Yes, you read the title correctly. April Fools’ Day can actually be educational! Typically, around this time, articles and ideas circulate providing teachers with ideas on how to prank their students and colleagues. You’ll see posts and videos of teachers trying their best to outwit their students on this day. While it is great to […]
LaToya Morrison
LaToya Morrison is an Assistant Principal of Instruction in Austin, Texas. Previous to this position, she was an ELA Secondary Instructional coach in Round Rock ISD, taught ELA (grades 6-9 for 10 years) during her time as a classroom teacher in Fort Worth and Round Rock ISD. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2008 at William James Middle School and received a second title in 2013 at the Young Women's Leadership Academy of Fort Worth. She holds a bachelor of science degree in middle school education from Texas Wesleyan University, and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Texas A&M University. LaToya loves to blog about student engagement, culturally responsive practices, and high-yielding instructional strategies.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Dear Black Students, I’m So Sorry…
Dear Black Students, I’m tired. I’m tired of sitting in meetings where others discuss you, yet they don’t understand you. I cried for you today. I ache on your behalf because I know you’re tired too. I know you are more than what others think of you. I also know what your journey feels like….and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Tier 1 should be BAE (Before Anything Else)!
Tier 1 is before anything else. Intervention, magic bullets, and remediation are terms that are all too common these days. We hear the echoes of these cringe-worthy words in meetings and PLCs across campuses and districts. Somehow, over the years, these elements have taken center stage as some of the leading roles in education. How […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Watch Your Tone, Fix Your Face, and Other Unspoken Rules for Educators of Color
“Mrs. Morrison, you’re going to be such an anomaly when you go to your interviews. They’ll snap you right up!” Harmless statement? Encouraging? I beg to differ. To the outside world this comment may have seemed innocuous, but to me, a Black educator, I knew what it really meant. So, let’s unpack this, shall we? […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Having a Tupac State of Mind: Supporting Our Students that Grow from Concrete
“We wouldn’t ask why a rose that grew from the concrete has damaged petals, in turn, we would all celebrate its tenacity, we would all love its will to reach the sun, well, we are the roses, this is the concrete and these are my damaged petals, don’t ask me why, thank God, and ask […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Forget Allies and Advocates, I Needed an Activist
We (educators) like to think that we’re advocates for students. I’ve even been guilty myself of living in the nobleness of the word. However, as our current climate (societal and educational) continues to toil with inclusivity and what it means to be responsive to ALL, I grow impatient with our “nobleness.” Case in point, social […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Microaggressions to Misbehavior: How School to Prison Pipeline Begins
Wow, I’m surprised he did so well on the test. He’s not ghetto like those other boys. She’s so loud. They don’t care. They can’t read. They’re just lazy. Microaggression: a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a […]
Posted inFeatured
Watch Your Demonstrative Adjectives: Culturally Responsive Teacher Talk
Guest Writer By LaToya Morrison The Adjectives Demonstrative adjectives are simply adjectives that are used to modify or describe a noun. Grammatically, they are necessary so that one knows which specific person, place or thing is mentioned. In the context of language and grammar study, demonstrative adjectives are important; however, in the context of teacher […]