This post was written by California educator Jorge Pacheco Jr. I’ve always known that I was different. When I started kindergarten, I learned pretty quickly that school wasn’t the place for me. I was classified as an English learner and a special education student and a lot of stigma came from those labels. After the first day of kindergarten, when my dad came to pick … Continue reading Creating space to explore identity with students
My intersectional identity as a female of Japanese descent also reminds me of the deep-seated settler intonations when I stand at the front of a classroom, knowing that over 25% of all teachers statewide are Japanese, while only 9% of students are. Data are inverted for the Native Hawaiian or Part Hawaiian representation at 10% of teachers and 25% of the total student population. The percent of Asian teachers nationwide pales at 2.1%, suggesting a microcosmic experience of overrepresentation in Hawaiʻi, but retaining an extremely minoritized status in the United States. Continue reading Gosei as an Identity Marker
This post was written by Climate Change and Climate Justice Programs Manager Nichole Berg. My childhood is full of cherished memories of time spent with my Aguilera family in Manly, Iowa. It was a period full of cheese-stuffed enchiladas, Maid-Rites, home-made tortillas filled with bologna and cheese and Great-Grandpa Ray’s fiery-hot salsa. It was best-friend cousins, softball, practical jokes, tire swings, chicken coops, and late … Continue reading The Role of Identity in Anti-Racist Pedagogy
This post was written by educator Julie Yeros. Some of the most powerful tools in the classroom are books. And in my elementary classroom, diverse picture books helped propel my students toward learning about themselves and the world around them. As a teacher, I loved to travel during holiday breaks and summers. My students were excited to hear where I had gone and what I … Continue reading How to Use Mirror and Window Books to Encourage Global Citizenship
Student discourse is a major component of any classroom. Teachers work to create a learning environment that fosters critical thought and provides a safe space for new ideas. There are a wide range of facilitation techniques designed to support classroom discussion, but they don’t always allow students to voice ideas based on their own understanding of the world. When we facilitate dialogue that feels separate from students’ lives, we limit the connections they can build. Continue reading Strategy Share: Support Classroom Discussion by Incorporating Students’ Culture
