In classrooms throughout Holyoke Public Schools, students at all grade levels are focusing on the lives and stories of prominent Black people, as well as children’s books and novels centered around characters who are Black, and on classroom lessons that affirm and reinforce positive self images for all students, as part of the district’s celebrations for Black History Month.
McMahon School reading specialist Maureen Dunn, for example, has been centering social-emotional learning and classroom discussions this month through Morning Meetings with students through a variety of lenses, including news, affirmations, and read-along story presentations embedded into the curriculum.
Leading off one of her presentations was a video recording of Pastor Bernard Smith speaking to students about why we celebrate joy during Black History Month. Pastor Smith was born in Holyoke and is known for his motivational speeches. He spoke at the Black Lives Matter march in Holyoke in 2020. Resources for her weekly discussions are compiled in this slideshow presentation. The presentation was developed by Ms. Dunn and McMahon math coach Yaraliz Soto based on a template they accessed through the Teachers Pay Teachers.