Greetings, Advocates,

I've been thinking about you all lately, inspired partly by a recent New York Times story that featured several teachers saying that this had been the most challenging year of their teaching careers. We will probably not know the exact numbers, but I've seen social media postings indicating that in some districts and some school buildings, 55% of teachers are leaving, whether it's due to retirement or leaving for other jobs. One Maryland district had trouble filling sub-jobs in the spring when 58% of requests for substitutes were not filled because they didn't have enough subs available. 

We all know that many teachers schedule their annual physicals, dentist's visits, surgery during the summer, professional development workshops, additional coursework for recertification, and sometimes curriculum development. 

This has been a challenging year in so many ways. What's missing? Family, rest, relaxation, vacation, and time to de-stress.

Some of you are already on...

Hey Advocactes,

Happy Memorial Day to the readers in the United States. These days, Memorial Day signals the start of the summer. It's often when neighborhood swimming pools open and families get together for a barbecue. We shouldn't forget that Memorial Day is the day we honor the members of the armed forces who have died in service to the country. 

Speaking of those who have died, earlier this week, an 18-year-old entered a school in Texas and shot and killed 19 children and two teachers. The students were in fourth grade. The gunman wounded several others. This is the 27th school shooting in the United States in 2022. When I heard that, I was speechless. I had no words. The first thought in my mind was about my own two kids. My daughter celebrated her 12th birthday this week, and my son is 9. What if this had been at my kid's school?

As more information is released regarding the shooting in Texas, questions are raised about the role of law enforcement. We don't yet have the answe...

Greetings Advocates,

We're getting close to the end of the school year for some of you, and for others, you still have a couple of weeks. It's been quite a year. But starting Memorial Day weekend, which is next weekend, it feels like the school year is winding to a close.

This week was fun as I watched my daughter do what she loves the most. Her school had its annual track and field day. Watch out for Summer 2032, Brisbane, Australia! I'm hoping that I will have a future Olympic star at home.

I'm wrestling with just one thing this week. No matter what we say, what language we use…last weekend was one of the deadliest in the U.S., and I've seen very little news coverage.

Did you know that 65 people were shot last weekend? And 17 people were killed. People who lived in a community, neighbors, parents, grandparents, and people going about their lives.

Where did these incidents take place? Just everyday places, such as a grocery store, a flea market, a church, an after-hours pub, an...

Hey Advocates, 

Welcome to the Friday, the 13th version of the Weekend Voice. I’m not superstitious, but I know teachers who are, and I just want to say I honor that.

This week, I’m thinking about school safety. I may return to this topic, but there are two sorts of school safety - physical security and emotional safety. 

School safety is on my mind because we’ve all seen horrifying video clips showing police officers handcuffing small children in Kindergarten and 1st grade. For instance, many school districts in Minneapolis signed an agreement not to have police officers inside school buildings following the murder of George Floyd. 

A Bethesda Beat article describes how in Montgomery County, Maryland, the largest school district in Maryland, police officers were a presence in high schools starting in 2002. 

Although Black students are 5% percent of the student population, data shows that they are disciplined about 50% more than White students. Anecdotally, students say they were ...

Hey Folks,

I'm getting this Weekend Voice to you a little late. I spent the day with my son, SJ, on his field trip today. My boy is so shy, so these are the best pics I could get with him. The struggle is real y'all :)

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, Advocates. I see you. And if you haven't seen my email from earlier this week, I'm offering 40% off my courses. Use the promo code TEACHERAPPRECIATION22. And administrators, you can get 30% off my training or my keynotes. I would love to be invited by your school or district. Book a free consultation with me, and let's make something happen.

As I think about Teacher Appreciation Week - I recall that sometimes students send us lovely cards and messages, and we receive the occasional gifts such as gift cards for coffee or bookstores. Sometimes teachers receive flowers. The Parent-Teacher Association often puts on a lunch spread or a breakfast spread, and so does the administration.

I know I appreciated the cards and letters from my stud...

Greetings Advocates,

Happy Spring! The days are longer, and I'm enjoying the extra hours of daylight. And, since school districts, colleges, and universities across the U.S. have different weeks off for spring break - I think all the spring breaks are coming to a close. For those who have had a spring break, I hope you were able to enjoy some relaxation.

As we all know, starting in May, we're beginning the countdown to summer. We still need to get through most of May - with seniors' graduations and promotions ceremonies in other grades.

I have several thoughts, and I'll return to them in the next few weeks. 

Earlier this week, a federal judge struck down the nationwide mask mandate on planes, buses, and public transportation. In her ruling, the judge indicated that she felt the recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control exceeded their mandate. I think I'll keep rocking my mask though on planes :)

We look at what serves the collective good as a matter of equity. Knowing that...

Greetings Advocates, 

Yesterday, when the Vice-President of the United States, Kamala D. Harris, announced the Senate vote to confirm Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, I was in tears. 

Consider this, Vice-President Harris, the first Asian and Black Vice-President of the United States, announced the confirmation of the first Black woman Justice on the Supreme Court. 

Despite the historic nature of the Senate vote, only three Republicans crossed party lines to vote for Judge Brown Jackson. Three. And if you heard any of the questions Judge Brown Jackson was asked during the hearings, you would have been astounded. Rather than focusing on her judicial philosophy and how she understands the law, she was asked non-related questions about books in the school library of her children's school. Ironically, the same books are in Sen. Rafel (Ted) Cruz of Texas library. Judge Brown Jackson was asked to define a woman. 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackso...

Hey Advocates,

This week, I was in San Diego for the Deeper Learning Conference - what a fantastic city. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could.
It's April Fools Day - and I am reminded once more that jokes that make fun of people or put people down are not acceptable. Just don't. That's your April Fool's reminder. 

In that context, yesterday was Trans Day of Visibility. And while I'm so glad that we're acknowledging the day and celebrating Trans people, I don't recall a U.S. President proclaiming Trans Day ever before.

At the same time, there is also a tremendous push back with 240 bills in several states to not allow any acknowledgment or mention of Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Trans, Queer, and Asexual student. Books that refer to LGBTQ issues are being pulled from libraries. 

Yes, you read that correctly. I'll repeat it: There are 240 bills in several states that target LGBTQ people.

The impact of these bills, if passed, will set human rights back many years. But simply pas...

Hello Advocates,

I didn't forget about you. I'm just getting back from the MACUL Conference in Michigan. I enjoyed being a featured speaker and providing two workshops during their pre-conference. I'd love to work with you as well, let's chat if you are interested in having speak at your next event.

What's on my mind this week?

This time last year, we were mourning the death of six Asian women and two other people who were killed at a massage spa in Atlanta, Georgia. That was horrifying, but even worse is that we have had several more violent cases against Asians; some have hit the news, while others have hardly been mentioned.

Asian Americans have noticed. They've seen both the continuation of these attacks and the limited attention paid by the media. Some members of the Asian community feel unsafe, and many are traumatized. 

Imagine feeling the need to look over your shoulder while walking down the street, standing on a subway platform, and having to be constantly aware of your ...

Hey Advocates,

Did you catch the Art of Advocacy Live Stream yesterday with Dr. Sawsan Jaber? If not, make sure you are following the Leading Equity Center on Facebook and YouTube.

Oh boy! I read something that struck a nerve because it’s what happens when people think they can legislate something impractical.

Let me explain. The Washington Post notes that in the interests of transparency, 17 states are considering bills to legislate that teachers post ALL instructional materials online ahead of time.

As we know, many teachers post lesson plans and resources online already, including copies of their teaching materials and notes.

And most school districts have curriculum guides that are accessible online. Also, parents are generally welcome in classrooms to observe and principals, and others often stop by to observe.

These bills ask teachers to post the information a year ahead of time in some cases. Yes, a year ahead of time. In other cases, teachers can post lessons after the fa...