October 5, 2021

We Can Create Change Together

Stories of solidarity offer windows of hope in difficult times. Throughout history and during ongoing instances of racial injustice this past year, coalitions of different communities have united to demand justice. Students deserve to learn that history. In our Fall issue, LFJ Professional Development Manager Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn underscores how educators can lift up and take part in movements of solidarity—and in doing so, help students see their roles in working toward justice together.

Envisioning School Safety Without Police // Coshandra Dillard 

Learning Virtually Redefined // Jey Ehrenhalt

The Curb-cut Effect and Championing Equity // Cory Collins
Why I Teach: The Moments Students Remember
Today, on World Teachers’ Day, meet Marvin Reed, who teaches third grade at Rosa Parks Elementary School in California’s Bay Area. In our latest edition of Why I Teach, he reflects on the last moments he spent with students before schools went remote in 2020—and what the past year taught him about prioritizing community, relationships and caring for each other. 

Have You Celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month?

September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month! To help you celebrate and honor Hispanic Heritage Month with your students, we’ve compiled some of our favorite resources for bringing Latinx voices to the classroom. We hope these help you uplift a diverse range of intersectional Hispanic and Latinx identities, experiences, cultures and histories.

This Week Is Mental Illness Awareness Week

Students and educators have faced countless, unprecedented hardships over the past two school years. We hope that during this Mental Illness Awareness Week, you’ll incorporate mental health literacy into your work. These resources highlight ways to destigmatize mental illness and feature tips for interrupting harmful school practices, which especially affect Black youth.

Free Webinar for Confronting White Nationalism in School

Educators across the country are grappling with heightened ideological tensions that put their students and their school communities at risk. Western States Center is hosting a free webinar Thursday, October 7, based on its Confronting White Nationalism in School toolkit. The webinar will offer educators the opportunity to practice grappling with real scenarios and leave with actionable tools.

Check Out What We’re Reading

“Events like Filipino American History Month promote the idea that all of our stories matter and that the telling of the past is never complete. We’re always trying to do right by our communities by bringing more of what’s been left out the frame into view. There are a lot of reasons why that’s been the case.” — Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

“Rep. LaKeshia Myers, D-Milwaukee, characterized the measure on Tuesday as a way to sow division similar to former President Richard Nixon’s ‘Southern strategy,’ a campaign that used fear of crime and lawlessness to tap into white Southern voters’ anxiety over racial integration and equality without using overtly racist language.” — Madison.com

“The pandemic exacerbated existing inequities for Hispanic and Latino students—widening education gaps and spurring drops in college enrollment. Students who are immigrants and English language learners, many coming from Spanish-speaking countries, faced even greater barriers to thriving at school.” — Chalkbeat

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