Posted inInstruction & Curriculum

What Teachers Can Learn from an Afghan American Student Living in America

Teaching in Pinole, California over the past twenty years, I can count on one hand the students of Afghan descent I have encountered, let alone taught. As I watched what was unfolding in Afghanistan in the first few weeks of August of 2021, my first thoughts went to my current Afghan student who I have been blessed to know for the past four years. I had her sister in previous years as well. My mind also went back to my first Afghan family from over a decade ago, wherein I also had two of their three sisters. I became close with their families and stay connected to this day.

Posted inInstruction & Curriculum

The Missing Link in Culturally Diverse, Anti-Racist Work is Paid Collaboration

We have heard so much about the need for a culturally diverse, anti-racist curriculum, but the question is, are you willing to pay teachers for their time and energy in writing and implementing it?  There are many teachers out there who have seen enough seminars and been to enough conferences to have been inspired to […]

Posted inInstruction & Curriculum

The Crucial Need for Mentorship in Post Pandemic Education

My mentor teacher was a six-foot two-inch Black Male, who exuded confidence, creativity, and a command of a room I envied on so many levels. He described himself as an Ex-Black Panther “intimate” different than a member, an “intellectual free-raider” who made sure he “always lived to fight another day”.  My mentor was a self-proclaimed […]