Turkey Trouble & Mayflower Mayhem

“The impact of racism begin early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves.”-Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D. I’ve said it before, teaching in the time of racial tension is no joke. The truth is, there has never been a time in which were weren’t in the midst of racial tension. I don’t care how old you are. Here is what truly make the difference — your consciousness. Being awakened and staying woke ain’t for the the faint at heart. Dealing with it while teaching young folks, man… listen. I’ve been teaching for twelve years now. Don’t even get me started on how I’ve made it this far, because YO! Who would’ve thought. Seriously. In the past twelve years, I’ve followed every new piece of curriculum passed out. I’ve modified standards to fit the needs of my students. I have made copious amounts of play dough (shout out to pumpkin play dough fans) and come home drenched in glitter and snot. What I don’t do and will never do, is teach about the so-called first Thanksgiving and how the pilgrims ventured over here on the Mayflower. Y’all can miss me with all of that. I’m dead serious. Honestly, this is another step on the ladder of vulnerability that I seem to be climbing lately. Admitting this may be a good or a bad thing, but I know that I can’t possibly be the only teacher of color struggling with this. Now, I will autumn up and turkey-fy the HECK out of a lesson plan. We can subsidize turkey-themed dot arrays and write thin…