"Excuses are monuments to nothingness. They build bridges to nowhere. Those who use these tool of incompetence are masters of nothingness." This quote hung on the wall of my fifth-grade teacher, Mr. G. Anytime a student forgot his homework, he had to stand up in front of the quote, recite it, and remain standing until … Continue reading Excuses . . . And a Compromise: Squatting in a School Parking Lot
I have no doubt that in fifty years, the current administration will appear in textbooks as a defining moment in American history. One that took all of our glaring problems in this country, and laid them out for all to see, bared to the harsh light of day like some stained shirt worn too often … Continue reading Sixteen Candles, MTV, and Brett Kavanaugh: Did I Assault Someone Too? What I Thought Was Masculinity
Yesterday, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination we received the news that a student at my high school drove his truck to the school flying the Confederate flag. The flag was nothing new, a common occurrence around here. The noose in the bed of his truck was not. Today, I learned … Continue reading Discovering I Teach a “Racist”
Yesterday I attended the March for Our Lives in Washington DC. This is the second large rally or march I've attended in as many years. Last year I attended the Women's March in January. Together, literally millions of people marched or gathered all over the world to end violence and abuse. In the wake of … Continue reading The March for Our Lives: As I Come to Grips With My Whiteness, It is Time For White People to Own Theirs.
"The fault... is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Cassius, Julius Caesar. The Native Hue of Resolution Happy New Year! I hope you didn't think that was the end of it. (If you followed me here from my last post, then you know what I'm talking about. And if you know me, you'd know … Continue reading This New Year, Creating More Teachable Moments (Part 2)
To Be or Not To Be A few weeks ago my students were reading the "To be or not to be..." speech in Hamlet. Virtually everyone knows a part of it, whether they are aware of it or not. It's one of those things that is so ingrained in our culture that we aren't even … Continue reading After This Year, How Many Teachable Moments Do I Have Left (Part 1)
For the past month, I've seen houses in my neighborhood losing the battle against Early Decoration Syndrome. Christmas has been slowly invading the neighborhood, with a fringe of Hanukkah for good measure. I've decried the unwanted invasion, the insidious nature of the Holidays months before the date actually arrives, the constant barrage of Christmas commercials and … Continue reading This Holiday, Give More Love, Less Stuff
