June 14: It’s “Flag Day”
“Pandemic virus.”
“I can’t breathe.”“
“No justice, no peace.”
These words are forever linked to our collective history. Isn’t it ironic that “2020” suggests clear and perfect vision? Most people would agree that the year 2020 has been—at the very least—replete with more questions than answers, especially regarding the future of our democracy. It seems that civil unrest is a daily occurrence. The vision of our country as the UNITED States of America appears to be out of reach, and some fear that it is slipping away. And what about “freedom and justice for all”? In these times, what does it mean to raise the flag on June 14, Flag Day? Continue reading “June 14: It’s “Flag Day””
A Little History
Lessons from My Early Years of Teaching
Before I was hired as a “real teacher” with my own classroom in 1973, I worked as a classroom aide in Thousand Oaks, California, which is a rather affluent community. My 22-mile commute from Thousand Oaks to Oxnard, California, was in many ways, and on some days, worlds apart.
My first-grade students—27 of them—were a rich tapestry of cultures: black, white, Hispanic, Vietnamese, and Cambodian. They spoke English, Spanish and Spanglish, Vietnamese and Cambodian. Some parents were “blue-collar” workers, some moms did “daycare,” some parents worked in the fields of the Oxnard plain, one family owned a Mexican restaurant just down the street from the school, and I think there were some parents who—for whatever reason—did not work. “Family” was defined in a variety of ways: two-parent families, single-parent families, and kids being raised by grandparents. Although I had a teaching license, I was not fully prepared for this classroom setting! Continue reading “A Little History”