My Black History

I look White. Due to the structural racial inequities embedded in American society, I have benefitted from White privilege. And I have a Black heritage. My father had a White mother and a Black father. He grew up in the 1950’s, when such marriages were forbidden in many states, and he was treated and categorized…

Guest Post: Learning to Talk About the Power of Stories – 5 How-To Guides for Innovative Literature Circles

In this post, we share five How-To Guides for facilitating literature circles that help learners uncover the power of stories. The guides range from grades Pre-K-6th grade. About Literature Circles: Literature circles (sometimes called book groups or literature groups) are book discussion groups organized around a book, theme, genre, or author. Students must learn to be…

Transformative Teacher #10: Sydney Coffin

If the principles of social network theory worked perfectly in real life, I would have met Sydney Coffin at least 20 years ago. Overlapping school friendship circles, participation in the same teacher networks, and shared professional interests in literacy and social justice link us in many ways. As it was, we met a few months…