My name is Charles Alexander, and I am a career K-12 educator. I have spent 32 years (not counting 3 years spent as a substitute teacher) teaching primarily music and theater, but I also teach courses in Yoga and Mindfulness and Creative Play, which explores collaboration through the lens of small- and large-group non-competitive challenges.
Almost 100 years ago, my great-grandmother enrolled in a Masters program at Coppin Teachers College (what is now Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland USA). Unfortunately, the Great Depression (and her divorce) derailed her dream of becoming a teacher. She became a home-based child care center operator after a long career in civil service. Her daughter spent more than 3 decades teaching both physical and special education. Her daughter served as a teacher and a principal. I have an uncle who is a trailblazing dance teacher. My mother (a child-care provider like Grandma), sister, and three cousins have all pursued our common passion.
It’s safe to say–even though I hit an historical wall trying to do genealogical research within the period of enslavement of African Americans alongside questions about exactly which Indian tribe my great-grandmother’s grandmother belonged to–that my ancestors were teachers!
There is no question that being an educator, here and now, present singular challenges. This blog will share “tasty tidbits”–using primarily these lenses:
1. personal wellness
2. trauma-informed teaching
3. intersectionality
4. meeting the sensory needs of my students
5. my personal decolonization, along with that of my classroom space and my teaching method
I will try to focus on the morsels that raise us and our profession skyward, rather than those that we hear and see that can focus on things we can’t always fix. That’s certainly not to say that advocacy, activism and other ways of showing up and showing out for our profession are not necessary and extremely important. It’s just that they can sometimes be either the first, or the only things we focus on as we go about our critical business.
The Zulu greeting, “Sawubona!” means “We see you!” Unlike “hello” or “hi”, the greeting includes a greeting from you along with all your ancestors. This TED Talk speaks beautifully about it!
Thank you for visiting, and I wish you the very best 2022-23 School Year! Please leave a comment and check out my social media sites for more cool content!