portfolio of pieces that we’ve gathered showing that we have the right to object to our dismissal for frivolous reasons. This carries tons of implications, especially in places where school funding waxes and wanes depending on who the principal, superintendent, mayor, or governor were / are. It means teachers can’t get fired for frivolous reasons, many of which include being pregnant, speaking out of turn, dress code, or different racial make-up than the students they serve, or because the principal just doesn’t like you.

Within reason.

This part especially matters because the reason needs to be clearly stated and reviewers need to do their part, too, if there is a “bad” teacher in our midst. I do agree that we have toxic individuals working in our schools, but rather than blame it on unqualified administrators (which seems to be the crux of almost every argument pro-due process), I’d like to focus on the ones you call “good.” We still haven’t quite pinpointed what “good” and “bad” teachers are, and I know more than a handful of administrators who, even after looking at frameworks and articles collected out of Harvard and Stanford, still can’t actually tell me what a “good” teacher is. So, if good teachers deserve due process and bad ones don’t, then what’s your definition? “You know what I mean” isn’t a good answer in deciding this person’s livelihood, either.

Also, teachers have few incentives professionally to stay in the classroom. People who say “Well, if you don’t want to teach, then On Due Process, Or What You Call Tenure - The Jose Vilson:

Student Voice in a Box: Week 3

Student Voice in a Box: Week 3:

Student Voice in a Box: Week 3

This is the third of six weekly installments of Student Voice in a Box. Student Voice in a Box is an aggregate of classroom materials, teacher stories and student stories that teachers can learn from to promote Student Voice best practices in their classrooms.

Each installment includes two teacher interview videos, one student interview podcast, one long-form class project idea, and short-form class project ideas.

We hope you enjoy! 

- The Student Voice in a Box team

 Interview with Nicholas Ferroni

Nicholas Ferroni (@NicholasFerroni) is a revered educator and historian who mentors his mostly lower-income students with deep personal commitment and care. In this Interview, Nick and Cody discuss engaging contemporary and urban students, having students take notes through twitter, and using pop culture to make lesson plans more relatable.

Click here to watch the interview on YouTube. (19 minutes)

 Relatable Lessons with Ryan Heisinger

Ryan Heisinger (@RyanHeisinger) is a current Teach For America corps member in Newark who is passionate about student voice in the classroom. In this interview, Ryan shares best practices for how to make lessons more relatable to students, as well as how teachers can use surveys to build accountability and earn respect with students. 

Click here to listen to the interview on SoundCloud (21 minutes).

 Podcast: Our Vision, Our Voice

Join us this week as we interview, Amaranth Weiss, a recent high school graduate from North Carolina. Amaranth shares how her experiences in various learning environments have helped shape her belief in the importance of self-directed learning and student voice in the classroom.

Listen to Our Vision, Our Voice, Episode 3 podcast on SoundCloud. (29 minutes)

 Longform of the Week: Holistic Thinking Activities

These Holistic Thinking Activities integrate logic and critical reasoning with creativity and abstraction. They aim to enhance communication and social skills, giving students the tools to be as well-rounded as possible.

Take a look at our Holistic Thinking Activities for students. 

 Class Project: Writing Policy Papers

Writing a policy paper is an excellent way for students to express their opinions to the exact people and organizations who need to hear it the most. As your students will find out, it is quite different than your average writing assignment!

Here are 6 benefits of writing policy papers, and an example of a procedure your students can follow in order to complete this type of project.

Check out the full class project description for Writing Policy Papers.

---

Class Project: Documentary Screenings

Documentaries can be a strong starting point for a hearty classroom discussion on important policy issues. Our lesson plan includes a list of documentaries that can be shown for a number of major issues, including discrimination, education, environment, health, and more. 

Check out the full class project description for Documentary Screenings.

 Join the Student Voice Educator Conversation

The Student Voice community on Blueslips.org is where teachers can discuss Student Voice best practices, exchange lesson plans, and see how other educators plan to use Student Voice in a Box in their classrooms.

See what other Student Voice Educators are doing.

 Questions, Comments, & Feedback

We’d love to hear what you think of Student Voice in a Box. Click here to send us your feedback.

If you are a student or teacher interested in sharing your student voice experiences or classroom tips and tricks, please contact Adil Majid at adil@stuvoice.org.

Here are the members of the Student Voice in a Box Team and their contact information, listed in the order their work is presented above. Feel free to reach out to any of us with questions, comments, or kudos:

• Cody Morgan (Teacher Interviews) - Email - Twitter
• Steve Figurelli (Student Interviews – Our Vision, Our Voice): Email - Twitter
• Amaranth Weiss (Long-form Projects - Student-Led Classroom): Email - Twitter
• Tara Subramaniam (Long-form Projects - future installments): Email - Twitter
• Nathan Wong (Short-form Projects): Email - Twitter
• Dr. Robert Perry (Team Advisor): Email - Twitter
• Adil Majid (Team Lead): Email - Twitter

 Receive Student Voice in a Box in your email inbox: http://eepurl.com/LRPfH

Share this:

• Facebook3
• Twitter3
• Tumblr
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• Email

Author - Adil Majid

THIS ENTRY WAS POSTED IN STUDENT VOICE IN A BOX.

Badass Teachers Association: The Death of Michael Brown, Teachers, and Racism: 10 Things Every Badass Teacher Needs To Understand

Badass Teachers Association: The Death of Michael Brown, Teachers, and Racism: 10 Things Every Badass Teacher Needs To Understand:

The Death of Michael Brown, Teachers, and Racism: 10 Things Every Badass Teacher Needs To Understand

Hello my fellow badass teachers. My name is Denisha Jones and I have been a member and admin for badass teachers since the first week BATs was created. I am also a teacher educator at Howard University. My background is in early childhood education, diversity, curriculum teacher professional development, curriculum, and instruction. In addition to working for BATs, I am an admin for United Opt Out and I have worked with Save Our Schools since their march in 2011. And also, I am a black female. I tell you things so you know a little bit about me and my background before you judge what I am about to tell you.

In the wake of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18 year old black male who was killed by a police officer, America has once again been forced to deal with its troubled history of race. Residents of Ferguson MO, where Michael Brown lived, and activists from all over the country have taken to the streets to protest this senseless and tragic death. The media has continued to report this story making it hard for many people to ignore what is happening in America today. And many BATs have felt the need to address this issue in the main group. This has caused numerous posts filled with support, questions, ignorance, and disgust. 

When BATs began to grow, the founders, admins, and moderators, decided to delete conversations that were divisive. These included posts that talked about the pledge of allegiance, sex education, changing the name, racism, and discrimination. We felt that for BATs to grow strong we needed to focus on our mission. Over time we realized that by silencing some of these conversations we did not own up to our mission. See BATs was created to give voice to every teacher who has been blamed for the failures of education. Our goals were to fight against the Common Core State Standards, high stakes standardized testing, Teach for America, for profit charter schools, and value added measures. What we came to realize over the past year, is that although these issues are very important to many teachers there are other aspects of education that are just as, if not more important, to other teachers. These include poverty, racism, and discrimination. Many of our teachers felt that these issues are central to their voice and their fight. And our attempts to silence these conversations silenced their voices. We have since apologized for our actions although it was never our intention to silence the voices of teachers. And we, the founders, admins, and moderators, have been working diligently to allow these conversations to happen in our main group. That leads us to where we are today.

            In the past few days we have had conversations about these issues that have over 1,000 Badass Teachers Association: The Death of Michael Brown, Teachers, and Racism: 10 Things Every Badass Teacher Needs To Understand:

8-18-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Highland Park Elementary Discussion

A couple of West Seattle parents let me know of discussions over Highland Park Elementary and its struggle to right itself.  The school is a very low performer and has issues over discipline and bullying.  But, the good news is that the community wants to support it and help move it in a positive direction.To that end, a member of the Highland Park PTA asked the Highland Park Action Committee, a l

by Melissa Westbrook / 46min 

Seattle Schools This Week

Tuesday, August 19thAudit& Finance Committee meeting.  Agenda not yet available. Wonder if the Committee might consider where money was taken for the various staff members to go off on their preschool junket. Wednesday, August 20thSchool Board meeting starting at 4:15 pm.I am aware that a rally over the Garfield field trip rape is to occur outside of headquarters right before the meeting at ab

by Melissa Westbrook / 5min 

8-16-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumFrom Two Sides: Ed Reform versus the Most Famous Teacher in the U.S.That teacher would be 5th grade teacher Rafe Esquith from Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles.  He has taught for nearly 30 years and written several books.   But I'll let Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post's Answer Sheet tell you more:*When he goes to China he

by mike simpson / 58min 

40th Anniversary of Lau v. Nichols Decision: A National Conference on the Rights of Linguistic Minorities:

40th Anniversary of Lau v. Nichols Decision: A National Conference on the Rights of Linguistic Minorities

AUGUST 18, 2014 BY ROBERT D. SKEELS * RDSATHENE LEAVE A COMMENT

40th Anniversary of Lau v. Nichols Decision: A National Conference on the Rights of Linguistic Minorities

40th Anniversary of Lau v. Nichols Decision

8-18-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

  Wait What?

 Pelto/Murphy 2014 

Stefan Pryor Not Serving a 2nd Term as State Ed Chief

From the Hartford Courant; Stefan Pryor, the controversial state education commissioner, will leave his post and is “actively seeking new professional opportunities,” according to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office. Pryor informed the governor Monday that he will not serve a second term. “Having served for nearly three fulfilling years as commissioner, I have decided to conclude […] The post Stefan Pr

by jonpelto / 3min 

8-17-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:   Wait What? Pelto/Murphy 2014 You call this a Democracy?During the next week or so, Connecticut’s Secretary of State will determine whether the Jonathan Pelto/Ebony Murphy ticket will appear on the 2014 ballot for governor. Over the last eight weeks, hundreds of volunteers sent countless hours collecting more than the 7,500 signatures necessary to ensure that voters have an option oth

by mike simpson / 14h 

8-18-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

Teachers union blasts Deasy again for new computer system

Teachers union blasts Deasy again for new computer system The LA teachers union today intensified its attack against LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy and the administration over the management of the district’s new student data computer system. For the second time in less than a week, the union put out a press release critical of Deasy and what UTLA says are his attempts to gloss-over the bung

by Vanessa Romo / 4min 

LAUSD announcing new strategies for student discipline

LAUSD announcing new strategies for student discipline A major shift is underway across LA Unified in how schools and administrators approach student disciplinary issues. LAUSD officials and LA School Police Chief Steve Zipperman are planning to announce new district-wide protocols tomorrow that will define and limit the role of police on campus, incorporating new student protections and providing

by Yana Gracile / 32min 

In a shift, Teach for America is hiring more non-whites

In a shift, Teach for America is hiring more non-whites The growing diversity gap between teachers and students of color has been problematic for years, and school districts have struggled to find ways to attract a workforce that more closely resembles changing student demographics. Now, one organization is tackling the issue head on: Half of this year’s Teach for America (TFA) recruits are people

by Vanessa Romo / 22min 

Commentary: Teaching and business do not mix

Commentary: Teaching and business do not mix Via NY Times | by David Kirp Today’s education reformers believe that schools are broken and that business can supply the remedy. Some place their faith in the idea of competition. Others embrace disruptive innovation, mainly through online learning. Both camps share the belief that the solution resides in the impersonal, whether it’s the invisible hand

8min hide  //  save

Morning Read: CA Schools depart from memorization in science

Morning Read: CA Schools depart from memorization in science Common Core: CA schools shift science teaching away from memorization California is at a critical stage in carrying out a wholesale change of how it teaches science and other core topics. It’s a process that takes time when you’re working with nearly six million students. KPCC Of aching backs and digital textbooks It won’t be long befor

2 21min 

8-16-14 This Week in LA - School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):Galatzan calling for probe into computer system snafusGalatzan calling for probe into computer system snafus Concerned by a slew of problems with the district’s new student management computer system, board member Tamar Galatzan said today she is planning to ask the district’s Inspector General to conduct

by mike simpson / 49min