February 8, 2022

Prioritize Black Mental Health and Self-care

Current events may be hard to grapple with as multiple historically Black colleges and universities faced bomb threats, Minneapolis police fatally shot Amir Locke, and many states and districts continue to ban teaching inclusive books and talking about race. Amidst these aggressions, we want to remind Black educators to practice self-care—and all educators to elevate the importance of Black students’ experiences and their mental health. These resources can help.

Teaching Honest History: A New LFJ Resource for Teaching the Civil Rights Movement

Language Access: More Than Translation // Julie Feng

Envisioning School Safety Without Police // Coshandra Dillard
How Black Male Educators Create Space for Joy
Black men make up just 2% of all public school teachers, but they are overwhelmingly expected to handle cultural competency and discipline issues at their schools. It can be isolating—but many are joining together in celebration. LFJ Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard writes about how Black male educators are resisting white supremacy as they build community.

“We Are Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams”

Our Teaching Hard History initiative helps fill the void in textbooks and state standards regarding teaching about slavery. In our Summer 2018 magazine issue, as part of our series highlighting educator voices, we spoke to five Black teachers who teach in predominately Black or all-Black settings to ask how they approach the topic of slavery. These educators have been filling this void on their own for years. Here’s how they do it.

Podcast Episode: Black Autonomy, Labor and HBCUs

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have fostered generations of leaders and activists—all despite virulent white resistance, including situations such as multiple recent bomb threats. This episode of our Teaching Hard History podcast includes educator Jelani Favors’ explanation of the evolution of HBCUs, noting their legacies of social activism and student advocacy.

A New MAEC Toolkit for Managing Mental Wellness

Teachers’ jobs are incredibly important and—especially now, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues—can be extremely stressful and demanding. The new toolkit Managing Mental Wellness: Tools for Yourself, Your Students, and Your Classroom from the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) can help. With strategies and activities for you and your students, the toolkit centers teacher well-being from the start. 

Check Out What We’re Reading

“It is true that queer people exist and have always existed. And it’s important for us to help these young people understand this.” — Education Week

“Black women often remain unacknowledged in the history of American education. Yet their contributions both as theorists and practitioners are beyond dispute.” — Chalkbeat

“Census data shows that rates of home-schooling doubled between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and the fall of that year. This time, the largest growth in home schooling was among Black families, with a fivefold increase, but all racial groups tracked have seen increases.” — The Hechinger Report
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