One of the hardest things about starting a blog about teaching is deciding what its limits will be. Teaching is so complex and multifaceted that a person could dedicate an entire blog to just one aspect of it—curriculum and instruction, school climate, education reforms, relationships with students, relationships with the school community, the state of the teaching profession, and on and on. There are many, many good education blogs in the blogosphere, some of which I will eventually share with you here. With that said, I owe it to you, my readers, to let you know what to expect from my blog, so you can decide at the outset if this is a place where you want to spend your time.
What You Should Expect
1. Stories from my classroom that demonstrate the special joys and challenges in teaching underserved black and Latino students—the ones on the wrong side of the “achievement gap”
2. Reflections on the effects of racial identity on teaching and learning
3. Ideas about what it means to be a good teacher in general, and in an urban school particularly (along with occasional instructional advice)
4. Analysis of problems (and potential solutions) with public education policies
5. Comments about current events and social trends that affect teaching and learning
What You Should Not Expect
1. Excessive educational and legal jargon—some will pop up every now and then, but I’ll do my best to write this thing in plain English
2. Real names or other obvious invasions of privacy of students and colleagues
I hope you’ll find this blog informative, engaging, and motivating, and that you will be generous with your comments so that we can contribute something valuable to the much-needed conversation about urban education today. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you come back often!
You've just barely started, but I'm already engaged. If you aren't yet familiar, take a look at Critical Friends Group protocols. It's an entire system of communication that is meant to guide the "courageous conversations" that must occur in modern (and especially urban) schools. The focus is largely on recognizing and fighting racism as an institution. Can't wait to read what you've got :)
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