By Ashley Mendez Back to El Salvador I made my way to the hammock that had all of the colors of the rainbow on it. I laid down on it and saw the branches of the coconut trees dancing back and forth from the breeze that moved west. The cows were mooing and the birds…
Fixing the Least Professional Profession-How Charters Can Be a Solution for Teachers and Unions
Teaching is becoming harder and harder, and more miserable as a vocation, particularly in cash strapped schools and districts, where commands from the top aren’t met with resources and support to the bottom. Teachers are increasingly asked to do more with less, and it’s not working. It’s time we take seriously teacher empowerment, question many…
Life, Death, Trauma, and Rebirth-My “Nook” in Life
By Mya Medley My relationship with death started with Nook Nook, my family’s beloved goldfish, when I was five years old, but that was only the start. Since 2016 I have been experiencing trauma. My overprotective brother Kionta Murphy was killed in August of 2016. My world had been taken away from me and I…
Beyond Anger—Working Together to End “Colonial Day”, Slap @ss Fridays, and Colonial Mentalities in Oakland
Schools bear much of the accumulated sludge of history and culture and are often tasked with addressing them. Racism, classism, patriarchy, homophobia–pretty much all the isms, archys, and phobias will find their way into the classroom. And while I get angry when I hear stories where students or families are disrespected, I am very hopeful…
The Debate We Need Is Not About School Choice, It’s About Access and Quality
As a long time education reformer, I couldn’t care less about “school choice.” And focusing on “choice” by itself, doesn’t necessarily help kids or increase equity. Most importantly, that’s not how I hear families describe what they want, which should be our focus. Sadly though, parents and families are more often positioned as props than…