Hey Y'all!
I want to welcome you to From Ms. to Dr.: Everything in Between and Beyond. It’s been a little over a year since I launched this site and this entire time I’ve been thinking about setting up this Blog. As the title implies, I’ll be sharing my experiences as an elementary school teacher all the way through my doctoral program and now as a professor.
So, here it is!
All of you have found your way here from either a session I hosted about teaching or that NPR Code Switch feature from grad school. Regardless, I’m happy you’re here!
Despite being an academic, I have no desire to engage in formal academic writing, but I still want to share some ideas and musings about teaching and learning. While I definitely define myself as an academic, this blog will allow me to share some ideas and musings about teaching in learning (and not re-live my days of formal academic writing).
How I ground myself:
I am Black & a woman.
I am a Black Woman. In this I acknowledge the rich histories and knowledge that comes from all those who’ve come before me. All of my experiences might not be unique, but they are mine.
I am an educator.
I love LOVE teaching and learning. I often use both teaching & learning together because one should not exist without the other. Oftentimes I hear about how people teach, and I always wonder if anyone is learning. Are the students learning? Is the educator learning?
I’m from the South.
I grew up outside of Birmingham, AL, did my undergrad in Huntsville, AL, and spent my 20s running the streets of Houston, TX. I am now back in Alabama.
I unapologetically situate myself within a Black Feminist Thought framework.
So much of how I understand the world became clear when I took my first theory course in grad school. While I often align with Critical Race Theory & Critical Race Feminism, Black Feminism is where I feel most at home.
I am complicated.
As we are fluid in our identities and understanding, I firmly believe we should regularly be learning new ways to interact with one another and making sense of our world with justice and equity at the center. I am also a Black Millennial who forgets all their degrees and sense of professionalism when Knuck if You Buck comes on and will spend all Sunday watching Real Housewives of Atlanta.
What you’ll find here:
General thoughts about learning and teaching
Critiques about curriculum and pedagogy
My experiences as a teacher and teacher educator
Ideas and projects that bring me joy
Being Black & Woman in my spaces
Stay around if you find any of this interesting. I am currently working through a framework for a curriculum audit that evaluates for inclusivity. The framework should be helpful for educators at all levels and across disciplines.