Like so many Gen X adults, the death of Malcolm Jamal Warner was a shock. As the kids often say, it hit different. I have read so many articles and seen so many tributes to his impact and legacy that I felt compelled to capture how much his life has impacted my own. From phone […]
Michele Lamons-Raiford
Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) and English teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past twenty years, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at Solano Community College for the past fifteen years. She has a BA and MA in English from Cal State University Sacramento, and teaching credentials in English and ASL from Cal State University East Bay. She is a devoted wife, a mother of a beautiful Neurodiverse Son, and a lifelong Advocate for ASL, Deaf Culture, Students with Special Needs, Culturally Relevant, Culturally Affirming, Anti-Racist School Cultures, Climates, and Diversity in Educational Institutions and Organizations.
Posted inSpecial Education
Words Matter: A teacher’s response to Robert F. Kennedy’s statement on autism
Words matter. We often learn this simple but important concept before we enter preschool or kindergarten. For some reason, many people with large platforms often seem to forget this principle. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a prime example of individuals who have forgotten the power and potential harm that words […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Teachers Can Learn from Trevor Noah’s Wisdom
I learned so much from a recent episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast featuring an interview with Trevor Noah that I felt the need to write a second article. Many of the issues discussed were ones I could relate to based on my experiences in education. As a teacher, I strive to ensure my […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
What Teachers Can Learn from Trevor Noah’s Wisdom
I recently listened to an episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the world’s top Health and Wellness podcast. This episode featured an interview with Trevor Noah. I learned so much from this conversation and quickly realized that so much of what was said was directly relevant to the current state of education. Like many […]
Posted inTeacher Preparation
Classroom to Classroom Pipeline: Recruiting teachers post Covid
Imagine the student who always said they wanted to be a teacher. Now imagine this same student was not only encouraged from an early age but also provided opportunities to cultivate the skills necessary to become a teacher. Then, take it a step further and actually imagine putting our money where our mouth was as […]
Posted inBack to School
Amplify black voices: The unconquerable journey of a Black educator
Amiri Baraka once said, “Hope is delicate suffering.” As educators, we can relate to this all too well. This system seems to be a never-ending road of suffering, constantly finding and losing hope as the pendulum of uncertainty plagues our broken systems. As a Black teacher, this suffering is amplified by the strength and hope […]
Posted inCOVID
And Now They Are Seniors: The Covid Class of 2024
“Ms Lamons, do you remember meeting me online? Honestly, that whole year is a bit of a blur.” It just hit me. I met my incoming seniors for the 2023-2024 school year for the first time online. I met them behind the infamous Black Square Boxes. I engaged with them for an entire school year […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Dyslexia Awareness Month: A student and her mother’s journey
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. As a twenty-two-year veteran teacher, I admittedly am not very familiar with it, but I know about the importance of seeking out the experts. As a lifelong learner, I wanted to learn more about how I can help these students who might enter my classroom. But what better way to […]