Skip to content

Search for:

LOGIN / REGISTER

0

Black History Month

Critical Conversations

Martin Luther King Day

Rock Star T-Shirts

Social Studies - History

Blog
Home
Shop
FAQs
About
Rock Star T-Shirts

Home / Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Showing all 7 results

Classroom Posters
$3.00 Add to cart
Kindergarten Reading Readiness Assessments
$4.25 Add to cart
Critical Conversations to Have With Kids
$15.00 Add to cart
Visual Schedule and Activities (4-6 years old)
$39.99 Add to cart
Create Your Own Perspective Through Picture Books Templates and Guides
$20.00 Add to cart
Anti-Racist Classroom Posters
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$0.00 Add to cart
The Black Families’ Guide For Talking About Racism (Free)
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$0.00 Add to cart

Recent Posts

“Not Your Average Unit” with Bunnies, Chicks, and Decorated Eggs
Do the Work Offline
Women’s History Month
Set Up For Social Studies: Kindergarten A 90 Day (Or Less) Social Studies Curriculum
Set Up For Social Studies for First Grade: A 90 Day (or Less) Social Studies Curriculum

Recent Comments

admin on Set Up For Social Studies for First Grade: A 90 Day (or Less) Social Studies Curriculum
Brittany on Set Up For Social Studies for First Grade: A 90 Day (or Less) Social Studies Curriculum
Elaine on Anti-Racist Classroom Posters
Elaine on The Truth About Thanksgiving
Patti Loftus on The Truth About Thanksgiving

I'm excited to dig into these new releases from @l

I'm excited to dig into these new releases from @leeandlow books! Have you seen them yet?
Swipe through to see the outtakes of us trying to get a good shot. Jonah is fired! 🤣🤣🤣
📚 The Electric Slide and Kai, written by Kelly J. Baptist and illustrated by Darnell Johnson, features a character named Kai who's the only member of his family who can't quite figure out the dance steps to the electric slide.
📚 Boy, Everywhere, written by A.M. Dassu, is about a boy and his family and barking on a journey to see themselves from the Syrian civil war.
📚 I'll Build You a Bookcase/Te Haré Tú Propio Librero, written by Jean Ciborowski Fahey and illustrated by Simone Shin, is a bilingual picture book in which children and their caregivers work together to build home libraries and discover the magic of reading books! (This book is also available in Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Arabic.)
📚 If I Were a Tree, written by Andrea Zimmerman and New York times bestselling illustrator illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong: Two siblings journey into the woods in a story about branching out and new growth.

When do you feel most appreciated as an educator?

When do you feel most appreciated as an educator? For me it’s when I feel seen, heard, respected, and truly valued for all I bring to the table.
As a Black educator, I don't want to work for someone who says, "I don't care what color you are, as long as you do a good job. If you don't see all of me (or others), you won't value all of me. If you don't see all of me, you won't recognize my struggles or what I might be up against and seek to understand them. If you don't see all of me, you won't recognize the perspective and assets I bring to the table because of my experiences.

Goodbye Read Like a Rock Star. Effective June 1st,

Goodbye Read Like a Rock Star. Effective June 1st, I will no longer run this platform. The lovely @deonnasmith will take over permanently and I couldn't be more thrilled! 🤸🏿‍♀️🤸🏿‍♀️🤸🏿‍♀️ I love her content and her. She will continue to share about being anti-racist and most of the things you usually turn to this page for. (We'll do an IG live later this month and share more.)
What started out as a platform to share and educate about issues (usually racism) I was seeing in the classroom and world, quickly become a toxic, hateful, and anxiety inducing space for me. There are so many other awesome educators doing this work now, and I feel like I can peacefully step back and be present on IG in a way that brings me joy. I'm thankful for the relationships I've built along the way and I'm thankful for the opportunities having this platform brought me. If you'd like to follow for my teaching ideas, book recommendations, family, and new adventures in California, you can find me at @readlikearockstarteaching.
I was worried about who I'd be letting down in making this choice for a bit, but ultimately decided that I'm not doing this for anyone except for myself and my family. I appreciate your understanding. If we've ever had a positive interaction or you've grown and paid it forward, I truly appreciate you! 😘
Thank you.

If I share something that describes racist behavio

If I share something that describes racist behavior, and you realize you engage in that behavior, and you take that as me calling you a racist, your first thought shouldn't be to come and attack me and explain why you aren't racist. Your first thought should be, "I need to do some self-reflection and find out if this is really indicative of who I am and who I want to be."
I have to do the same thing when I learn about oppressed communities I'm not a part of, but need to use my privilege to stand with, amplify, and take action with.
You need to do more reading and reflecting on your own. Your research about racial issues should not start and end with me or on Instagram, for that matter.
There are people with doctorates and years of experience around this work. Pay them for their time and actual resources if you truly wish to do better. You can't list your behaviors to me and have me determine if you're "good enough" or not.
1. That's not a thing.
2. I have no interest in doing that.
Words in image say: I know people use me as a resource, but I am not a resource. I'm a person on the internet sharing my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. If any of that convicts you, that sounds like a you issue.
Maybe I've been on this side of Beyoncé's internet for too long. I'm tired of it. My posts are always tied to my real life experiences. If something I said made you feel some type of way, I can't control that.

I've heard the excuse recently that taking some ac

I've heard the excuse recently that taking some action towards being anti-racist might seem performative... well, what do you think no change at all in over a year looks like?
I don't need an answer in the comments or my DMs, but with the exception of becoming aware that racism really is real, what significant change have you made? How are you different than last year? What is your new normal as a person who claims to be anti-racist and support the Black Lives Matter movement?
You listened and you learned, but what have you been applying? How often are you applying it?
That low-key racist family member or friend you've been working on- did they change? Do they now avoid you because you've been non-stop about anti-racist conversations with them? Or have you just decided to drop it and return to business as usual? (The saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." comes to mind)
Personally, I'm tired of the excuses and behavior I see from my own friends and acquaintances that should know better. Friends and acquaintances that know better and choose to protect white supremacy instead. Friends and acquaintances that have grown bored of the BLM "trend" and have returned to business as usual. We (the Black community) knew it was coming, but man. Some of y'all are something else.
"If I was a live during the Civil Rights Movement, I would have been marching alongside Dr. King"... would you though? Or would you show up one day for a performative selfie and then forget all about it? The movement never ended. This is a continuation! What you're doing now is what you would have done then.
Your Black friends don't owe you unwaivering friendship and grace while you decide if you are going to show up for Black people or not. While you decide if you are going stay on the sidelines or get in the game.

Black people aren’t too sensitive about racism.

Black people aren’t too sensitive about racism. White people expect Black people to deal with racism in a way that still makes them feel comfortable. The fact that we don’t is more than some can handle.
This shows up when you call someone out or call someone in (which is uncomfortable for everyone involved, not just the white person) and their immediate reaction is defense, dismay, and even anger.
"You know me." "I didn't mean it THAT way." "I'm offended you would think that." "This is absurd." "I have a Black friend/kid/partner/in-law." "I need more time to figure this stuff out." "But that's my family member."
So you agree racism is evil, but not when it's coming from someone you know? Addressing that doesn't need urgency?
So, you don't like racism, but you don't want to know when you're being racist so you can change your behavior and then help others change their behavior?
You can spot and be disgusted with racism in others, but you can't handle when it may be coming from you? You read posts and think of your co-worker, but don't stop and think about it in yourself?
You would rather silence Black voices, minimize Black experiences, and gaslight Black people than change your racist thinking and that's so so sad.
Being in this cycle with people on this platform and in real life is exhausting. The caring, then not caring. The caring, but not caring enough. The listening and learning, but never applying. The still being unsure of where to start when Black people have been saying what is needed for centuries.
White supremacy has people bending over backwards to protect it. It's sick. It's scary.
In therapy I've been working through racial trauma, among other things.
We talked about that fact that I always feel like I'm on guard. My therapist and I agreed that this is no way to live life. That God put Black people on Earth for so much more than this. Buuuuut it's also very valid because there are things all around us big and small to be on guard for. We have to be on guard to stay alive. Just existing as a Black person could be a death sentence in this country.
It's. exhausting.

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Read Like a Rock Star • The Spot of Engaging K-2 Ideas and Resources •