On the first day of Spanish for Heritage Speakers class, Brandon greeted me and Señorita Firman with more presence than most students. It was clear he was particularly kind, charismatic, and just cool. Despite having struggled in previous years with school, we didn’t let that inform our view of him. Both of us understand the impact of systemic racism in…
Author: Betsy Leach
The Obama guidance on discipline can help us hear what students of color are trying to say
When we talk about school discipline, we leave out an important piece of the conversation: why is it an issue in so many schools? Why are so many students acting out? Behavior is a form of communication; misbehavior is how students ask for something they need. This is true of every student in every school; it’s a normal process of…
“Tough” is the Compliment We Pay White Teachers That Condemns Black and Brown Students
My nine years as a teacher in public schools have been eye-opening. The injustices that students from low-income backgrounds and students of color face in the education system have been common knowledge for years. And yet, it has been astounding to experience firsthand just how deep our biases go and how they cause us to misdiagnosis problems in education and…