Teacher Diversity

​Dear educator friends,
This article is 10 years old. 10 YEARS. And not a thing has changed. This is an interesting read about data collection related specifically to the diversity of our teachers and gives us an opportunity to think about what message we are sending our classrooms which are becoming more diverse.
I know what it feels like to be the only biracial student in the room, the only person of color on the teaching team, the only person of color in a room. It's uncomfortable. It's awkward.
When I started teaching in Milton, I chose to go by Ms. Hannah. I made the excuse that saying Mrs. Assefa would be too many syllables, it would be different, it was too many S's. But really, I made the decision because I knew I was going to be one of a small group of educators who were of color, I was new, and I didn't want to stand out any more than I already would.
Times have changed. I am choosing a new path. I will be Mrs. Assefa from now on. Assefa is my father-in-law's first name (that's the way family names are passed on in Ethiopia) and, while I never had the opportunity to meet him, I know he was an amazing educator and I want to continue to celebrate that.
Love,
Mrs. Assefa

The Diversity Test

It's back-to-school season. But before the 2010-11 school year formally begins, here's a pop quiz: Which of the following questions are unanswerable? a. How many people of color interviewed for Vermont teaching jobs last year? b. How much money did Vermont schools spend last year recruiting minorities? c.