On April 30, 1992, the morning after a jury announced their acquittal of four LAPD officers who were videotaped while brutally beating Rodney King, I was meeting with a group of Black, Latinx, White and South Asian immigrant fourth graders, as we finished reading aloud and discussing Jerry Spinelli's Newbery award-winning novel, Maniac Magee (1990). … Continue reading Of Maniac, Ghost, and Güero
Transforming numbers into transformative spaces
In two weeks, I will meet teachers and graduate students for a five day intensive course called "Teaching literature for equity and engagement." Teaching literature for equity begins with recognizing the pervasive inequities in the children's book publishing industry. If you are unaware of the extent to which the publishing industry has enabled decades of … Continue reading Transforming numbers into transformative spaces
Stealing Time
Imagine time closing down. The future no longer matters. This is the beginning of despair. Despair was pronounced, today, as a nationally-mandated policy exacted against Latinx children who have arrived at the southern border, separated from adults, seeking international protection through the legal process of asylum. (See June 5 headlines: Trump administration cancels legal aid, … Continue reading Stealing Time
StoryLife: Transformative Literature and Teaching 