Summer 2020: Recent Published OWP Writers
Open gallery
How Google Classroom Erases Trans Students by Ty Marshall
In this article, Ty Marshall looks at the way Google Classroom erases their trans students during the pandemic by not letting them use their chosen name in online learning. Ty’s writing reminds us that students are more than squares on the screen. How we address them, how we hold them during this time when so many are at risk matters.
The Last Time by Katy Alexander
Katy Alexander reminds us to think about and savor our moments in her essay, “The Last Time.” “Now every day I keep thinking about what are the last moments I’m experiencing now that I don’t realize are last times. Did I already have my last time walking outside without a face mask? Did I have my last time going to get takeout? Did I have my last phone conversation with my grandmother? As we continue in the age of pandemic, as time becomes slow and I don’t always remember what day it is, I try to savor experiences, because I don’t know what’s coming next. But I also don’t want to lose sight of what’s in front of me by trying to hold on so tight.”
Showing Up for Our Students in the Pandemic by Moé Yonamine.
Moé’s powerful questions about teaching during the pandemic should ring alarm bells for all of us: “Teachers keep hearing that [online schooling] is the “new normal.” But is this “normal” equitable? Does it make our students feel loved during a pandemic, when some are harmed so much more than others?”
What Our Students Should Know About the Struggle for the Ballot — but Won’t Learn from Their Textbooks by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca
As Ursula notes in this article about voting rights, “Given the dizzying array of disruptions to our lives in this moment of pandemic, one could be forgiven for failing to register this anniversary. But the fight for voting rights enshrined in the 15th Amendment is still very much alive, and more critical now than ever — and needs to be taught to every student in this country.” At this moment when so much is at stake, Ursula’s timely article is a must read.
