Dear Michelle Obama

You said, “When they go low, we go high.”

I’ve been trying.

It’s just really hard for me to stay neutral in this election.

I could teach an entire class on understatement with just that sentence.

This year, the politics are personal.

I can’t listen to a presidential candidate call for a ban on all Muslims, knowing I went to Prom with a Muslim from Pakistan.

I can’t listen to a candidate call Mexicans rapists, knowing all the times my students have been ecstatic to go home to visit Mexico.

I can’t listen to a candidate call immigrants criminals, knowing how many times I’ve seen a student break down because they can’t afford college without papers.

I can’t listen to a candidate call sexual assault “locker room talk,” when I know 1 in 4 college-age women in this country have been sexually assaulted. I teach high school. Sometimes I can hear that clock ticking. Sometimes it feels like a bomb is about to go off.

Continue reading “Dear Michelle Obama”

What “Gender is a Social Construct” Means to Me

In honor of the International Day of the Girl:

What Gender is a Social Construct Means to Me

In pdf format, in case anyone feels like using this in a classroom (if you do, let me know! There’s a contact form at the bottom of this post). Speaking of comments: Don’t be a troll. If your ego and/or insecurity makes you incapable of discussing gender issues in a respectful manner, move along please. 

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What Campus Safety Means to Me

What Campus Safety Means to Me

In pdf format, in case anyone feels like using this in a classroom (if you do, let me know! There’s a contact form at the bottom of this post). Speaking of comments, I know this is a tough issue to talk about. If you are going to leave a comment on this post, don’t be a troll. I’m not interested in anyone’s misogynistic drivel. Don’t be that person. Wipe your mouth. Then say something worth saying. 

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