mlk, advice for educators

The grand experiment that we know of as public education continues to be our best hope to inspire freedom and prosperity across all races and eradicate the grim realities of economic inequality. Teachers, administrators, students and staff boldly engage in this experiment daily and continue to champion the cause that has yet to live up to its promise. In honor of our successes and in recognition of our persistent struggles, it seems only right to review what Dr. King taught us as we wrestle with the complexities of culturally relevant instruction.   Lesson #1: Judge students not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a…

Boy, Alone

I have no name.  Only a number. I sit in the back row. The desk next to me is open. The one in front of me is taken by a girl with soft skin. I know her well from the back, for I have gotten lost many times in the darkness of her long, straight hair. The teacher seems nice but I don’t know her name and she doesn’t know mine. She talks a lot but her words don’t make sense to me. Some in the class nod their heads when she talks. Others just look down. She doesn’t look my way much. She has sometimes asked me for an answer, though I am quick to say that I have none to give. And now…