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…
Privileged Oakland Parents Need to Clean Their Own House Before They Meddle in the Deep East
It was a heartfelt moment recently when a member of the Alameda County school board asked the question that many of us were thinking, why are some Oakland families so opposed to charter schools in Deep East Oakland. A question doubly important, because there are some serious hostile environment issues playing out at the Hills…