My first pick is a post by Jose Vilson, author of This is Not a Test.  Jose speaks the truth as he sees it, uncomfortable though it may be for some of us.  In his post White Administrator's Guilt, he addresses the power structures that exist in our schools and the implicit and explicit racism perpetuated by white administrators.  His examples are specific, recognizable (just have a read for yourself) and sadly, widely applicable.  He poses the question 'What ifyour administrator is racist?', and I personally would love to see a discussion of how to deal with the answer to that question.

 

The second post which remains in my inbox so I can reread it every day is by our own editorial beagle, Megan Schmidt.  In Dear Students: No. I'm Not Sorry, Megan promises to do her best as a teacher over what she can control (only her own behavior), while acknowledging that there is much over which she is powerless.  The truth of being a public school teacher is that we fight a rising tide of excuses and lack of resources with which to educate our students.  But the other truth is that as teachers, we do have the power to model, and hopefully inspire by example, how to believe in one's own efficacy in spite of those obstacles, a truth which Megan articulates clearly and specifically.  The Number Loving Beagle is a blog filled with brave honesty and reflective practice.  Go read it.  Now.