Early childhood — News — D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice

“I, too, am a teacher:” Unapologetically Black Educator Story Lounge 2024

By Vanessa Williams
DCAESJ and EmpowerEd DC’s third annual Unapologetically Black Educator Story Lounge was just as powerful, moving, and joyous as the previously held events.

Black Lives Matter at SchoolMykella PalmerMarch 8, 2024All 13 Principles, All Four Demands, Collective Value, DCPS, DC, Early childhood, Elementary, Empathy, Event, High School, Hire Black Teachers, SY23, Unapologetically Black, Vanessa Williams, Working Groups

Be You! Students Show Us Who They Are — and Are Not!

By Iysha Perkins
In recognition of BLM at School, a few students and I read two books, Hey Black Child and M is for Melanin, both of which focus on who you are as a Black child and how you can affirm and celebrate yourself.

Black Lives Matter at School, Teaching StoriesMykella PalmerFebruary 9, 2024Children’s Books, DC, Early childhood, Elementary, Loving Engagement, SY23, Unapologetically Black

Your Grandma Is Our Grandma: Smothers ES Uplifts Intergenerational Principle

By Vanessa Williams
There were no fresh baked, chocolate chip cookies in sight. No peppermints being discreetly offered and passed from big to little hands. All of the sweaters appeared to be store-bought, not hand knit. Yet everyone at Smothers Elementary School (DCPS) the morning of their Intergenerational Read Aloud were wrapped in the love, wisdom, and laughter only grandmas can give.

Black Lives Matter at School, Teaching StoriesMykella PalmerFebruary 9, 2024Black Villages, Black Women, Children’s Books, Collective Value, DCPS, DC, Early childhood, Elementary, Intergenerational, SY23, Vanessa Williams

Addressing Holidays in the Classroom with an Anti-Bias Lens

By Makai Kellogg and Sara Beshawred
On Saturday, November 18th, the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group met at the Teaching for Change office. The group focused on addressing holidays in the classroom with an anti-bias lens.

Other Stories, Anti-BiasMykella PalmerNovember 30, 2023Children’s Books, Early childhood, Makai Kellogg, DC, Elementary, SY23, Working Groups

Teach Central America Carnival of Learning

We were invited back to the strong-knit community at Bruce-Monroe at Parkview for their annual teach-in-style celebration of Central American history and culture.

Teaching StoriesMykella PalmerNovember 17, 2023Central America, Cesarina Pierre, Children’s Books, Dani McCormick, DCPS, DC, Early childhood, Elementary, Indigenous People, Spanish, SY23, Vanessa Williams, Working Groups

Brent Elementary District of Columbia: Study Group Spotlight

The D.C. Teaching for Black Lives study group, made up of 14 educators from Brent Elementary (ECE–5), meets once a month. According to Jon Berg, the study group’s coordinator, they started the group “to help educators reflect on their practice and to identify resources that center our Black students in our classrooms — with an emphasis on what is taught and how classrooms are set up to help students engage in civic life.”

Black Lives Matter at SchoolMykella PalmerMarch 24, 2023All 13 Principles, DC, DCPS, Early childhood, Elementary, Go-Go, SY22, Vanessa Williams

Self-Portraits and Braiding in Art at Seaton ES

Athena Kopsidas, art teacher at Seaton ES (DCPS), led students through projects that incorporated books and art during the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.

Teaching Stories, Black Lives Matter at SchoolAllison AcostaMarch 6, 2023DC, DCPS, Early childhood, Elementary, ArtsEducation, Diversity, Empathy

Plans Turning into Action: D.C. Area Educators Prepare for BLM at School Week of Action

A Week of Action. A Year of Purpose. A Lifetime Commitment. And all of this can start with just a few hours of planning. On Saturday, January 7th, all DCAESJ working groups joined together and invited fellow D.C. area educators to share advice, build on resources, begin planning their BLM at School Week of Action, and continue to participate in the Year of Purpose.

Black Lives Matter at SchoolMykella PalmerJanuary 24, 2023Hannah Halpern, Raphael Bonhomme, DC, DCPS, Early childhood, Elementary, Event, High School, Kimberly Ellis, Vanessa Williams, SY22, Working Groups, All 13 Principles, All Four Demands

The Fuller Story: Anti-Bias Working Group Shares Highlights from Their Classrooms and Interrogate Biographies in Early Childhood Education

By Bridget Fuller

On February 26, the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Educator working group met to connect as a community, discuss challenges and successes with the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, and share ideas on using biographies in early childhood classrooms.

Black Lives Matter at SchoolMykella PalmerMarch 21, 2022Bridget Fuller, Early childhood, SY22, Working Groups, Black Women, Intergenerational, Black Villages, Children's Books