More classroom stories
Re: “A rotten year” (5/16/2019): It is an unfair portrayal (not to mention fanning the flames of growing bias against white teachers among people of color) to suggest white teachers are thinking, “I’m just trying to teach my class and black kids are getting in my way.” Change out the word “black” for disruptive and we have a conversation. We don’t need adults in leadership positions in our community maligning teachers — we need our leaders to lead with respect, insight and awareness. This is the situation: Most teachers work incredibly hard to support our students in every respect. This includes academically, emotionally, and physically. We work all hours to meet these needs. I would challenge any community member to enter the halls of the Madison school of your choice and put eyes on what is happening. Be a part of the solution for managing the legions of students who are disruptive, disrespectful and/or failing. I would like to believe that no matter what ethnicity, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, etc. we are, we could agree that many of the destructive behaviors that are gaining in momentum each year are things that we, as adults and leaders, can address without making race the dominant issue.
— Kate Fleming, via isthmus.com
Lauren the administrator needs to go if [she thinks] that anything you can Google doesn’t need to be taught in the classroom. Google as an information resource is highly problematic, given algorithmic bias and incentives on behalf of Alphabet to “tweak” algorithms to protect/expand its bottom line. Not to mention the granular data it collects on its users. That should dovetail quite well with the district’s supposed emphasis on critical thinking skills ... which Lauren obviously needs some remedial education on.
— John Anderson, via isthmus.com
“Anything you can Google you don’t need to teach in the classroom”? Because the students out wilding in the halls are Googling the consequences of global warming? The teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King? The rise and fall of the Roman Empire? The economy of scale? Marie Curie? The Holocaust? This account is absolutely appalling and heartbreaking as well.
— Susie Beverstein, via isthmus.com
Whoever middle school administrator Lauren is, you are amazing. Lauren says that teachers need to get out of the mindset that they can ignore the racial disparities that plague the district. “It’s a cop-out ... Teachers need to get it into their heads that they have to be co-conspirators in the work of justice in our schools.”
And thank you, Ali Muldrow, for breakin’ it down — “I think the word ‘disruptive’ has become a racialized term in our district. It’s used in a way that excludes kids of color from education.”
It is the unapologetic anti-racism stance from Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham that rocked the boat, and will fuel change if it is allowed to be carried out.
— Karen Brown, via Facebook
