Despite the visual absence from this blog, my writing life has continued to grow through found moments. I look forward to sharing my journey over the last few years with you.

Last January, we decided to explore an option to Homeschool our son. I was emotionally and physically exhausted from advocacy work to ensure equitable access to education for him (from K-4), and the only people hurting by that point, were us. I didn’t want to give up on public education but it became an uncomfortable reality that it was time to face.

As an educator who has taught across diverse continents environments, and also diverse abilities, I know too many outstanding teachers to give up on public education as a whole. Right now though, it’s not the right fit for our family, specifically my son’s hearing needs, and so Homeschooling is our new normal.

My writing has filled quiet moments found between my roles as Mummy, homemaker, Teacher…you know the rest. Thank you for supporting me through this process and continuing to follow our story. There’s so much more to share – including news of my new book – and I can’t wait to finally step forward into my 2017 writing life!

I’m seeing the need for culturally responsive education more and more. Last year, my son’s patka or small turban was pulled off his head without any consequence for the “bully”. On Friday, his educational assistant grabbed him by his joora (hair knot) and decided to wiggle it in lieu of saying “good job”. Today she told me she didn’t know that was wrong. (She’s teaching in a district in which the highest demographic are Panjabis and the Sikh community is prominent). I’m wondering how many more times I have to hear excuses from people who have access to education but choose to wait for someone else to come along and fill in their gaps. What happened to being proactive and informing the instruction of a diverse population?

My son’s Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and H/H has been guiding a student teacher recently. This student is actually a qualified teacher and is completing her Masters Degree in Deaf education. Since I have finally seen some initiative from our Itinerant, this student teacher gives me hope that change may come. She has been a prime example of how culturally responsive education can be carried out really well. Last week, we met for an IEP meeting in which she suggested some resources to educate the team on the purpose of using an FM system. Several simulations of what a Deaf or H/H child “hears” with and without the equipment were shared. The results were powerful and the penny seemed to have finally dropped. The strategy was both meaningful to the current situation and responsive to the special needs of our son. It was all about learning something new and it was fabulous to see that someone had taken the time to deliver relevant information.

Here are a couple of the videos shared with us:

Culturally Responsive Education and Faith Identity

When it comes to talking about Faith identity, it becomes uncomfortable for some educators. I was recently asked to write an article about the Sikh identity for CREATE Wisconsin. It captures the need for culturally responsive education and gives educators a springboard to begin a conversation about the turban.

You can learn more about why the Sikh identity still largely remains invisible in the classroom by reading the article here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on why culturally responsive education matters to you!