Two men in uniform. One with visible hands raised in an effort to avoid any “misunderstandings”, and the other literally holding the other’s life at the end of the chamber in his gun. One clearly serving his country and one perpetuating the stereotype so many hold about law enforcement officers. As the daughter of a […]
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 inInstruction & Curriculum
Inhale Adversity, Exhale Hope: Reflections of a Black Educator
I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until I heard the words. “Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.” I let out a slow and deliberate exhale, one full of relief for George Floyd’s family, his friends, and for the brave soul who captured the video of this public lynching. I continued to exhale for my family, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Culturally Relevant Lessons in the Life of DMX
I remember when I first taught the life, music, and poetry of Tupac Amaru Shakur back in 2002. I received my first written complaint questioning why an educator would “glorify a thug.” I knew then I would continue to find ways to tap into my students’ interest by using Hip Hop Culture in my curriculum. […]
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Sustainable Investment in Education – More Than Just a One Time Fix
Well, our day has finally come! Or has it? We have an unprecedented amount of money we have all been begging for! But, as educators, yet again, no one is asking the “experts in the room” how to spend it. Education has always been about droplets in a seemingly never-ending sea of inequities, where teachers […]
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Hate Raging in Virtual Realms During COVID-19
February 24, 2021, will forever be etched in my memory. We were nearly an hour into the ninety-minute presentation when I began to see the trolls. There were so many coming at once that I couldn’t keep up. I will never forget the first appearance of the bright red Swastika. The words “Fuck Niggers” slowly […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Diary of a Wimpy Teacher
Fine, I admit it. I am a wimp. I bite my tongue, swallow my words, and cower behind the mute button in and out of the digital world. I worry more about the consequences of speaking the truth with no filter than I do about letting the truth set me free. I overthink, overanalyze, and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Stop Asian Hate Now: Using the Injustice Against Asian-Americans as a Teaching Movement
Eight dead Americans… yet, again. Six Asian women…someone’s grandmother, mother, aunt, sister. As a Black Female Educator, I found myself remembering stories of Asian hate at my own school. The young female Chinese teacher who had Asian hate speech angrily etched into a desk. The new female Mandarin teacher being Zoom bombed, having to endure […]
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Black Square Boxes: Affirming the Identity of Students During a Pandemic
Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past nineteen years, previously teaching all levels of English, as well as an Adjunct English Instructor at Solano Community College for the past […]