Liberating Learning

Mrs. McKeown's 5th grade class taken April 1990, nearly 40 students in one room. I'm in the back row, 4th from the right. This year for Black History Month, I'm honoring several African-American Heroes in my life, my 5th grade academic, music and dance teachers at P.S.118 Queens. In addition to honoring them, I hope to encourage all teachers because besides family, nothing has the opportunity to shape minds and hearts of a person like a teacher....

True Black Heroes, Teachers of P.S. 118 Queens Mrs. McKeown’s 5th grade class taken April 1990, nearly 40 students in one room. I’m in the back row, 4th from the right. This year for Black History Month, I’m honoring several A…

Practical Steps for Educators to Become Culturally Proficient.

A Practical Pathway for Teachers to Move Toward Cultural Proficiency: Step 1 Teaching is strangely one of the most thankless yet rewarding careers. Besides the countless unpaid hours of work, there’s immeasurable, unnoted, heart-work and heartache. Educators don& #8217…

What are Microaggressions? Microaggressions are subtle and indirect but they can feel very heavy and have lasting effects on the receiver. Microaggressions happen in every industry but here we will focus on the realm of education. Microaggressions can happen between school admin and staff, staff to staff and teachers to students. Just like on the playground, most bullies manage to see themselves as the victim....

Microaggressions: Victim, Victor or Villain? What are Microaggressions? Microaggressions are subtle and indirect but they can feel very heavy and have lasting effects on the receiver. Microaggressions happen in every industry but here we will…

What is Cultural Destructiveness? On the Cultural Proficiency Continuum, Cultural Destructiveness is on the far left of the spectrum signifying a negative level of cultural competence. The meaning is implied by the definition such that you seek to destroy other people's cultures. In cultural destructiveness, the person uses their power to destroy or eliminate another's culture. The Center for Culturally Proficient Education Practice (CCEP) has a tagline, "See the difference, stamp it out."...

Cultural Destructiveness What is Cultural Destructiveness? On the Cultural Proficiency Continuum, Cultural Destructiveness is on the far left of the spectrum signifying a negative level of cultural competence. The meaning …

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com Why Hip Hop in EDUCATION? Well, because Hip Hop Culture has spread across races and permeated youth culture across the lines of race and ethnicity. It is a global culture spread across the world including the Middle East and China. For teachers needing to improve their level of cultural competency, and wanting to make their pedagogy more relevant, you can take leaps and bounds by utilizing Hip Hop culture to speak to your students in their own language....

http://transformativeenglishtutoring.com/2022/02/09/hip-hop-ed-relevant-pedagogy/

Hip Hop Ed | Relevant Pedagogy Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com Why Hip Hop in EDUCATION? Well, because Hip Hop Culture has spread across races and permeated youth culture across the lines of race and ethnicity. It is a global c…

When Christopher Emdin said, “Rainbows don’t care where they happen,” I remembered myself as a homeless student in Harlem and how my white teacher, Mr. Evans, looked beyond our circumstances, into our hearts and showed us the world from our classroom at P.S.192. Link to the article in the comments.

When I heard Christopher Emdin say, "Rainbows don't care where they happen," it brought me back to my childhood days in public school in an area of Harlem, New York. Mr. Emdin was talking about how teachers who feel sorry for the dire circumstances of inner city or poor students are blocking their opportunity to connect and understand their students. These misperceptions are based on how the teacher views the students' lives but not at all how the students see their own world....

Rainbows Over Projects: Reality Pedagogies When I heard Christopher Emdin say, “Rainbows don’t care where they happen,” it brought me back to my childhood days in public school in an area of Harlem, New York. Mr. Emdin was…

Cultural Blindness: "I Refuse to Acknowledge Your Differences" Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com Have you ever heard someone say, "I don't see race," or "I don't see color." It's typically followed up with, "I don't care if you're pink, blue, purple or green." People who say this are oblivious to how it falls on other's ears. When I was a student, hearing this from a teacher was offensive and confusing to be lumped in with colors of people that don't exist....

http://transformativeenglishtutoring.com/2022/01/06/i-see-no-color-i-see-no-evil-uncovering-the-roots-of-cultural-blindness/

“I See No Color :: I See No Evil.” Uncovering the Roots of Cultural Blindness Cultural Blindness: “I Refuse to Acknowledge Your Differences” Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t see race,” or “I …

Consider your blind spots.

Blind spots: Challenge assumptions Learn more at PwC.com - http://www.pwc.com/us/en/index.jhtmlOur brains are wired to make assumptions, which can sometimes be off base. We think it's an hones...

To read this article on English Language Learners in Texas, go here https://transformativeenglishtutoring.com/2021/11/30/in-the-trenches-in-texas-schools-english-language-learners-and-their-teachers/

https://transformativeenglishtutoring.com/2021/11/30/in-the-trenches-in-texas-schools-english-language-learners-and-their-teachers/

Read academic text for 90 minutes per day to improve your English vocabulary and prepare for the TOEFL test.