Articles

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243 ARTICLES

February 7, 2012

Celebrate Women This Black History Month

Historian Carter G. Woodson established the first Negro History Week in 1926—a celebration that later became Black History Month. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, a group founded by Woodson, selects a new theme for Black History Month each year. This year’s theme is "Black Women in American Culture and History."

Topic

Race & Ethnicity Gender & Sexual Identity

January 12, 2012

The Courage to Speak Up

I didn’t say a word. I never saw myself as a person to let a homophobic comment slide. Even from another adult. Even from someone with more power than me in the hierarchy of the school structure. But that day, in that conversation, I just let it go.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

December 27, 2011

Teaching About Differences in Families

On a recent rainy afternoon, our 20 kindergarteners were kept indoors for playtime. I stood near a group of four children stringing beads for bracelets and necklaces. Levi explained he was making a bracelet for his daddy. The child next to him, Catherine, blurted out angrily, “I hate daddies!” Levi searched for words, looked at Catherine and asked, “Why do you hate daddies?” He repeated it a few times. “I don’t have a daddy,” Catherine replied. “I hate daddies.”

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

December 19, 2011

For the Love of All Families

When I was in elementary school, it was common to overhear adults say that children were from “broken homes” if they lived with a single mom or dad or sometimes with grandparents. One of those families belonged to my friend Ellie, who lived with her mom. So I asked my father, a Congregational minister, why some people thought Ellie’s family was broken? Dad gently explained that strong families, Ellie’s included, have three characteristics: love, connectedness and commitment.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

December 1, 2011

Personal Connections Empower Students

I just started my sixth year teaching high school English. This year began with the same question as always: “How will I empower the young women in my classroom this year?”

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

October 26, 2011

Not Only Can Big Boys Cry, They Do

I decided to show a short You Tube video clip in class the other day. It’s a montage of scenes of men crying from various movies complete with cheesy background music, a song Don’t Cry Out Loud. I used it to open a discussion about how stereotypes put unnecessary limitations on people.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

October 10, 2011

Make Room for Pirate Girls, Princess Boys

One of my fondest and most salient memories from the past school year happened toward the beginning of the year. Joe had just turned 5. He was making his own book about pirates.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

September 29, 2011

Giving Girls Their Own ‘Field of Dreams’

At my elementary school in Guatemala last year, soccer fields, basketball courts and baseball diamonds were dominated by boys and a handful of brave, tough girls.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

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