Growing up as a child and teenager, my family would have been classified as economically disadvantaged because we qualified for free lunch. Shopping as a family in thrifts stores and having clothes donated to us was viewed as normal. Receiving the government monthly checks, along with the blocks of cheese, bread, etc., fed our family […]
Have you ever had someone struggle to pronounce your name, so they decided to call you something that’s easier for them to say? I have. With the name Josue, there are different language variations. Being Haitian, the correct pronunciation of my first name is Zhǝ-zu-way. Then, there’s my last name, Falaise. The correct pronunciation is […]
As I look back at the 2000-2001 school year when I was in the classroom, I remember that I was one of only handful of teachers that utilized an electronic gradebook. Other teachers thought it would take too long to learn and understand the software and others thought it would require too much of their […]
When my family moved back to the US in 1981 from Haiti, my parents could only afford to purchase a home in Irvington, an urban city in the state of New Jersey. According to bestneighborhood.org in 2022, Irvington, NJ is currently composed of 85.5% of black people. However, it was populated by 40% black people […]
Most of my life, I have been and continue to be the darkest person or one of the darkest people in certain spaces that I visit. So of course, I get the looks and hear whispers “who is he” and “what does he do to get invited here? It is something that I have become […]
Discrimination in the workplace is not a new concept, but it’s one that we strive to eliminate through the power of equity. Equity in education is essential because it creates opportunities for disadvantaged children so that they may overcome their individual challenges and achieve success. This doesn’t happen overnight, but as educational leaders it is […]
While I haven’t been in any encounters with the police about fitting the description of a suspect for anything, I have been accused by people. It is really frustrating to have to keep being on the defense for something when you are totally innocent. While I have stories for days about this topic, I wanted […]
Everyone’s been the new kid once. Do you remember how you felt? How old you were? Were you nervous? For many children, moving to a new school is one of the toughest challenges they are subject to face in their formative years, especially for those belonging to marginalized groups. Transitioning to a new school can […]
In the first blog post, I shared the tragic story of Anne Lisa Forestine on that cold day in February 2018. She told us about her last moment of long-term memory. Additionally, she shared how this event impacted her family and loved ones. At this point, Anne Lisa continues on with her story from the […]
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that people are paying more attention to life and death. Around the country and the world, life seems to be considered more precious than it has ever been in my lifetime. Since I have been training people around the country over so many years, I have […]