MAEC Employee Spotlight: Interview with Maria Del Rosario (Charo) Basterra
Goodbye & Thank You, Charo! MAEC says, “gracias y adios” to one of our long-term English Learners aficionados. Read a segment of Charo’s interview here: Interviewer: 28 years is a long time to work anywhere! What kept you at MAEC? Charo: I have asked that question myself many times. I think that having independence to… Read More »
National Literacy Month
In November 2020, MAEC celebrated National Literacy Month by asking MAEC staff to recommend their favorite equity books. Check out their book recommendations below: Charo Basterra Mira Best Dannele Ferreras Carol Gant Kim Grossett Young-chan Han Michelle Nutter Earnest Offley Jenny Portillo Mariela Puentes Kasia Razynska Karmen Rouland Phoebe Schlanger Susan Shaffer Marianna Stepniak and… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Earnest Offley
My first recommendation is a book: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, which talks about mass incarceration and the school to prison pipeline. My other recommendation is a documentary, actually: Ava Duvernay’s 13th is a must-see. I honestly had no idea how in-depth the prison system was from an education standpoint in minority communities.… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Michelle Nutter
I have two books that I would like to share with you. I’m still reading the first book: Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice by Dr. Maysa Akbar. She says that as we engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and social justice work, being an ally isn’t enough. We need to do more.… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Mariela Puentes
The first book that I’m sharing is one of my absolute favorites: Home Advantage: Social Class and Parental Intervention in Elementary Education by Annette Lareau. It talks about what cultural capital schools value, how they value it, and why this can perpetuate inequality. For example, if a school values deference over criticism, it elevates families… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Mira Best
I have two book recommendations: The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. The Color of Law brilliantly lays out the housing policies that have produced and promoted residential racial segregation. Just Mercy lays bare the institutional racism inherent in the criminal legal system, and it does so in an… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Paul Smith
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis is my go-to book recommendation. It is, hands down, one the top five most important books I have ever read. John Lewis is a personal hero to me; he’s the reason I decided to become a social studies teacher years ago. I was one of those strange young… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Kim Grossett
I recently started reading Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. It was on the bestsellers list for a long time, and I hope it gives me a better understanding of why certain populations are treated a certain way. I’m looking forward to reading it with my book club.
Staff Book Recommendations: Jenny Portillo
I got hooked on culturally responsive teaching after Language Cultural and Teaching by Sonia Nieto. I read it for one of my classes at Teachers College when I was a graduate student. This book shaped my understanding of the importance of culturally responsive teaching for all students from all different backgrounds. This book was a… Read More »
Staff Book Recommendations: Carol Gant
I’ve been thinking a lot about intersectionality in literature, especially regarding Black women and gender. Two books come to mind for me on these topics. One is Intersectional Identity and Education Leadership of Black Women in the U.S.A. by Sonia Douglass Horsford, a collection of essays and studies on the experiences and barriers of Black… Read More »
