iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

New series alert! #MicroPD where I simplify wtf teachers need to do to teach the things. #EduSky

Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 04/10/2026

Thinking about the moms who never imagined their tiny little boys could grow up to be monsters. Praying they love their sons enough to demand accountability. This is about Cornell, but it’s also about America.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 20/09/2026

They say the parents don’t want to parent anymore 😭

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 10/08/2026

Today’s my first day of school as an assistant principal. My little sister starts her first official school year as a teacher. Our mom said we’ve gotta go to school 😭

Mom do we have to go to school?
Mom
RISE AND SHINE
Sister
i don't wanna
Me
I'm sick *cough, cough*
Sister
call the schools for us! tell them we have fevers.
Me
And we're contagious!
Sister
103 means i need an ice bath or hospital

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 26/07/2026

Sometimes I come across passages written by she who shall not be named, and I’m shocked by the chasm between her words and her actions. HP was a lighthouse; I wonder if Joanne actually read it. "We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, is worth saving."

"Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties," said Kingsley. "However, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbors, often without the Muggles' knowledge. I'd like to appeal to all our listeners to emulate their example, perhaps by casting a protective charm over any Muggle dwellings on your street.
Many lives could be saved if such simple measures were taken."
"And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be Wizards first'?" asked Lee.
"I'd say that it's one short step from 'Wizards first' to Purebloods first,' and then to 'Death Eaters," replied Kingsley. "We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, is worth saving."

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 13/07/2026

Hey #EduSky I’ve revamped my “Before the first days!” checklist and it’s no longer ugly 😂😅 If you’re a new teacher: make a copy and even if you don’t fill it out, this document is full of questions you may not even know you have! Mentors: pass it along! 💛 Chanea canva.link/wpylcsy7837y...

Page 1 of Chanea’s “before the first days” checklist Mrs.
BEFORE THE FIRST DAYS
Your digital binder for the important things!

DO NOW
Do very soon
Personal: Your plan to care for yourself and your personhood.
Insurance provider? Premium? Network? Referral system?
Write it down!

Primary care physician information?

If none: What's your plan to find a primary care physician, friend? If yes: next appointment date?

Vision & dental benefits/providers/next appointment

Do you have a journal? (if no, get one! Digital Is great!)

• Can you commit to journaling at least once a week?

Mindfulness activities?

Who can you call when you're overwhelmed?

How many hours of sleep do you need? (be so for real!)

Plan to move your body when school starts?

Do you have a water bottle? (you need a water bottle!)

What's your plan for lunch during the school day? (you need sustenance, fam!)

Consider: What age-appropriate student behaviors might be triggering for you personally? (example: I HATE yelling and even when it's positive, it grates on my nerves)

Ideas on how to address this behavior before it becomes a problem for you?

Sources of information (list any websites, contacts, phone numbers, etc here to circle back to in order to address any of the above)

Page 2 of Before the first days checklist
Professional: Your plans to do the mechanics of your job
Where is the copy machine?
How do you get paper?
Who is your immediate boss? Your principal?
How many sick days do you have? Personal days?
How do you call in?
Sub plans? Who do you send them to? Where are they stored?
What should be included?
Who do you go to when you need supplies?
Restroom? Where do YOU go? Your students?
Restroom and hallway policy?
What are you teaching? Grade level? Content? Curriculum?
Do you have a PLC (professional learning community)? (When) do you meet?
Does your school have a learning management system? Do you know how to use it?
How do you document students' grades during the grading period?
What other duties are you responsible for? (hallway monitoring. lunch duty, after school, etc)
Sources of information (list any websites, contacts, phone numbers, etc here to circle back to in order to address any of the above)

Page 3 of before the first days checklist Ius.
Pedagogical: Your plan for the type of teacher you want to be
How will you learn your students' names?
How will you reach out to home adults close to the beginning of the year?
Plan for sustaining contact?
What and where are your curriculum resources?
Lesson plans? Do you turn them in? Is there a template your
cenoo 1icoc?
What unit do you start the school year with?
Are you expected to stay paced with your team?
What standards are you supposed to teach during the first unit?
How will your students demonstrate mastery of these standards?
What data informs your decision-making?
Plan for addressing EPs and 504 plans? English language learners?
How will you document this? (link)
Where will you document reflection on your lessons and units?
How will you deal with due dates and late work?
What is your professional goal (what will you accomplish to become a better teacher?) How is that measured?
What is your student learning goal? How is it measured?
What interventions are in place to address minor behavioral issues within your classroom? (parent phone call, behavioral documentation sheet, class agreement, etc)
What interventions are in place to address major behavioral issues within your classroom? (counselor intervention, parent contact, office referral, coaching session, principal intervention, etc)
Sources of information (list any websites, contacts, phone numbers, etc here to circle back to in order to address any of the above)

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 24/06/2026

Okay so here is Texas standards strand 8 (author’s purpose—English 2). If my goal for the day is to teach, collect data on, and reteach or challenge “analyze the author's purpose, audience, and message within a text,” there are too many variables. This skill doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

(8) Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the author's purpose, audience, and message within a text;
(B) analyze use of text structure to achieve the author's purpose;
(C) evaluate the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;
(D) analyze how the author's use of language informs and shapes the perception of readers;
(E) analyze the use of literary devices such as irony, sarcasm, and motif to achieve specific purposes;

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 05/06/2026

My Google searches are serious AF and I’m devastated at the answer

Google search that reads

can adults do the pizza hut reading challenge
-pizza hut book it 90s
-book it pizza hut
-pizza hut book it locations

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 31/05/2026

The cavalry isn’t coming. We have to save ourselves.

Texas:
FWISD teachers need lawyers.
Send me your recs.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 28/05/2026

A group of disingenuous right-wing extremists have started an online hate campaign against an educator I know and respect. If you believe in the US Constitution, public education, and civil rights: we need you. Data and graphic by Kelly Jenkins.

My name is Chanea Bond, and I've been teaching at Southwest High School for seven years. For the last three of those years, I have worked with Shayma Alzubi, and it came as no surprise to learn that she was promoted to the role of principal. I've watched her serve the SHS community tirelessly as an assistant principal, and anyone with eyes could see that she'd be phenomenal at leading a school.
What came as a shock, though I'm embarrassed to admit this in hindsight, is the racism, xenophobia, and bigotry spouted from fringe members of the Fort Worth community because the district posted a picture of Alzubi smiling and wearing her hijab. What's even more of a shock is how, instead of standing against the very racism, xenophobia, and bigotry that make this world less safe for our own marginalized students, Fort Worth ISD caved and, in doing so, communicated that Alzubi's differences: in appearance, in faith, and potentially in politics, are more important than her character, expertise, and commitment to the students of FWISD. I've witnessed, with my own eyes, Alzubi make strides with students other people have written off because she cares.
She listens. She shows up. The data is clear: SHS is a better place in part because of the leadership and guidance of Shayma Alzubi.
When y'all got here, you made it a point to let folks know that you've seen the data and students in FWISD deserve more; you all said that FWISD students deserve the best. So, in this first major test of your leadership, you get to decide what message to send and who you're actually here for. If you're here to make lives better for students: the choice is clear. Stand against the nonsensical political theatre and support Shayma Alzubi. Give her the opportunity to prove folks wrong about what it means to be different. Keep your promises and make FWISD a place that does not tolerate and capitulate to hate.
Remember: our children are watching you.
We're all watching you, and your decision will tell us ex…

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 16/05/2026

One of the greatest blessings and honors of my life will always be providing a safe place for Booger to grow. The Booger Chronicles™️ continue! He’ll be a senior next year, and I’ll be inconsolable 😭😩

Dear Mrs. Bond.

This is a thank you letter. Beyond that, however, this is an acknowledgment of everything you do for not just me, but many others as well. Thank you for being patient when I'm struggling. Thank you for chances 1-1000. As an educator, it is your job to teach people information to pass standardized tests. You go beyond that responsibility, though. You help so many students succeed every day, and for that, you are truly 2nd to none. I know I am only a student, but I must say that I'm very proud of you. I hope that I’ll be able to call you Dr. Bond when you get your that PhD. Thank you for
•free sodas
•free advice
•providing a safe space
•making school an easier place to come to
•Birthday cake
•Listen to my music.

Keep being the best.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 13/05/2026

May He be the only Co-Pilot the school leaders need amen 🙌🏾 #EduSky

Heavenly Father-
I come before you humbly asking that you unshackle these school and district administrators from the clutches of Microsoft Co-Piloted emails. Deliver them from bold AND italics, clichés, the words underscore and essential, and the phrase "it is important to note."
Father God, bless the hands and minds of every administrator, that they may remember that they once wrote improvement and development plans with only Your guidance and spellcheck (sometimes).
In Jesus name,
Amen

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 08/05/2026

Raise your hand if, during the hardest, most demoralizing week of your entire career, you finished the second semester of your doctoral program. Something inside me broke, y’all. The last three days have changed my perspective on the work I do and where/if I can do it.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 27/04/2026

What my principal thinks I mean when I say “I wrote my objectives on the board”

Today I will! analyze the basic tenents of Critical Race Theory So that I Can articulate the foundation of Diversity, Equity, and inclusion initiatives
I’ll know I have it when I can create a plan for change; overthrow the government

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 23/04/2026

A lot of folks aren’t gonna like this or agree and that’s okay! But I ask that you consider the argument and how it shows up in your world and learning spaces. #Blackexcellence in practice harms Black folks, Black children specifically, and it’s crucial that we interrogate that harm.

The most consequential moral and ethical concern I confront in my journey to establish
and nurture a liberatory practice as an educator-leader is breaking my allegiance to the myth of
*Black excellence.' Out of the fear, shame, and humiliation of the legacy of slavery, an insidious
idea that Black people have to be more, or even MOST, excellent to overcome the burden of our ancestors was born. Black excellence is a response to systemic racism that aligns with the white
supremacist notion that Black people have no inherent value; our value lies in conformity to
white supremecist values and ideologies. Black excellence is harmfully weaponized against
Black people; in order to be human, you must be excellent, though no social status, good grades,
community service, innocence, moral superiority, religious values, etc can shield us from the
mortal dangers of antiblackness. Black teachers (myself included) too often perpetuate
antiblackness against Black children by weaponizing Black excellence. When Black children in
schools do not adhere to white supremacist expectations and sensibilities, they are scolded and
punished in the name of preserving and upholding white supremacism in Black face.
The truth is, in the world we must work toward, Black children should never bear the
burden of excellence in order to earn childhood. They should not be expected to perform white
supremacist excellence to be treated with dignity, respect, and humanity. Creating learning
spaces where Black children can fail and fall with lovingkindness and grace, because they are
children and children must fail to grow and to learn, is liberatory theory as praxis.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 05/04/2026

I think it was @theferocity.bsky.social who suggested taking notes outside of the book is the way and I fear he was right 😭

Chanea’s notes and “Black Feminist Thought” on kindle

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 02/04/2026

I know I’m still human because, year after year, and no matter how much I know Tea Cake ain’t shit, I cry reading the words “Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving service.”

She was trying to hover him as he closed his teeth in the flesh of her forearm. They came down heavily like that. Janie struggled to a sitting position and pried the dead Tea Cake's teeth from her arm.
It was the meanest moment of eternity. A minute before she was just a scared human being fighting for its life. Now she was her sacrificing self with Tea Cake's head in her lap. She had wanted him to live so much and he was dead. No hour is ever eternity, but it has its right to weep. Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving service. She had to hug him tight for soon he would be gone, and she had to tell him for the last time. Then the grief of outer darkness descended.
So that same day of Janie's great sorrow she was in jail. And

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 01/04/2026

I found this gem today in my piles of classroom stuff. I’m proud to say 1) I am doing the work I named for myself in 2019 and 2) I used em dashes and lists prior to AI 🤣 Good job, baby teacher Chanea 💛

CHANEA BOND
HIRSCHI HIGH SCHOOL
10TH & 11TH GRADE IB ENGLISH
"After college, I was lost in life and working at a men's retail store.
I realized that whatever I did in life, my driving force would be to give with abandon. I want to cultivate a world where outspoken, artistic, ambitious children who are raised by single parents who struggle to keep the lights on - children like me—have a fighting chance at becoming something greater than a statistic. My students are as diverse as the world around them. Our English curriculum often does not reflect that diversity. Slowly but surely, I have exposed my students to voices that sound like theirs, their parents and grandparents."

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 28/03/2026

Watching the 1990s Cinderella and my daughter (8) asks “is that Beyoncé with Chloe Charming’s mom?!” 😭

Whitney and Brandy singing impossible on Cinderella

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 07/03/2026

So #NTTBF did it again. @angiethomas.bsky.social, @arriwrites.bsky.social, and Rex Ogle are everything. So many people named that being a Texas teacher rn is TOUGH. But there are still stories to share and I’m so grateful for the folks who wield their stories to tell our children the truth 💛

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 05/03/2026

Tomorrow, my students and I begin Zora Neale Hurston’s masterpiece. This is my favorite novel to read and teach and this is the most perfect first page in all of literature. I’m nervous and excited to experience Janie’s world with this group. The conversation will be RICH. #TeachingTEWWG

Annotated copy of the first page of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 28/02/2026

Over the last month, my students have read and taught some of the best short stories in American Literature. I’ve been blown away at how thoughtfully and deeply they’ve approached the texts. Best idea I’ve had in a while.

American Short Stories
1/22/2026
Reading + Discussion "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Pierce
1/27/2026
Reading + Diseussion "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins-SNOW DAAAAY
1/29/2026
Reading + Discussion "Sonny's Blues" by Langston Hughes (TC)
2/3/2026
Reading + Discussion "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins
2/5/2026
Reading + Discussion "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
2/10/2026
Reading + Discussion "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
2/12/2026
Reading + Discussion "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K Le Guin
2/17/2026
Reading + Discussion "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N.K. Jemisin
2/19/2026
Reading + Discussion "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu
2/24/2026
Reading + Discussion 'Why I Learned to Cook" by Sarah Farizan
2/26/2026
Reading + Discussion "No Me Dejas" by Mark Oshiro
2/27/2026
Reading + Discussion "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury

American Literature: Mrs. Bond for the Day Short Story Discussion Facilitator
Assignment Weight: 20% of Your Grade
Overview
For this assignment, you will assume the role of the teacher by selecting a date and designing a one-day class session based on a short story from our reading list. Your goal is to deepen your peers' understanding of the text while showcasing your analytical and instructional skills.
Requirements
• Selection
• Choose one short story from the course reading list.
• Select a specific date when you will lead the class.
• Lesson Components
• Spotlight Reading:
• Create a spotlight reading for your text--this can be an image, a poem, a political cartoon, a thought-provoking question, etc that gets the class in the zone to discuss your text.
• Author & Context:
• Present relevant background information about the author.
• Explain the historical and cultural context in which the story was written.
• Is your author controversial? Problematic? (How) Does this show up in their work?
• Discussion Facilitation:
• Develop and prepare 10 higher-level discussion questions. Each question must include:
• A corresponding answer supported by textual evidence.
• Decide whether you will:
• Lead a guided class discussion or
• Facilitate an interactive class activity that challenges your peers.
• Written Component:
• Incorporate a written element (for example, one of the discussion questions, a written reflection) where students record and reflect on their responses.
• Submission Deadline:
• Submit your full lesson plan by 8:00 AM the day before your presentation date.
Tips for Success
• Craft questions that spark thoughtful analysis and enable your classmates to explore the deeper meanings in the text. Al cannot and will not help you here.
• Ensure that every discussion question's answer is grounded in specific citations within the text.
• Share insights on the author's background and the literary period. Your presentation should encourage critical thinking and live…

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 26/02/2026

All’s well, friends. They did well.

Picture of a white board that says “dear 4th period. Act like you have sense. Please.” With a response in another color saying “they were great!”

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 19/02/2026

Gonna be out tomorrow. We all have that one class, right? 😩

Picture of a white board that says “dear 4th period. Act like you have sense. Please.”

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 19/02/2026

Wanna know what kind of colleague I am? After complementing my principal on a situation he handled SO MASTERFULLY, I said this 🤣

Text message that says “10/10 - will (probably)
choose you as a principal again”

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 16/02/2026

+ My students thought it was a thoughtful story about an underdog character winning, but I kept getting stuck on HOW Mama describes Dee. This level of vitriol for her DAUGHTER is painful to read. +

I used to think she hated Maggie too. But that was before we raised money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school. She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice. She washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn't necessarily need to know.
Pressed us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away, like dimwits, at just the moment we seemed about to understand.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 15/02/2026

My mental health has been bad, so I’m catching up with two poems today! To the Young Who Want to Die & Sorrow is Not My Name. Thinking a friend and his light while reading these. Hoping these poems remind us that “green’s your color. You are Spring.” 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth days 11 & 12

To the Young Who Want to Die by Gwendolyn Brooks
Sit down. Inhale. Exhale.
The gun will wait. The lake will wait.
The tall gall in the small seductive vial will wait will wait:
will wait a week: will wait through April.
You do not have to die this certain day.
Death will abide, will pamper your postponement.
I assure you death will wait. Death has a lot of time. Death can
attend to you tomorrow. Or next week. Death is just down the street; is most obliging neighbor; can meet you any moment.
You need not die today.
Stay here-through pout or pain or peskyness.
Stay here. See what the news is going to be tomorrow.
Graves grow no green that you can use.
Remember, green's your color. You are Spring.

Sorrow Is Not My Name by Ross Gay
—after Gwendolyn Brooks
No matter the pull toward brink. No matter the florid, deep sleep awaits.
There is a time for everything. Look, just this morning a vulture
nodded his red, grizzled head at me, and I looked at him, admiring the sickle of his beak.
Then the wind kicked up, and, after arranging that good suit of feathers he up and took off.
Just like that. And to boot,
there are, on this planet alone, something like two million naturally occurring sweet things. some with names so generous as to kick the steel from my knees: agave, persimmon. stick ball, the purple okra I bought for two bucks at the market. Think of that. The long night, the skeleton in the mirror, the man behind me on the bus taking notes, yeah, yeah.
But look; my niece is running through a field calling my name. My neighbor sings like an angel and at the end of my block is a basketball court.
I remember. My color's green. I'm spring.
—for Walter Aikens

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 11/02/2026

“Eschatology” reminds me that poetry can feel like like soothing salve on a very bad day. My students tell me they love this poem because it’s about death, but it’s “mostly about the beautiful little things that make life something we’re afraid to miss.” 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth day 10

eschatology by Eve L. Ewing
im confident that the absolute dregs of possibility for this society. the sugary coffee mound at the bottom of this cup,
our last best hope that when our little bit of assigned plasma implodes it won't go down as a green mark in the cosmic ledger, lies in the moment when you say hello to a bus driver and they say it back-
when someone holds the door open for you and you do a little jog to meet them where they are-walking my dog, i used to see this older man and whenever I said good morning. he replied 'GREAT morning-
in fact, all the creative ways our people greet each other may be the icing on this flaming trash cake hurtling through the ether. when the clerk says how are you and i say 'im blessed and highly favored"
i mean my toes have met sand, and wiggled in it, a lot. i mean i have laughed until i choked and a friend slapped my back. i mean my niece wrote me a note: 'you are so smart + intellajet' i mean when we do go careening into the sun. ill miss crossing guards ushering the grown folks too, like ducklings and the lifeguards at the community pool and
men who yelled out the window that theyd fix the dent in my car, right now! it'd just take a second-
and actually everyone who tried to keep me alive, keep me afloat. and if not unblemished, suitably repaired. but I won't feel too sad about it. becoming a star

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 10/02/2026

As a literature educator, for me, poetry begins and ends with Audre Lorde. Every student I have has read “Poetry is not a Luxury.” “Litany for Survival” is the poem that reminds us Who and Whose we are, because we were never meant to survive. 28 poems for #blackhistorymonth day 9

A Litany for Survival by Audre Lorde
For those of us who live at the shoreline standing upon the constant edges of decision crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going in the hours between dawns looking inward and outward at once before and after seeking a now that can breed futures
like bread in our children's mouths so their dreams will not reflect the death of ours:
For those of us who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads learning to be afraid with our mother's milk for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.
And when the sun rises we are afraid it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid it might not rise in the morning when our stomachs are full we are afraid of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid love will never return
and when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed
but when we are silent we are still afraid
So it is better to speak remembering
we were never meant to survive.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 08/02/2026

My students know Hanif Abdurraqib. They refer to him as “our man Hanif” and “Uncle Hanif.” On Super Bowl Sunday, “IT’S JUST THAT I’M NOT REALLY INTO POLITICS” is THE poem to remind us that every single thing is political, especially when it’s uncomfortable. 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth day 8

IT'S JUST THAT I'M NOT REALLY INTO POLITICS by Hanif Abdurragib
violence begets more / violence / or so l've been told / but all of this country's skyscrapers / are still standing / despite the blood / that builds a boat underneath the tongue / after speaking its name / violence begets / more photo opportunities / at the feet of a burning / temple / I show up to the resistance / and someone hands me a rose / the color of surrender / violence begets thirst / a new thing in need / of clean water / once / towards the black / and spotted sky / I raised a fist / inside of a glove / sewn in a country / torn apart by our bombs / I purchased the gloves in a store / after midnight / from a cashier who wore a picture / of her daughter on her chest / and looked as though she might have been crying / before I arrived / violence begets a hunger for warmth / at all costs / I sit in a running car / and count all of the things / yet to be swallowed / by the horned ghosts of empire / If you make your own prison / you can find your own map / to freedom / the smoke from all our engines / is beckoning the sun / close / the oceans are rising / to the height of a child / sitting on a mother's shoulders / pointing to the horizon with a single / trembling / finger

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 08/02/2026

Dear Future Ones by Jacqueline Woodson is the newest poem in my teaching bag. Woodson's care and grief are a reminder that we contain multitudes and our desire for a better world includes the ground we stand on. 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth day 7

Dear Future Ones by Jacqueline Woodson
Dear Future Ones who do not understand an old woman puzzling over January crocuses
and the delicate shoots of tulips poking through winter leaves
Winter leaves us
questioning the absence of snow.
A headshake, a sigh, a mind turning inside the past:
Twenty years on this planet and my daughter can count snowstorms lived through on a single hand. Oh Dear
Future Ones, I apologize
for decades of Styrofoam lunches eaten happily because the world would always be the way I knew it as a child. I apologize
from tin cans thrown into trashcans. For the many years I loved helium-filled mylar balloons. I apologize for the time I bought an expensive deodorant, desired because I could spray it instead of rolling it on. I apologize for the magical thinking that led me to believe this world as I knew it would always be here and bred you into with my mind on other freedoms cuz
how many dreams of freedom can a single body hold now old, you see me back bent and frowning
grateful for iceless sidewalks all winter long and terrified. Oh Dear Future Ones. You do not know a world
that isn't already burning, a time when flowers bloomed in seasons we understood (Because once there were seasons here in New York). Once snow barricaded me into my childhood home. Brooklyn. Blizzard of 78.
We waited, my siblings and I, gleefully imagining a June thaw the four of us skeletons heartbreakingly remembered.
Were history, we said. As though we already knew what was coming.
As though, Future Ones, we already saw you out there reading about us and remembering snow.

This the honey edited by Kwame Alexander

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 07/02/2026

The imagery in “That was her way of showing God,” by Jasmine Man’s, is at once mundane and reverential, which captures the essence of life in the body of a Black woman in America. I love this poem. My students love this poem. This book of poetry is stunning. 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth day 6

That Was Her Way of Showing God by Jasmine Mans
We didn't go to church on Sundays, but my mother cleaned the whole house.
Wiped from behind the toilet-to inside of the oven.
That was her way of honoring God.
Separating cloth by color.
making sure nothing bled, onto anything else. stretching pork across seven days, because even poverty knows ritual.
Baptizing Black babies in bathtubs of hand-me-down water, one, after another.
A poor woman's tradition, but of its own abundance.
That was her way of showing God that she had a servant's heart. that she was a good woman, with all of the little she had.

Cover of BLACK GIRL, CALL HOME
POEMS
JASMINE
MANS

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 07/02/2026

And that’s all I have to say about that

As a Black woman who educates children in deeply red Texas, today was just a normal Friday because Donald Trump has been a raging racist, and Republicans have excused and enabled his racism since he announced his campaign in 2015 by calling Mexican immigrants rapists.
The racism is a feature, not a bug.

What shocks and appalls me is how quickly republicans have clamored to decry that this is not reflective of America after aiding, abetting, and codifying this racism for almost a decade. You don't get to absolve yourself because this was
"just too far."

You built this.
This is exactly who you are.
You don't get to put the mask back on.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 05/02/2026

Nikki Giovanni’s poems are deceptively accessible; getting it is a master class in close reading. I read “Legacies” to my students the day she died. The poem’s a reminder that I live at the intersection of generational inheritance & torch-bearer. 28 poems for #BlackHistoryMonth day 5

Legacies By Nikki Giovanni
her grandmother called her from the playground
"yes, ma'am"
"i want chu to learn how to make rolls" said the old woman proudly
but the little girl didn't want to learn how because she knew even if she couldn't say it that
that would mean when the old one died she would be less dependent on her spirit so she said
"i don't want to know how to make no rolls" with her lips poked out
and the old woman wiped her hands on her apron saying "lord these children"
and neither of them ever said what they meant
and i guess nobody ever does

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 05/02/2026

“what the cicada said to the black boy” is an opportunity for science and English to merge. Occasionally, a group of students will read “get you some wings, son / get you some wings” and be inspired to attempt flight. Grateful to Dr. Clint Smith for this. 28 poems for Black History Month day 4

what the cicada said to the black boy by Clint Smith ive seen what they make of you
how they render you a multiplicity
of mistakes
they have undone me as well
pulled back my shell & feasted
on my flesh
claimed it was for their survival
& they wonder why I only show my face every seventeen years
but you
you're lucky if they let you live that long i could teach you some things, you know have been playing this game since before you knew what breath was
this here is prehistoric why you think we fly?
why you think we roll in packs?
you think these swarms are for the fun of it?
i would tell you that you don't roll deep enough but every time you swarm they shoot
get you some wings, son
get you some wings

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 03/02/2026

The line “Grief ain’t no song” takes my breath away. I share Marigold when we need a lesson in concision, clarity, and ensuring every single syllable of every single word delivers. Dr. Mahogany Browne is a craftswoman and her words are a gift. 28 poems for Black History Month day 3

Marigold by Mahogany L. Browne
Each flower a wilting sun
The death of a new day is never kind
Grief ain't no song
No loss is this romantic

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 03/02/2026

My students use the word ‘visceral’ to describe Smith. Ode to Gold Teeth is complex: the narration takes up space in conflicting & seeming contradictory feelings. When I want to remind my students how absurdly & beautifully human we are, we read Danez Smith. 28 poems for Black History Month day 2

ODE TO GOLD TEETH by Danez Smith
• gold gate of my grandpa's holler
o sweet midus touch of his blues hum
• honey metal which framed his prayers
o crowns that crowned his crowns
made him king when he smiled
made even his vomit expensive
• gangster grill before gangsta grillz
marked my granddaddy OG of the gin
sermon and front porch tabernacle
made everything he said sound like
gold rimmed bible, or gold rimmed tires
gangsta white walls, TV antennas
cross the back of your legs talk smart
even his punishments sparkled
• gold teeth, when i was young i thought
your mustard gleam meant my papa
was a kind of hero, alien, god
so confused on how he hid
all the suns so near his tongue
without turning to embers
how his mouth held the day hostage
but didn't swallow it. o butter glow
country tiara, ghetto kingdom of
molars. glinting hallelujah with
pork stuck near the black gums
forgive me, forgive me citizens
of my papa's death mouth
I stole you from behind his cold
lips at the funeral, I knew you were
not teeth but seeds. forgive me
I planted you behind the house
between the collards and the hull peas
I water you with daily brandy & pray
for rain. I know with enough
belief a boy will sprout from dirt
with his 24 karat skin, his whole body like 1 gold tooth, his body a yellow song, unbreakable,
worthy & rich. & I will raise him right.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 02/02/2026

I’ve never been so caught off guard by a book. It’s good to know it still happens, that there’s still room for surprise in a world full of surprises. Shockingly, The Correspondent, a novel about a devastatingly self-unaware septuagenarian white woman, is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Cover of the correspondent
"A cause for celebration." —Ann Patchett
The
Correspondent
VIRGINIA EVANS
A NOVEL
NEW
YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 02/02/2026

I’ve just finished this book and I am…undone. I’ll have more later, but when I think of why fiction is so important and so magical, this novel is all of the reasons. My heart is both heavy and full.

The
Correspondent
VIRGINIA EVANS
A NOVEL

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 01/02/2026

Lucille Clifton’s “won’t you celebrate with me” is the poem I reach for the most as I move through the world finding joy and breaking generational curses. I remind myself that “i made it up” when I stumble building a life I’ve never seen. 28 poems for Black History Month day 1

won't you celebrate with me
By Lucille Clifton
won't you celebrate with me what i have shaped into a kind of life? i had no model. born in babylon both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself? i made it up here on this bridge between starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight my other hand; come celebrate with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me and has failed.

“Between starshine and clay” tattooed on Chanea’s arm

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 30/01/2026

Today’s @poets.org Poem a Day by @dekinesoul.bsky.social is WHYYYY reading poems first thing in the morning is the move. poets.org/poem/memory-...

poets.org
Published on Academy of American Poets (https://poets.org)
Memory Poem
I am a child of wonder again and rain tells me to watch for snails and slugs.
I gather dirt, sand, and sticks for the terrarium
where I make a safe home
away from footsteps, fast cars, and ditch water.
I don't want them to die so I make them a space for living.
I ask my ma to buy lettuce
because in the book I got from the library
Ilearned they will eat lettuce.
I am greedy to learn what keeps everything alive.
Their spiral shapes leave shiny trails behind.
I imagine I am a snail leaving magic everywhere I go.
Credit
Copyright © 2026 by Marlanda Dekine. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on January 30, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
About this Poem
"When it began to rain, I stepped onto the front porch and listened, remembering how often I did this as a child. I turned to automatic writing, letting the poem come without trying to control what emerged. In crafting it, I found myself returning to that early sense of attention and wonder. I hope this poem holds the memory in a way I can return to."
—Marlanda Dekine

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 18/01/2026

Make a goal and when you meet it, get a personal pan pizza. It works.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 17/01/2026

Hey #EduSky! Here’s what I came up with for my American Lit class. I’m really excited! LMK what you think!

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 14/01/2026

In my district, students in English I & II took a full state standardized test in mid-December. They’ll take another one tomorrow. There was a two week break in between. Nonsensical. #EduSky

One of the biggest threats to public education is the sheer amount of instructional time lost to testing.
Show me a
school/district's testing calendar, and I'll tell you what they value.

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 11/01/2026

Every day, write over a “spotlight” as a bellringer. They study the text, write nonstop for 5 minutes, then share their ideas in small groups. It’s an incredible collegiate-level bellringer activity that ensures every student reads, writes, and speaks every class. Tomorrow’s spotlight:

Mike Luckovich’s political cartoon. Armed ICE agents are standing over a gunned down Lady Liberty and a word bubble above says “she was brandishing a torch…”
To the side, my directions and notes read:

Spring Spotlight #2
1) Respond to the text authentically. What do you notice?
2) Consider:
a) What is the author's message?
b) What does this text say about America?

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 06/01/2026

and using their unchecked power to terrorize marginalized folks across the world. Our students are reading, watching, and listening to the violence unfold and if we don't tell them the truth, they may never hear it and the violent white suprematists will have won.

The Madwoman in the Classroom @heymrsbond
"Yes, there is a white supremacist terrorist attack on our nation's capital right now."
We have to tell our students the truth.
2:10 PM • 1/6/21

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 06/01/2026

5 years ago, I sat on Zoom school with students who were confused & scared by what they watched unfold. It was important then & it's more important now that we tell the truth. The whole truth: the white supremacist terrorists who attacked the United States Capitol are free, emboldened,

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Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 04/01/2026

Happy new year! I love sharing this poem by @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social. I’m reminded this year of Audre Lorde: “These places of possibility within ourselves are dark because they are ancient and hidden; they have survived and grown strong through darkness.”

How Dark the Beginning
BY MAGGIE SMITH
All we ever talk of is light— let there be light, there was light then,
good light—but what I consider dawn is darker than all that.
So many hours between the day receding and what we recognize
as morning, the sun cresting like a wave that wont break
over us—as if light were protective, as if no hearts were flayed,
no bodies broken on a day like today. In any film,
the sunrise tells us everything will be all right. Danger wouldn't
dare show up now, dragging its shadow across the screen.
We talk so much of light, please let me speak on behalf
of the good dark. Let us talk more of how dark
the beginning of a day is.

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