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Christine Esposito

@msespo.bsky.social

1.7K followers 1.8K following 700 posts

Gifted specialist working with and for all students. VA Gilder-Lehrman TOY '09. Co-conspirator who still gets it wrong. I'm the annoying one asking hard questions. she/her If my mouth doesn't say it, my face definitely will. https://msespo.substack.com

msespo.substack.com

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 4h

This. The current environment has us teaching content. I'm not even sure I'd call it teaching so much as "getting through" content.'

You have to teach kids first. The whole kid who is in front of you.

Monte Syrie @montesyrie.bsky.social · 6h

“I teach kids.”

Three little words that change everything.

Power of purpose.

Reposted by Christine Esposito

Shana V. White (she/her) @shanavwhite.blacksky.app · 14h

If they make it hard for you to vote, don't you realize the power your vote has.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 1d

That it took exactly 1 teacher to derail my confidence K12. My 4th grade teacher was a bully. I can clearly recall her mocking me after being called on bc "negative numbers don't exist" when I set up a subtraction problem with the smaller number first.

I knew, from that moment, I sucked at math.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 1d

When I was last in classroom, I had one of the few rooms with windows. Those windows were open just about every day, no matter the weather!

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 1d

It was like Christmas. One kid grabbed some and then asked, "How does this work?" Another kid was showing him.

Anyway...the sixth grade is going to smell better in the coming days, I think. Now they know where to get more. May we all breathe easier.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 1d

Best moment of the day: I keep personal care products in my office. Mad rush of students who have pictures after PE. All boys. Hair gel, combs, the whole bit. Jostling each other over access to the mirror.

Then they saw the deodorant...

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 2d

How do you feel about lying if you have good intentions?

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 3d

If I'm wrong, I don't want to be right.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 4d

While "What is art" is the entry point, we're going to do a bit of a deep dive on Gordon Parks and then into the lives of other artists who have shaped society by bringing the hidden into the light.

I've been researching all afternoon and have found a treasure trove of information, but this...

A page of text. On the facing page: A Black woman with tears in her eyes and one streaming down her cheek.

Text:
What I want

What I am

What you force me to be

is what you are

For I am you, staring back from a mirror of poverty and despair, of revolt and freedom. Look at me and know that to destroy me is to destroy yourself. You are weary of long, hot summers. I am tired of the long, hungered winters. We are not so far apart as it might seem. There is something about both of us that goes deeper than blood or black and white. It is our common search for a better life, a better world. I march now over the same ground you once marched. I ﬁght for the same things you still ﬁght for. My children’s needs are the same as your children’s. I too am America. America is me. It gave me the only life I know—so I must share in its survival. Look at me. Listen to me. Try to understand my struggle against your racism. There is yet a chance for us to live in peace beneath these restless skies.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 4d

It's the weekend. I'm at work, which is definitely not good, BUT I'm creating a unit that asks the question, "What is art?" as a prelude to a year-long project that will combine art, reading, & writing.

Creating units that will pull kids into learning - that is my happy place. I hope this does.

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Reposted by Christine Esposito

@Shamlet @shamlet.bsky.social · 4d

He's Powerful. He's Unconventional. He's Taking Scotland by Storm.

-- Macbeth as a NYTimes headline

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Reposted by Christine Esposito

Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 4d

Yeah.

The “let the states handle it” folks don’t know that Texas is hell.

Elizabeth C. Hamblet, LD Advisory @echamblet.bsky.social · 4d

For those who think state control is good, be aware that Texas got in trouble for creating a cap for the number of students who could be identified for special education:

Texas Illegally Denied Education To Students With Disabilities, Feds Report

Texas failed to make special education services available to all students with disabilities who needed it, according to a report released Thursday by the…

www.keranews.org

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 5d

Friday win: Teachers brag about their kids in passing all the time in my building. Reading specialist stopped by & bragged about one of her kids acing a reading test. Naturally, I needed to go to his classroom to make a big deal. Ran into the principal on the way & she joined me.

That smile!!

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

I'm watching kids I've known since K find their wings & fly in 6th. Every kid needs teachers who believe in them, even when they don't believe in themselves.

Conversation this morning:

S: I'm not good at reading.
Me: You are.
S: Aces test. Pretends not to remember what she said this morning.

a man with the words smells like victory on the bottom right

Alt: a man with the words smells like victory on the bottom right

media.tenor.com

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

It's time we put the needs of the children we are currently failing first: mainly Black and brown students, but they belong to many different groups as well.

tl;dr: I need someone to give me an exoribant amount of money to start my own school. I've already got a long list of hires I'd make.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

The issue is very often those "nice white people" who say the right things, but then want exactly what's laid out in that first picture: Education as a zero sum game.

It is well past time for a complete reimagining of education. We serve some children well. We are absolutely failing others.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

I work in a division that has radically revamped our gifted program. It's not perfect by any means, but we've expanded access to include most students in our buildings.

My biggest gripe abt our changes is that we're trying to fit into the regular curriculum rather than giving them something more.

As a sociologist, I can’t help but to think to why “gifted and talented” programs are such a tenuous issue. Part of it is that parents see their children as special, but also an extension of themselves. That’s natural. But our society confuses “my kid is special and deserves an experiences that matches their abilities” with “no one else’s children should have the type of education mine is getting.” Some parents are looking for any edge that makes their children the beneficiary of market-based odds.

As Linda McMahon and those who aspire to her political vision attempt to destroy public education, more people ought to see the wisdom in guaranteeing educational opportunities for our children. I’m not just advocating for personalization. I’m advocating for a complete transformation of why we want children to get an education to begin with.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

I'm here for any team that takes out the Yankees, always.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 8d

I bought a copy for myself too! I hope you enjoy it!

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 9d

Teachers who do this are often lambasted for being behind, but their kids are actually learning. Convincing other teachers, who are rule followers by nature, that it's ok to slow down, to skip some things in the pursuit of actually teaching kids how to learn is almost impossible bc pacing guide.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 9d

At what point do we stop trying to meet unrealistic pacing guide goals? We are making it impossible to teach kids in the pursuit of teaching content.

It feels like we can't ever take the time to teach them the skills they need to learn because we're so busy cramming content down their throats.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 10d

Yesssssss! I love merging the two whenever I can.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 10d

And yes, I am currently writing curriculum. I'm thinking how much I would love to informally bounce ideas off of people who like writing curriculum, like teaching reading & writing, and can really nerd out about this kind of thing.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 10d

Summer camp for English teachers: Either at the beach or at a cabin in the woods near a lake. We get to sit around, relax, and write curriculum while bouncing ideas off of each other and sharing what we do & how we do it.

Also, we get fed & paid for it because it's still work.

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Reposted by Christine Esposito

Valerie Bolling @valeriebolling.bsky.social · 10d

The first full week of October is a great time to have your students set writing goals.

#Teachers, find out how to engage in this process with your #students:
www.valeriebolling.com/goal-setting...

@stenhousepub.bsky.social @kassiaowedekind.bsky.social #classroom #writing #goalsetting #edusky

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