"When You're Used to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression"

10 Things Every White Teacher Should Know When Talking About Race

Excellent points to consider...
 

Dental Dharma

Yesterday, lying in the dentist’s chair, while the hygienist busily scraped, scratched, and prodded around in my mouth with his pointy metal tools, I realized something:

It was a great time to try meditation.

How else does one calmly and confidently allow a stranger with sharp, spiky objects to poke about in one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies? 

If there’s another way BESIDES deep breathing to help quell the suspicion that, with one minor slip, it could get all stabby and bloody up in my gums, I’m all ears.

Otherwise, it’s inhale, exhale for me.  Like yoga at your dentist.

Without all the farting. :)

Aspiring to the "Love Ethic"

Could I be this magnanimous if my daughter were killed by a Nazi? I don't know...

"Despite her pain, [Heather's mother] said she doesn’t want people to hate [the Nazi]. It isn’t what her daughter would have wanted, she said.

“Our daughter did not live a life of hate, and hating this young man is not going to solve anything. . . . It’s not that I think he should go unpunished for his crime. But hate only engenders more hate, and there’s no purpose in hate,” Bro said. “Heather’s life was about — passionately about — fairness and equality and caring, and that’s what we want people to take away from this.”

This heart-rending story reminds me that the 'love ethic,' espoused by moral greats throughout history, is not simply inspirational, but still largely aspirational, since we don't instinctively function in the way it prescribes.

Are There Nazis?

Yes, Virginia, there are Nazis.  They exist as certainly as hate and animosity and devolution exist, and you know that they abound and take from this world its highest beauty and joy.  Alas!  How wonderful would be the world if there were no Nazis.  It would be as wonderful as if there were never an Adolph Hitler.  There would be faith in mankind then, poetry, and romance to make celebratory this existence.  We should have enjoyment, except in bigotry and prejudice.  The eternal light with which love fills the world would not be extinguished.

Jury Duty

"Tell them, 'No matter what you say, the police are always wrong!' Just repeat that, and you're good to go!" - overheard conversation between two (potential) jurors.

I understand not wanting to serve. It's inconvenient and time-consuming. A beautiful day blossoms outside, as I sit inside, bored on my phone...

But if we use strategies like the one espoused above to get out of jury duty, should we really be surprised when cops who shoot unarmed citizens are constantly being acquitted?

2017 Promotion Remarks

Good morning,

My name is Mr. Cordero, and it’s been my pleasure to be Room 51's fifth grade teacher.  This year we learned a lot:  language, art, math, science, history, technology, music, but it’s my hope that the life lessons learned in my class will be what my students remember for the rest of their lives.  My emphasis was on the three E’s:  Effort, Empathy, and Excellence. 

Two quotes that we learned about effort are “Nothing will work unless you do” and “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you are absolutely right.”  Both of these have the message that you get out what you put in, not just at school but in life.  We may not always feel like it, but as Muhammad Ali said, "Don't quit.  Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion."

This year we read a book called “Wonder” about a boy with a cranial facial difference who goes to school for the first time and has to endure not just being the new kid at a public school but also the teasing and taunting of bullies due to his appearance.  One quote from the book that really spoke to us was, “When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.”  In other words, kindness is a choice we all have.  And sometimes in life, it’s the most difficult choice to make.  But if we choose to be just a little “kinder than necessary,” someone, some day may recognize the face of God in us.

Finally, we learned about excellence.  We all want to be great in life.  And the wonderful thing is, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us how.  He said, “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”  That means if you’re living your life for others, serving, you are already great.  I believe all my students are the greatest.

These are just three life lessons that I think are important.  Here to share her three life lessons is Marlene Ramirez. 

De La Soul

Brevity may be the soul of wit, but does your wit have soul?

Punk v. Prog

Anyone else find it ironic that in 1977, underground music burst into the mainstream with punk rock that threatened to break all the rules and slay all the prog rock "dinosaurs," yet 40 years later, prog rock ambles along, thriving in the underground, while punk has arguments in the mainstream over the rules about whom and/or what is considered punk rock??

Healthcare Questions I'd Like Liberals to Discuss

Once again, I ask, is Kevin Drum right?

Will a state-run, single payer system really cost $400 billion dollars?

How would CA afford that when Prop. 98 mandates that 40% of our state budget go to K-12 schools?

And what about federal waivers?

What are the chances the Trump administration would sign off on them??

I'm all for single-payer, but is a state-run system really the best way to go, or would we be better served if it were federally implemented?

I understand that the California Nurses Association is behind SB562, but given these factors, why?

And why does this seem like yet another litmus test for being a "true" Democrat?

The End of Healthcare as We Know It

Could Drum be right?

Is this the end of the PP & ACA (AKA "Obamacare")??

DRUM (6/23/17):  "This is it. There's a week left. Lefties need to generate some new opposition to the bill that wavering senators are actually afraid of. Any ideas?"

A week? No sweat - plenty of time!! Now. Who's got some ideas?

And no, Johnny Depp, we're not asking you...    

Lock Him Up!

It's probably just me, but does the wishful thinking embodied by the "Lock him up" mentality routinely displayed by "progressives" in media belie the fact that we aren't capable of winning anymore?

Has a punitive mindset replaced our politics?

It might be instructive to remember that after Watergate, Dems barely squeaked out a presidential victory in '75 then were resoundingly defeated in the next THREE election cycles (1979-1991).

Sanders is right. In order to win, Dems need to appeal to moderates by taking on "the powerful corporate interests that dominate the economic and political life of the country," but let's not forget the powerful corporate interests that dominate our "journalistic" life in this country.

While the thrill of the chase is exciting (and good for ratings/clicks/etc), it shouldn't replace good policy/politics.

The 7 B's

I had to call a parent today to ask if we could edit her message to her daughter that she wanted printed in the 5th grade yearbook.  She wanted her daughter to, "Remember the 7 B's - Books before boys because boys bring babies."

I suggested we go with just the first 3 B's. :)

Pride

So proud of one of my students who self-selected a favorite Tom Robbins quote of mine for their project which was displayed at Open House tonight!  #LGTB  #(SIC)

WSJ Uses Their Words

OUCH!!

When even the WSJ notices your "seemingly endless stream of exaggerations, evidence-free accusations, implausible denials and other falsehoods,” and then says, "The President clings to his assertion [that Obama tapped him] like a drunk to an empty gin bottle,” you might be in trouble! (Please note, they DIDN'T call him a liar.)

Nice job using your words, WSJ!

Can't Beat Drum

First, both sides should try to respond to the standard issue folks on the other side, rather than pretending that they're all represented by the loudest, most extreme voices. It's easy to mount arguments against the extremists, but those arguments never actually persuade anyone. Second, we liberals should keep pushing for more tolerance of cultural change, but we should also recognize that lots of perfectly nice, perfectly ordinary people get nervous about it a lot faster than we do. That doesn't make them bad people, it just means they're a few notches away from us on the bell curve. - Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

Read the whole thing here.

Shiny Tweets

I wonder if our "liberal" media will scrutinize the GOP's new health care plan... Seems like its sliding by, under the radar with no CBO report on cost and no numbers on how many Americans it's going to affect.

Is it me or are we being distracted by debating employment numbers, Russian hacking, Sessions asking 46 attorneys to resign, and the head of EPA saying CO2 doesn't cause climate change?

Could those crazy tweets from 45 actually be diversionary tactics??

Will the MSM fall for it again?

Let's keep our eyes on the prize, media... American lives hang in the balance.

Listen to Your Elders

I couldn't agree with the wisdom of this nonagenarian more...

Remember, 63,000,000 people may have voted for Trump, but Dems only lost by about 79,000 votes in 3 states, and some of those people had even voted for Obama in 2008 & 2012.

That's roughly .1%!!

Could we win those votes back in 2020 if we worked smarter?

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!

That moment when you're reading Dr. Seuss's ABC book to your daughter and you get to this page... lol!

Happy New Year!

A new year means new DiDacTicNaTioN...

I hope you all enjoy WEAPONIZED WORDZ!

Mourning in America

These last few weeks have been rough for me with the passing of my padre and the Presidential election – of late my feelings ricochet from denial to despair, grief to anger, and everything in between – and I’ve not really known how to respond to these highly fraught events.

But one thing I’ve had the luxury – the privilege – to NOT feel is scared, and for that I’m thankful.

The post below addresses the fear that many marginalized groups are feeling right now.

I hope Trump supporters can empathize with these fears and do their part to help quell them.

xo 

“If you say you voted for [Trump] based on gun rights or economic issues, or because you think Hillary really was that awful, and in spite of his rhetoric, rather than because of it, I believe you.

If you're in my life, I clearly don't think you're a vile hateful person.

But if you're now watching protests across the country and you don't understand why, or think they are just being sore losers, let me break something down for you.

These people aren't just angry or sad that someone they didn't support won the election, they're scared.

They're black Americans who hear talk of law and order and remember a racially charged stop and frisk program, or see an emboldened KKK holding a celebratory parade.

They're Muslim Americans who worry that spitting in their face is now okay and violations of their rights to assemble and their rights to privacy are about to come.

They're LGBT Americans who fear not just of the loss of marriage rights or restaurants gaining the right not to serve them, but of an administration that thinks it's more important to research electrocuting the gay out of them than AIDS.

They're Hispanic and Latino Americans who are scared their children will be bullied in schools, and their families ripped apart while their culture is mocked.

They're women who are wondering if we've normalized groping, and if their career endeavors will be judged by their face and body, and not their minds

I believe you when you say you didn't vote for any of these things. Most of America wasn't thrilled with the choices we had in this election.

But if you didn't know that this is why they're protesting, if you think it's really just about free tuition or more government giveaways, then you, like the elite liberals you love to castigate, have also not been listening.

If you're tired of being called a bigot, then you need to use the same voice you used on Tuesday and speak out against these things fully and clearly.

It's not enough that you didn't say them yourself.

You need to reassure your friends and family members who feel like they no longer have a seat at the table that you still stand with them, even if your priorities were different on Tuesday.

If you aren't willing to do that, then you have no right to call for unity." - Michael Rex