Hey Advocates,

Welcome! I’m so happy you are here. This week’s topic is more than a message. This week’s topic is an ongoing and evolving pledge of liberation and intentionality. As a matter of fact, it shows up, daily, in my professional and personal life. I want to ask you for a favor. I would love it if you would allow yourself to be fully present in this reading. 

I almost feel like I should put a trigger warning/content warning here (TW/CW: “Life be life-ing, yo” or “Humankindness should be more of a thing, because human-meanness definitely exists” or “Why can’t I be accepted just as I am” or “My tears have tears”). I know I am not using “TW/CW” correctly. I was trying to ease you into this topic, but let’s be real. There is no easing into ableism, discrimination, prejudice, implicit and explicit bias, stereotyping, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ageism, classism, sexism,...

Hey Advocates,

I'm back! Thank you for liking me enough to allow me to invade your digital address again this week. I do have to be a snitch just a little bit. I tell everyone upfront that I'm great at snitching on myself because I want to ensure the right narrative always gets out. Now, I need to leak a secret, but please don't add me to the "Canceled" list. I think you'll appreciate what I'm about to share. Super quick questions: 

First, is there another person you trust to tell your story? How often do you get to tell your side of the story or tell your story? Let's revisit these questions in a few sentences.

It's no secret that we have lunch break talk, prep talk, and before, during, and after PD talk. Let's be honest with each other because all great relationships start with a cup of coffee/tea and a side of honesty. Not all of the talk is about how great our school is or how great our Admin (or Admin team, if you have more than one Admin) is. Far too often, we break bread...

Hey Advocates,

If you’ve ever sat (or napped) in a “professional development workshop” and thought to yourself, “This could have been an email,” you have found your people. Hey Fam!! Welcome! Dinner starts at 5 PM. Now, I am not the host of a famous TV game show, so I don’t have formal survey results to prove this statement. Still, observational data (i.e., my own experiences and statements) tells me that we have sat in at least one PD session that could have and should have been an email. The last time I checked, time was still a very precious commodity. Would you agree with me in saying that we don’t mind sharing our time when there is a guaranteed return on investment? I think we can stack hands on the statement that sitting for hours in professional development, which could have started with some form of “hello” and ended with a nicety that supported me having a great day, is not a great return on my investment of...

Hey Advocates, 

This week, I want to discuss the value of student-led professional development. Consider traditional thoughts about adult/student learning dynamics. Typically, students are viewed as the receivers of learning, and adults provide the teaching. However, we need to remove the idea that students are exclusively the learners and adults are solely the teachers.

Amplifying your student's voices is a game-changing way to improve teaching and learning. Student-led professional development influences teacher practices (Holdsworth, 2014). It's essential to incorporate what students say and go through to make lessons relevant to their needs.

Who are we serving, and who should ultimately benefit from our professional development?

The outcome from PD must be tools to serve your students and their families better. Who better to learn from? We talk about co-teaching and learning from our students from a classroom level. But we don't always talk about the importance and value...

Hey there, fellow educators and students! Today, we're diving into the crucial topic of valuing and respecting everyone's beliefs and values. We all come from diverse backgrounds, and ensuring everyone feels included and supported in the classroom is essential.

First, let's talk about recognizing and accommodating different beliefs and values. Imagine being super excited about watching a movie with your classmates but then finding out you can't because of your family's beliefs – that can feel pretty tough, right?

Here's the deal – teachers, it's essential to be aware of students' backgrounds and religious practices. Not everyone celebrates the same holidays, eats the same foods, or partakes in the same traditions. Understanding and respecting these differences can create a vibe of inclusivity and belonging in our classrooms.

Now, let's chat about how to accommodate different beliefs and values. Say a class activity clashes with a student's religious holiday. No problem!...