[S]chooling is a political process, not only because it contains a political message or deals with political topics on occasion, but also because it is produced and situated in a complex of social and political relations from which it cannot be abstracted (53). I’m entering my third year as an English 9 teacher, and I’m…
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I can’t look at Amá without thinking about the border, I keep picturing her screaming on the ground, Apá with a gun to his head. I can’t ever tell him that I know. But how do we live with these secrets tied between us? How do we tie our shoes, brush our hair, drink coffee, wash…
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It’s been a week, and I can’t stop thinking about this book. In Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain, Zaretta Hammond avoids the pitfalls of often bro-y, “Your brain is a muscle – use or it lose it” studies on learning and the brain. Instead, Hammond clearly outlines the three major parts of the brain, and how…
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Last year, I had the honor of being a commencement speaker for UC Berkeley’s Graduate of Education, and I spoke about self-care. In my speech, I made the argument that educators must take care of ourselves if we aim to be effective. We must be warriors, not martyrs. Nearly one year later, I find myself…
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Kendare Blake’s Cas Lowood is your cliche angsty, mysterious teen male protagonist. He references Kerouac warmly, name-drops reading The Shining, move arounds a lot and isn’t keen having a large group of friends. He’s your basic teen stereotype, except he secretly retires the violent dead. Picture Jughead from Riverdale, add a magical knife, and you’ve got Cas.…
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