Valerie Smith

Teacher pay penalty dips but persists in 2019: Public school teachers earn about 20% less in weekly wages than nonteacher college graduates epi.org/207502 Accounts for benefit packages and summer/winter/spring breaks. Look where VA ranks. ☹️

I just published What Divides Us link.medium.com/ZpvWIoe7Xcb

When you hit rock bottom b/c there’s nothing else left to give students & families, & then your department brings you sangria and sweets...Love y’all!! At least we’re in this fresh hell together. @ReadingRamosLHS @Youngtchr @youngengtchr @TeacherWathen

Metacognition is the ability to think about thinking. Here are 7 great metacognitive questions for your students. 🧠

So proud of our summer high school graduates!! #WJCCSchools

WHAT NOW: AN ANTIRACIST TEACH-IN is coming! I’ll be conversing virtually every night for a whole week with one of America’s leading authors and thought leaders, plus special guests from the well of activism within the @WNBA and @NBA. 1/3

Friendly reminder to not require students to turn their cameras or even mics on. The chat is your friend and if done right, I find it to be far more engaging and the sessions flow better. Tips below.

Yes! @zoom_us teachers need to be able to observe all breakout rooms simultaneously.

Watch this webinar from Teaching Tolerance to learn about best practices in curriculum and classroom culture for LGBTQ+ Students. View here: ow.ly/7kT350AxY1o #EdEquityVA

@TGrahamGalatro Kendall, then Gladwell.

Hmm...Which one first? #Learningtakesnovacay #staythirstystaywoke

“As a society, our decision to heap shame and contempt upon those who struggle and fail in a system designed to keep them locked up and locked out says far more about ourselves than it does about them.” Excerpt From The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander books.apple.com/us/book/the-ne…

This right here👇

“Instead of only asking black students who are not doing well in class to start identifying with school, we also ask teachers whose black students are not doing well in their classes to start identifying with those students.” theatlantic.com/education/arch…

“I listen to the conversations students have when they are in my classroom, and I find teachable moments when the conversation needs to change. I do not pretend I don’t hear it. Even if this may feel uncomfortable, we need to have these conversations.” to.pbs.org/2MGFROp

Excited to announce ELI's new online self-paced course on racial equity for educators. It's beginner/intermediate, maybe useful for more seasoned folks if you're curious about our framework. 7-10 hrs depending on if you do all the reading and exercises! equity-literacy.thinkific.com

Takeaways: Action, not platitude. Educate, organize, execute. The LEAST we can do is lose a few friends by speaking against racism. Hold every organization of our Historic Triangle community covenant accountable. What am I doing to uphold our covenant?

Your journey in doing anti-racist work is your own. While there’s certainly a wrong way to go about things, I don’t believe there’s only one right way to do them. Remember, no one’s an expert but the experts, so give yourself grace as you press in and learn. #BlackLivesMatter