A few weeks ago I had my first Formal Observation, which is when the Principal sits in on an entire class period and completes an evaluation. Evaluations done by administrators use an evaluation system called Marzano that calculates whether you are 1) Beginning 2)Developing 3)Effective or 4)Highly Effective. Most first year teachers start off in the 1-2 range and work their way up to 3. … Continue reading First Day of Reading Comprehension Games
In January of 2016 I began teaching social studies and I quickly realized that I have some sort of gift or intuitive ability when it comes to teaching teenage or pre-teen children. I am proud of myself, and it feels good to be GOOD at something. But I am by no means surprised. Many of my peers from college have also gone into teaching and … Continue reading Opening Up About My Classroom
My name is Iris Nevins and I am looking for financial support from willing donors so that I can uplift and develop students in my 8th grade U.S. History Class. Before I explain exactly what resources I would like to purchase and the reasoning behind them, I would like to preface with a little summary of my students and how I have chosen to work … Continue reading Help Uplift And Engage My Students
During college I was all over Facebook writing long statuses about race, police brutality, systems of oppression, my feelings, you name it. It was legit, my part time job. But then I stopped. At some point, I stopped writing and I’ve always wondered why. Today has been so emotional. I checked Facebook first thing in the morning which means I started my day off crying. … Continue reading I Cannot Do It Anymore
This is a monologue/poem, I like to call it a “monopoem”. It’s mean to be recited by a woman speaking with a Jamaican accent. Imagine that she has bright colorful clothing, and is skipping through the streets (kinda like Beyonce’s Hold Up Video). Love is like a Julie mango. Rich with sweetness but not just any type ah sweetness. It distinct. It different. It taste … Continue reading This Love
My mind is colonized When I look in the mirror I see two women. The FIRST is a beautiful woman. The SECOND is a beautiful BLACK woman. The second woman holds less power. She is inferior. She is stigmatized. She is beautiful but not beautiful enough. She is desirable but not desirable enough. Her brown skin is dirty–a site of pain and insecurity Her hair is … Continue reading My Mind Is Colonized
Every now and then I come face to face with the notion of compassion. I fall in love with it. I do everything I can to live it. I write about it. I went back to UWC to do a workshop on it. Compassion led me to a profound transformation during my junior year of college when I decided to significantly alter the way I felt about people … Continue reading Empathy and Compassion in Black Rights Social Justice Movements
