Gone to Ghana: no major revelations, just big reflections...
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
2M ago
What did African male educators teach this "African-American" educator ..read more
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The Joys & Killjoys of 2023-24: true love, world wars, Air Jordans???
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
5M ago
Here we are again, another year in the books. Let's get straight to the joys and killjoys of academic school year 2023-2024. I hope this reflection inspires you to take some time and grace for yourself in order to remember and smile at the little things that enable you to mind, maintain, maximize, and move in a state of joy. Joys: so what brought you joy this year? L.O.V.E. Context: I have a significant other. That’s all. I mean, that’s all you get.  So what brought you joy?: Of course, in my eyes, she is joy, so I obviously love her. My search for serenity, self-love, and ..read more
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“It’s Me, Not You, America” (the break-up): Financial Freedom (part #2)
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
7M ago
I have toiled. I have earned. I have saved. I have invested. I have lost.   For decades, I have been in this unhealthy relationship. Ironically, I have spent so much time and money trying to mend this relationship.  The thought of financial fidelity with money is delusional. Money gets around, so of course I shouldn’t stay faithful or dependent upon it. However, I am…wedded to paper by the power vested in my officiant, capitalism.  These are the confessions of a financially literate teacher in a taxing, toxic turbulent economic system. I am writing this piece not to ..read more
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Dear Black Boys & Black Men: thank you, bell hooks (pt 3) [LONG]
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
Our power, pain, and potential are constantly being redefined, reconstituted, and repressed across individual, interpersonal, and institutional lines. So much so that we may have tenuous, tempestuous, or tough boundaries that make it difficult to distinguish a) our power of b) our power over and c) our power to…so, what’s power? Maybe I do not fully understand power— my own power, my own strength; maybe I do not feel like I have any power or any strengths; maybe no one recognizes my power, my strength; maybe no one helped me find and nurture my power, my strengths, especially in healthy constr ..read more
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Code WHITE: know yo' role
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
Based on my 18 years of upbringing in Texas, I know the power of white male rage and white women tears. When either group gets upset, there will be blood. Facts. I always knew never outshine the (white) master and never make eyes at his (white) woman. And no, I am not talking flirtatious eyes; I mean literally, do not let your eyes meet; if you find yourself in close proximity, look away, walk away, run away. The face of Emmett Till haunts many black men, ’til this day. There is this weird entitlement and objectification dynamic enacted by white men and white women. White men take what’s rig ..read more
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Transitioning: 6 memorable quotes from my first year in private school
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
Note: Let these quotes be an opportunity and invitation to reflect on and discuss the cultural experiences happening in private schools among students of color. For context, I attended a single-sex all-male private school in Texas during the early and mid-2000s. And these were some of the things I heard when I was a student. 1. “What sport do you play?” or “You’re here for basketball, right?” Context & Commentary: These questions were often asked and sometimes used as an insult by my white classmates, as if students of color couldn’t have been attending the school for academics. And let's ..read more
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Just Black Vision-Boarding: why (all) teachers need vision boards
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
originally written July 08, 2022 Intentions: Why this piece? To welcome the life that I want, I have to first imagine the motion picture in my mind and then tell that story on paper. If I can put my thoughts into words, then I can transmute words into actions. My imagination is the conductor, and so I need to score my life, meaning call, collect, and coordinate certain things into alignment. In other words, I have to write it and get it out of my head to make it more real for me. This piece is the result of a self-reflection exercise, prompting me to be specific, clear as well as imaginative a ..read more
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How to Write Your Own Contract: setting your own terms & conditions (teacher edition)
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
TLDR: Read the subheadings and answer for yourself. Context-Setting: who's ready for another year? That fall anxiety is starting to kick in; you know, the daily realization that summer vacation is inevitably and quickly coming to an end. The last few years have not been great to teachers, students, and families, from COVID-induced online teaching and learning and the growing number of mass shootings in schools to the growing violence on our streets, from police brutality to civilian hate-crimes. Forget about inflation and the economy when lives are being taken and jeopardized daily. I applaud ..read more
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"Pain Away": financial freedom? (pt#1)
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
“I just hope this money take the pain away.” My family and I have been trapped at the bottom before. I’m talking one small pack of ground beef to feed four mouths; I’m talking grandmother, coming home, dripping in sweat, after 40 hours of cleaning white folks’ homes and raising their kids for less than $100 a week. I’m talking rats and roaches helping you clean the kitchen. I’m talking only “cheese and crackers” in my X-Men lunchbox…no meat, no friends, no “tradesies.” Trapped in the rat race, I know middle-class people trapped in the middle-class. Trapped in the rat race, I know wealthy peop ..read more
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Just Black Fathers: lessons from a Black father to a Black male teacher
Justblackthoughts.com » Career & Jobs
by Darius White
8M ago
Happy Father’s Day. If you do not have a father figure in your life, I hope you can say “thank you” and “I love you” to a person who has loved and cared for you. I am thankful for my two fathers: the one out of the picture and the one in the family; one is biological and one is family; one needed a bond and one created a bond. I love both of them, for they have taught me a few lessons about adulthood, fatherhood, and community livelihood. Although this man taught me how to ride a bike and drive a stick, my step-father had to work and wait almost 23 years to hear the word "Dad." As a Black boy ..read more
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