Author Archives: Seahurst Wellness and Education Center

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

There was a recent conference I attended on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Seattle Pacific University. I really liked it and it was my favorite DEI professional development that I’ve attended in a long time. I saw presentations about translanguaging, multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), and socio-emotional learning (SEL). What I liked about SPU’sContinue reading “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”

Isolation and Advocacy

There is a man from my high school years who has become a Fox News commentator. He lived in Seattle previously and he developed the argument that Critical Race Theory is the root of our social problems right now. President Trump responded and his theory about Critical Race Theory took off. As his ideas tookContinue reading “Isolation and Advocacy”

Cognitive Intolerance

I am trying to narrow down a phenomenon that I have witnessed in our society that I am going to refer to as cognitive intolerance. Strange as it is, I think that students in the secular humanities possess this just as much as the Trump supporters that they oppose. I also think that I haveContinue reading “Cognitive Intolerance”

Teaching Gets Raw

I have been surprised to see distinguished teachers leaving the profession as the school year starts this year. Teachers who have loved their jobs eagerly searching job postings in other fields of work. Others are leaving their states so that they can keep their credential and take a gap year. What I have heard fromContinue reading “Teaching Gets Raw”

Being a Culturally Responsive Educator, Part 2

Well I met with the vice principal to debrief an interaction that occurred several weeks ago when there were high school boys in the classroom who were not supposed to be there and didn’t want to leave, and on whom I did not want to call security due to the BLM movement and the criminalizationContinue reading “Being a Culturally Responsive Educator, Part 2”

Returning to School as a Culturally Responsive Teacher, Part 1

I was recently substitute teaching at a large and diverse high school when three young men walked in to the room. Only one of them was on the roster, but they were all being respectful, if not a little playful and off task. I didn’t know what to do, however, because if that had happenedContinue reading “Returning to School as a Culturally Responsive Teacher, Part 1”

Beyond Guilt Trips, by Anu Taranath

Anu Taranath’s book Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World is a great book about diversity, equity and inclusion, and multicultural education that does not employ a critical race theory lens. This is as significant as it is rare. It is decidedly not militant, while also being very honest and forthright about theContinue reading “Beyond Guilt Trips, by Anu Taranath”

First Day Back – Sub Field Notes

I’m starting a substitute field notes series documenting pandemic teaching, and no, I haven’t forgotten about my commitment to writing about the book Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World. But honestly, how could I not write now that I just spent the day getting fingerprinted before being allowed back in the classroom! ItContinue reading “First Day Back – Sub Field Notes”

Back to Education

I’m going to be writing about education again from an antiracist lens. Some readers were surprised last week to see my foray back into the world of writing about education. Since Covid happened, I stopped substitute teaching and stepped away from writing about education because I really felt that the last thing any of myContinue reading “Back to Education”

Considerations on Teaching Languages – The Field is Changing.

I can still remember how it went when I was teaching languages in the beginning – I’ve taught Russian, German, French, Spanish and ESL, as well as interpreting and translation courses in high schools and universities for over 10 years now. There were the perfunctory paragraph-asides that would talk about “how things are” in thisContinue reading “Considerations on Teaching Languages – The Field is Changing.”