Each Friday, the NC Education Lawyer will post five items that she has read during the week. Generally, all the posts will have some connection to education. Sometimes, items shared may simply be to highlight the good in humanity.
1. Are You Asking Me to Talk the "Right" Way or the "White" Way?, By Jolie A. Doggett (Huffington Post)
An excellent command of the English language is required in my profession. Like other professionals, I find myself "code switching." When I am with clients, other professionals and especially in court, my way of communicating is entirely different then when I am speaking with my family and friends. The quote that stuck with me from this opinion piece is "when we police the speech of any minority community, we strangle their voices...and so diverse voices and ideas die."
2. The Couple Who Helped Decode Dyslexia, By: Katie Hafner (NY Times)
The Shaywitzes helped unlock some of the mysteries of Dyslexia. Unfortunately, it is still a very sleuth disability that many schools are unwilling to recognize and/or appropriately support. I had no idea that Anderson Cooper struggled with Dyslexia.
3. Police Use Pepper Spray on Student to Break Up a Fight at a Wake County Middle School, By: T. Keung Hui
I refuse to believe that there was no other way to diffuse this situation. While it is unclear what lead to the fight, it is clear that this child will no have a traumatic experience associated with law enforcement. The impact of this interaction is likely to have far reaching effects.
4. Should We Teach About Consent in K-12? Brett Kavanaugh's Home State Says Yes, By: Anya Kamentz
The idea of consent is not innate; that is, we are not born with it. Like other relationship dynamics, children learn about consent from watching healthy relationships and conversations about what consent is and is not. Schools have taken on the responsibility for sex education, unless a parent chooses to opt their student out. As such, schools should also bear the responsibility to teach consent.
This is one of my favorite lessons on consent. NSFW: Language. Video: Copyright ©2015 Emmeline May and Blue Seat Studios
5. Boy Thought to Be Nonverbal Can Speak After Dentist Discovers He is Simply "Tongue-Tied", By: McKinley Corbley
Sometimes going the extra mile can mean the world to a child!