My wife and I were halfway to Tulsa on the Turner Turnpike before the full realization hit me; I was about to walk 110 miles of Route 66 from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. I had been interviewed by a local news channel that afternoon, and I joked on the way that evening that I could … Continue reading Oklahoma’s 110 Mile March for Education in Retrospect
(See below for definitions.) Teachers and State Employees in Oklahoma are getting jiggie (1) with a statewide job action (2). For ten years Oklahoma teachers have been told, “Bob’s your uncle” (3). During this time, teachers in Oklahoma gained a reputation for being Worms (4). Now, many teachers are belly up (5), and some have dragin … Continue reading Union Talk: Oklahoma Walkout Edition
(A selection of original working song parodies for the 2018 Oklahoma Walkout) "Which Side Are You On?" (original by Florence Reece) Which side are you on? (x4) They say in Oklahoma There are no neutrals there. You'll either with the walkout Or the Council of Public Affairs Which side are you on? (x4) My daughter may be … Continue reading #BuskingTeacher
A recent HuffPost exclusive titled, “Florida Public School Teacher Has A White Nationalist Podcast,” details how a 7th grade social studies teacher in Crystal River, Florida, moonlights under a pseudonym as a podcaster, young adult novelist, and a rather public figure with a considerable presence and following in the alt-right media. The website Angry White … Continue reading No Space in Public Schools for Teaching Alt-right Ideology
In June of 2017, in a post called “LGBTQ Advocacy in Oklahoma Classrooms Part II,” I wrote, “LGBTQ issues are non-debatable in classrooms of districts with inclusive nondiscrimination policies. Space should be made in all classrooms (especially Social Studies classrooms) for student expression of a variety of opinions on numerous civic and political issues. There … Continue reading Confronting Religious Bigotry in the Classroom
“It seems to me,” said Booker T., “That all you folks have missed the boat Who shout about the right to vote, And spend vain days and sleepless nights In uproar over civil rights. Just keep your mouths shut, do not grouse, But work, and save, and buy a house.” from “Booker T. and W.E.B.” … Continue reading Booker T., W.E.B., and the School Choice Movement
The following slideshow is designed to enhance curriculum provided by Teaching For Change as part of their Black Lives Matter at Schools Resources. The lesson was created by Kim Spotts and can be found here. #LastWords was created by Shirin-Banou Barghi, and was featured on The Good Men Project. The national "Black Lives Matter Week of Action … Continue reading #lastwords
#MeTooK12 is the hashtag of a recently launched campaign hoping to harness the continuing momentum of Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement. According to the organizers at “Stop Sexual Assault in Schools,” #MeTooK12 is all about addressing “the epidemic of traumatic sexual harassment impacting our nation’s students.” This piece from the Portland Tribune addresses the apparent lack … Continue reading #MeTooK12 and the Responsibility of Male Educators
I am aspiring because “woke” is not a title that white people should ever bestow upon ourselves. There was a time when being “woke” was primarily about information gathering, and these days a lot of people gather information almost exclusively through social media. Post Ferguson, however, keeping informed of racial injustice on Facebook and Twitter … Continue reading Confessions of an Aspiring “Woke” White Teacher
Day 1: Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Garrison Frazier was an enslaved minister who purchased his own freedom and that of his wife around 1857. Frazier was the leader of a group of twenty black community members who met with Union army general William Tecumseh Sherman in Savannah, Georgia in 1865. Frazier explained to Sherman that … Continue reading There are 30 days of school between MLK Day and the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s murder. Here are 30 black lives to celebrate on those days.
