The Equity Firm

To my daughter 👩🏽‍🦱 and all graduates 🎓 young and old 🖤🤎🤍💛🧡❤️

‘Barbershop Books’ Aims to Make Reading an Adventure Alvin Irby, the founder of Barbershop Books, is on a mission to make reading an adventure — especially for young Black boys.

The countdown to GivingTuesday begins! Help us create transformative reading experiences for 4,000 young kids by donating: barbershopbooks.org/donate

Another one of my favorites 🖤
Give me a 👍🏽 if you know what he means.

I was honored to be asked to be a panelist for , and ’s Virtual Gathering Education Panel Discussion 📚📝➕➖🎶💻❤️🖤 Great people. Great discussion. Thank you 😊

“According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Black youth had a significant upward trend in suicide.”

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/lifestyle/black-children-books-turn-child-134505720.html

What are you reading 📖 this weekend? I’m reading my newly purchased children’s book, Together with Dad!, written by new children’s book author, . Check her out at www.PJBassBooks.com 💻

Thanks TED Radio Hour for sharing! Here’s the full interview with our founder Alvin Irby: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/23/1040233994/listen-again-school-of-life-2020

Hey 👋🏽 Just sending you some sunshine 🌞 on this rainy day 🌧 (It’s raining ☔️ here!) How are you adding sunshine ☀️ to your students’ 👨🏽‍🎓👩🏾‍🎓 and/or staff’s 👨🏾‍🏫👩🏽‍🏫day?

More than 15 years ago I had a 3rd grade Black boy in my all-Black class at an all-Black charter school in an all-Black neighborhood in a city with a population that was nearly half Black.

I attended graduate school at a PWI where I knew nothing of or .m or .pedronoguera. I was not taught in my graduate program how to move this dependent non-reader and non-writer to a self-directed, independent learner in a culturally responsive way. I wasn't given all the tools I needed as a new teacher of little Black boys and girls.

However, I innately knew how to love him, how to be kind to him, and how to respect him. Every year I hang the handmade Christmas ornament he gave me on my Christmas tree . . . more than 15 years later.

How many of you weren't taught in your teacher prep programs how to move students to be independent learners? How many of you weren't given the tools to use to help your students build "intellective capacity"?

See? This work I do is more than just a profession. It is part of my life. I've always been in the equity business. I just know better now. What's your story?