I learned so much from a recent episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast featuring an interview with Trevor Noah that I felt the need to write a second article. Many of the issues discussed were ones I could relate to based on my experiences in education. As a teacher, I strive to ensure my […]
Michele Lamons-Raiford
Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) and English teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past twenty years, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at Solano Community College for the past fifteen years. She has a BA and MA in English from Cal State University Sacramento, and teaching credentials in English and ASL from Cal State University East Bay. She is a devoted wife, a mother of a beautiful Neurodiverse Son, and a lifelong Advocate for ASL, Deaf Culture, Students with Special Needs, Culturally Relevant, Culturally Affirming, Anti-Racist School Cultures, Climates, and Diversity in Educational Institutions and Organizations.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
What Teachers Can Learn from Trevor Noah’s Wisdom
I recently listened to an episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the world’s top Health and Wellness podcast. This episode featured an interview with Trevor Noah. I learned so much from this conversation and quickly realized that so much of what was said was directly relevant to the current state of education. Like many […]
Posted inTeacher Preparation
Classroom to Classroom Pipeline: Recruiting teachers post Covid
Imagine the student who always said they wanted to be a teacher. Now imagine this same student was not only encouraged from an early age but also provided opportunities to cultivate the skills necessary to become a teacher. Then, take it a step further and actually imagine putting our money where our mouth was as […]
Posted inBack to School
Amplify black voices: The unconquerable journey of a Black educator
Amiri Baraka once said, “Hope is delicate suffering.” As educators, we can relate to this all too well. This system seems to be a never-ending road of suffering, constantly finding and losing hope as the pendulum of uncertainty plagues our broken systems. As a Black teacher, this suffering is amplified by the strength and hope […]
Posted inCOVID
And Now They Are Seniors: The Covid Class of 2024
“Ms Lamons, do you remember meeting me online? Honestly, that whole year is a bit of a blur.” It just hit me. I met my incoming seniors for the 2023-2024 school year for the first time online. I met them behind the infamous Black Square Boxes. I engaged with them for an entire school year […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Dyslexia Awareness Month: A student and her mother’s journey
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. As a twenty-two-year veteran teacher, I admittedly am not very familiar with it, but I know about the importance of seeking out the experts. As a lifelong learner, I wanted to learn more about how I can help these students who might enter my classroom. But what better way to […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Coping with the Loss and Grief of a Teacher Bestie
Teacher Bestie: Writing has always been a cathartic vehicle for tumultuous times throughout my life. When I had a catastrophic miscarriage of quadruplets, lost my beautiful grandmother, or lost a decades-long friend who was the absolute kindest soul I knew, I leaned on my faith, my circle of support, and all that I ever learned […]
Posted inBack to School
Five Ways to Increase Parent Involvement in Schools
I am fortunate to be uniquely positioned to be both a parent and a teacher. As a high school and college instructor, the world of elementary education is extremely new to me. I am also a mother who has jumped into the new terrain of raising an elementary-age child with neurodiversity. The boundless questions and […]