Bret
Turner

Bret is a first-grade teacher at Head-Royce School, an independent K–12 school in Oakland, California. Turner earned his B.A. in linguistics from Pomona College and his M.A. in curriculum and instruction from University of the Pacific in partnership with the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute; he has been teaching for seven years. Turner writes about education and parenting and lives with his wife, Jessica (a fellow elementary-school teacher); their two young kids, Alice and Louis; and their three-legged dog.

Articles by Bret

Teaching First-Graders About Microaggressions: The Small Moments Add Up

For younger students, understanding that identity-based microaggressions pose a heavier burden than other painful moments is critical to developing anti-racist, empathetic behaviors.

Open Secrets in First-Grade Math: Teaching About White Supremacy on American Currency

Studying money is a staple of first-grade math. This teacher used it as an opportunity to educate about—and push back against—sexism, racism and white supremacy.

When a First-Grader Is Called a Racist

When the word ‘racist’ brought out some strong feelings in a first-grade classroom, this teacher helped the students examine the word’s complexity.

Reframing Gender Helps Kids See Beyond Other Binaries

Teaching gender as a spectrum has far-reaching consequences: Beyond helping students form a more complex understanding of gender identity, it helps them—and educators—see more nuance across a wide range of subjects.

From MLK to #BlackLivesMatter: A Throughline for Young Students

When it comes to making civil rights movements of the past accessible for young students, the connections to the present are right in front of us.