Jessica Fitzpatrick is a high school librarian in Houston and is in her eighth year of education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Houston and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas. She is the 2020 TLA Branding Award Winner for Community [...]
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. [...]
On an Easter Sunday, decades ago, my pastor baptized me into the faith. I do not exactly remember the words - but to an extent, they were, “buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.” It is all symbolic of letting go of your past sins and receiving a fresh [...]
What’s getting you through 2020’s chaos? For me, it’s the knowledge that education could change, and not by a little. As with all things education, I’m not alone of course, And many others have come before me. I know because I used the pandemic to read them all. Reardon and Timar. Ravitch and Tatum, Delpit [...]
Well, the time has come for me to emerge from my Hobbit hole and embrace a new adventure come this fall, so I have begun the arduous process of writing resumes, and answering job applications as I move back into the classroom. One such question presented a “what if” scenario that has had me thinking [...]