Students need access to BIPOC and LGBTQ perspectives across content areas Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! “I wish every month was Black History month.” “Shut up about it already and get over it; it’s over, accept it and move on.” A year later, this […]
Diversity
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Muslim Students Want Teachers to Know about Ramadan
Ramadan Mubarak! The holy month of Ramadan begins in the next two weeks and lasts 30 days. During this month, which celebrates when the Quran was given to the Prophet and the people, devout Muslims refrain from eating, drinking water, and other activities from sunrise to sunset. At the high school I teach in, about a […]
Posted inPedagogy
Honor Mother Languages in Your Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As a young girl, newly immigrated from Guatemala, I wondered whether my new teachers and classmates saw the real me -an individual with diverse thoughts, ideas, language, and culture. I felt alone and scared as I tried to overcome […]
Posted inOpinion
Trevor Noah’s Farewell Speech Was an Ode to Black Women in Education
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I was on a Black Writers’ Zoom with three other Black female educators recently. We were reflecting on the impact of Trevor Noah’s farewell speech. In Trevor Noah’s farewell speech on his final episode of The Daily Show, he offered […]
Posted inSocial Justice
Racial Equity Work That Actually Works: Lessons from Dr. Lori Watson
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I’ve experienced many racial equity trainings for teachers over the past two decades that were intended to transform my school’s culture. Recently, my school began working with Dr. Lori Watson, and it made me rethink what’s possible. What Hasn’t […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Organic Diversity is Needed in Schools
People are like plants. They need the proper climate to grow, and no two plants share the exact same ideal for quality conditions. Students are the same in this individual need for a particular climate. Like an Aspen tree planted in the desert of Arizona, we should not expect students to flourish in environments that […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Exploring the Commonalities Found Within Diversity in a Classroom
My students are so diverse, and yet many with shared experiences. Â As a teacher, I soon learned to explore these diversities to find even more commonalities. The southeast Asian girl who wore the Hijab felt the same stares as the girl who demonstrated her own form of modesty by purposely not wearing makeup. The unnaturally […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
English in America: Is English Really our “Official” Language in Schools?
English, the “Official” American Language Although the United States does not have an official language, everyone knows that English is the language of the land. Despite our history of multilingual immigrants who later became Americans, English has always been the “American language.” Our school system has reinforced this idea and has caused many challenges for […]