In addition to being an educator, I am a poet. I started writing poetry over the last 2 years and I used it as a means of emotional survival; it’s a means of expressing myself, particularly during difficult moments. However, within the past year, my writing has become sporadic; I’ve found it more difficult to […]
Jheanell Lumsden
Jheanell Lumsden is a young, black educator who hails from Jamaica but is currently working in Toronto, Canada. She is dedicated to ensuring her curriculum is diverse and reflective of stories from all over the world and from groups that are typically left out from English curriculum. Furthermore, she works to create a revolutionary classroom in which her students are critically thinking about the world and seeking to enact real change.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Danger of Wanting to be a Perfect Teacher
When I first decided to become an educator, I remember thinking to myself, “I’m going to be a perfect teacher.” As a student, my teachers (even the ones I didn’t have the best experience with) always seemed to have it together. They knew the answers to all our questions, their lessons (even the more uninteresting […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Check up on your Teacher Friends
It’s the dead of winter. It’s either right after or right before Spring break for us. We may be watching teacher strikes across the country or be a part of these strikes ourselves. Our students are tired. We are tired. We are overwhelmed. [bctt tweet=”Our students are tired. We are tired. We are overwhelmed.” username=””] […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
“How my Identity as an Immigrant has helped me as an Educator”
I’ve lived my whole life adapting. I had to adapt when my mother had my little brother and I had to help her to take care of him. I had to adapt when I moved from a small elementary school to a large high school and was suddenly thrown into a class of almost 40 […]
Posted inHigh School
The Importance of Addressing “I’m so bored” Comments
This past semester I was in the midst of teaching one of my favorite units that I’ve ever taught in my career thus far. My students read a play about characters who are a part of a First Nations community in British Columbia, Canada. The play, titled Where the Blood Mixes, deals with tragedy and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: An Open Letter to Teachers of Color Dealing with Guilt while Working at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI)
Guest Writer: Jheanell Lumsden Dear Teacher of Color, You’re about to begin a new school year, and as a teacher of color, you know that our teaching experiences are vastly different from our white counterparts. Each academic year can feel like an even steeper uphill battle, and we may end up even more emotionally and […]