Dedicated. Soulful. Rockstar. These are the first words that come to mind when I think about the man called John Mayer. I was already familiar with his debut Room for Squares but when I was 16, I was obsessed when he released Continuum. John Mayer spoke to my heart when I listened to his music. I thought he was soulful, gifted, and brilliant at his craft. Although I temporarily boycotted his music for a lengthy season after a memorable and disappointing Rolling Stone cover story I learned about, I eventually put it behind me and remained a fan. Despite his personal life, I can appreciate the amazing music he’s made. I really enjoyed his work Battle Studies, but to this day Continuum remains one of my favorites. It’s awesome from start to finish and worth checking out if you’ve never listened to it before. In fact, get a dose of Continuum here. He’s an artist you just can’t get out of your head. And his guitar skills? Legendary. Check him out sometime.
I’m a Black educator in my fifth year of teaching middle school English, and in my third as the 8th Grade English PLC (Professional Learning Community) Lead. And while I genuinely enjoy the purposeful work I get to do, seeing the growth of my scholars, and continuing to hone my skills in a content area I’ve loved since I was a little girl, I’ve had to confront some unpleasant experiences in this space. I’d been through much worse when I was an academic advisor at a Christian university. Racism, sexism, harassment, and workplace bullying were sadly norms in that environment. However, some of what I’ve experienced as a Black educator hasn’t been normal … It doesn’t seem normal to be the only Black educator in my department – in a predominantly Black school. One of my Black colleagues once said, “It should look like a Tyler Perry movie in here.” But it doesn’t. It didn’t feel normal being reprimanded in a meeting (during my second year of teaching) by an administrator who went in on...