I worked in two elementary schools (k-8) in the Chicago Public School system, both schools were on the south side in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Both schools had uniformed Chicago Police officers working security. Kids were terrified of getting arrested and the officers were used as a threat by teachers who lacked appropriate classroom management skills. My children attended two Chicago Public Elementary Schools in predominantly white and Latinx neighborhoods where there was no security, let alone a police officer. This practice is a waste of money and sends all the wrong messages that children should be receiving from their teachers. The negative impact on the communities due to the practice is unsurmountable.

I really appreciate how she designed this entire unit to encourage her students to think and act critically. This is how we can not only make the world a better place in present time but also in the future as they grow into responsible young adults who will continue to look at their world critically. Having participated in this class, these young people now know how to be change agents for more positive future.

One of the amazing things to come out of the pandemic is the Love Fridges on the west and south sides. These refrigerators are set up to provide free healthy choices such as fruits and vegetables in areas that have been determined to be food desserts. Check out the website and consider helping out. Also, make sure to let students and families know especially if they may be experiencing food insecurity. https://www.thelovefridge.com/

The issue of equity in schools has been brought to the courts many times. People have fought over equitable financing of the schools, language equality (Lau v. Nichols), and racial equality (Westminster v. Mendez and of course Brown v. Board of Education). It is appalling the number of times these issues have been brought to the courts and still, our education system is still unequal. Check out this list of landmark cases related to education equality https://edeq.stanford.edu/sections/landmark-us-cases-related-equality-opportunity-education It is sobering to think we are still in this position after all of these fights.

I realize that there are still some teachers out there doing this, I sincerely hope they are getting pressured to stop. I have not personally seen this since my oldest was in kindergarten which was in the mid 1990s, that being said - it is much too late in our country's history to still be depicting these false narratives. On the flip side, there is a definite lack of authentic, honest education about Indigenous people. Therefore, the goal should be to replace this insulting practice with actual education. Schools, administrators, parents, and teachers need to push everyone in the education community to do better.

This is so helpful! I foresee myself using this in much the same way I use the Coretta Scott King award - as a litmus test of what is a good book that authentically depicts that culture.

I get where they are going with this name and I've seen similar projects with similar names in other texts, however, The word counter feels negative - why not corrected fairy tales? The definition of counter as an adverb is: in the opposite direction of; in conflict with. The conflict lies within the original fairy tales. People should not have to engage in creating conflict in order to see themselves in literature.

I recall reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in high school in the 1980s. As one of only a couple of white kids in the class, I missed the significance it must have held for my classmates - especially those that were female and Black. Looking back, I see my privilege in play long before there was a term for it. I connected to the book and appreciated the story immensely because of my own life experiences. Now, all these years later, I am thankful that a teacher was so thoughtful to provide my classmates with such a great literary experience. As a point of comparison, all of the other books we read in that class had been written by old dead white men (Shakespeare, Hemingway, etc)

I've often wondered about the double standard associated with riots after sporting events as opposed to civil unrest related to injustice. This definitely clears up my understanding of this hypocrisy, I thought is was just me that was irritated by this double standard.

I recall waking up the next day after the election was called in Trump's favor and walking into the school full of children who were already visibly traumatized and worried about what the future held for themselves and their parents. Myself and the paraprofessional that worked in my room at the time decided that rather than ignore the elephant in the room, we would hold a community circle so everyone could share their feelings. She and I had no training in this sort of thing, we just winged it and did our best. We cried with the kids that day. Four years later I can't say things are better, in fact, I'm sure they are worse. We need training to help us help our students through this collective traumatization brought on by politics. This editorial on how Trump has uses his rhetoric as a strategy and how if effects all of us was interesting and enlightening https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-trauma-family-separation/

Even today in 2020, kids are still suffering from the politics of our country. In my SEL block the week of the election, my students (half of which are Dreamers) were nervous, upset, and completely stressed. Twelve-year-olds should not have to worry about politics this much.

Student led discussions, student led writing, student led topics of study, student led everything - this is the way to cultivate life long learners who take leadership of their own lives and learning. While it requires a lot of modeling, partnership, and mentorship from adults it is worth is in the end. This may look like less work for us as teachers (from an outsider's perspective) it ultimately requires much more purposeful planning, flexibility, and effort to be done correctly.

I am sure there are so many qualitative results to prove the efficacy of this program and practice. Encouraging students to be writers and to express themselves will at the very least boost their self esteem. Changing the perception of kids to being writers also provides change for our society as a whole, creating a more equitable world where everyone's potential can be seen.

These attitudes are something that we must actively fight against. This is such a pervasive belief, it is enraging and categorically false. I recently watched a very interesting series on our local news called Our America: Living While Black, in one of the episodes a young man who graduated from Yale described a situation when he was in Catholic grade school where a teacher expressed shock that he could write. It was appalling that the teacher not only thought this but felt entitled to share her false beliefs. If you are interested in watching the series, the link is https://abc7news.com/our-america-living-while-black-racism-racial-inequality/716

I love this idea! I have tried this before and found that it can be like pulling teeth to get kids to share. I have read some other books and articles on this and building classroom culture that encourages and rewards student vulnerability but I have struggled to get all kids to participate. I don't ever want to force a student to read their piece to the group but it is frustrating when half the class just says "pass" when we get to them. What advice could anyone give to help with this. I currently teach 6th grade and have taught 5th for the majority of my career.

Choosing the books that provide just the right balance of mirrors and windows can be difficult but it is so important. Last year, while teaching 5th grade in Chicago I was given a curriculum that was designed for inner city schools. Most of the books were targeted for African American students, my students were 98% Latinx. The two books in the set that included Latinx characters were horrible misrepresentations and stereotypes. I had to use the books so we read them and had discussions on perceptions of culture and who my students were as people.