SheSpeaksED

It is an immense joy to serve our community as a public school servant. As a seasoned public school educator of nearly twenty years, I wholeheartedly believe that public schools can work for ALL students! The tension in this statement is partially rooted in the level of consciousness and actions among the individuals who operate in these learning spaces. Learning, schooling and education do not manifest themselves in a vacuum! Individuals bring the beauty and baggage of life with them into learning spaces. This lived reality thrusts those who are called to educate into a very delicate context. Public education today is a very complex situation and in a very nuanced ministry. Successfully operating in today's learning systems requires individuals to engage in a high level of consciousness, most pointedly around identity and interdependence. For instance, given the intersectional identities of our students and of the individuals who are connected to our students, a thriving educato...

Our rapidly changing demographic landscape has highlighted the need for educators to fine tune our ability to navigate differences among our students, our students' support systems and among our colleagues. This skill set has become as critical as educators' ability to engage and facilitate content knowledge.  The probability of educating students from different backgrounds has increased significantly and it is common knowledge that this reality is the new norm. Given the dynamic and complicated nature of teaching and learning, individual's beliefs, assumptions and values are always at play. This rich interpersonal exchange is interwoven in adult relationships too - educational staff to family systems/parents and educational staff to educational staff.  The lived reality of schooling more children of color and/or a more diverse student body has positioned some districts to strategically hire more professionals whom are  qualified in content and whom also look like the...