After many Goodwill attempts, had to order a few uniform jacket/cardigans for my sweatshirt-loving 6th grader to wear in class this fall. The one she liked offered embroidery for $8 extra.

A consistent source of anger throughout elementary school was random teachers calling her by the name of a similarly melonated girl in her grade. I was with her once when it happened. Having a mom who teaches on the same campus wasn't even enough to give her her own identity.

I jokingly told her about the show Laverne and Shirley and suggested we make her a big K to wear. So when the embroidery opportunity presented itself, I asked if she was interested and she jumped on it.

As a white teacher, I can more easily identify and differentiate white faces. When I confuse names of minority students, it communicates that they are interchangeable and it's not worth my time to know something that's central to their identity.

Like most microaggressions, it's unintentional and preventable. Take the care to know names, especially ones that don't come easily to you, and don't call a person by a name unless you know it's theirs. #edutwitter