Time and time again, I’ve heard educators say that the lack of parental engagement in their schools is what is holding them back. But, when I listen to families, in Philly or Chicago or any other urban city, I hear about the...
Tag - activism
While most traditional schools have always grounded their work in the 3 Rs (Reading, ‘Riting, ‘Rithmetic), other schools have determined that the actual work includes the 3 As. After the NCLB law was ushered in, to sidestep...
Mansur Buffins served as a summer intern at The Education Trust. Over the summer, he wrote for their blog page. Mansur reminds me of members of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice and Philly youth like...
I write for my life Louis Armstrong wrote “my only sin is my skin.” My only sin is my pen. I wrote for my soul and for us all. -Dr. Sonia Sanchez We are only recently emerging from an age where schools cut the arts and...
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” —Steve Biko Few things are more important than the fertile minds of our children. On the commemoration of the martyrdom of Steve Biko...
These experiences have given me reason to think more about what it means to be culturally responsive, not just as an educator but also as a human being. The first time I thought deeply about race was probably in high school. I...
Dear Mama, I hope all is well. I wanted to send you a note of thanks. As a child, I always appreciated and benefited from your tremendous and incessant love, support, and advocacy, even though (like many youth), I didn’t always...
Gerald Dessus, a former literature/composition teacher, like many other teachers, is teaching a course that we believe all eighth-graders in Philly should engage in. Below is teacher leader Mr. Dessus’ response to our need to...
“Our people have made the mistake of confusing the methods with the objectives. As long as we agree on objectives, we should never fall out with each other just because we believe in different methods, or tactics, or...
“Community activists live inside of communities. Organizers come in from the outside.” There appears to be significant confusion about community activism, so let me shine a light on the inconsistencies that may be...