Prose of a Poor Righteous Teacher

midterm grades bring midterm/midsemester emails to students

telling them their midterm grades do NOT reflect how intelligent they are. they do NOT reflect how great of a person they are. they do NOT reflect the amazing contributions/change they are going to create in our societies and in their communities. to remember this for our class and ALL their classes in the future.

i share this w/them, 97% of them students of color, 89% of them women of color because who else will tell them? who else will remind them their grades are not everything in this life? that the ways i am expected to “assess” their intellect in our class is so flawed?

i do this b/c our youth and our students need to know i see them. i witness their transformation in my classroom, i see them building, thinking, questioning, unlearning, and THAT is what is the real essence of knowledge and critical and analytical thinking may be that will save their lives and mine.

and mine. they will save my life too. they already do.

they need to know that. i’m not just here for them as a resource/educator/mentor/etc. but they are here for me too in the same capacity. they need to know that power is what they embody and they need to know that power is theirs wherever they go, especially outside of any “traditional classroom.” our youth need to know they are powerful.