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The NBA’s Golden State Warriors, educators, students and others are standing up to say, “I pledge to stand up to all forms of hate, bigotry and bullying.”

A new literacy landscape has emerged that is whispering farewell to the clothbound books of my childhood. Classrooms today are moving away from traditional print-based texts to incorporate digital media, often referred to as “new literacies.” Elementary school classrooms now come equipped with Smart Boards, computers and even iPads.

Many times in my career, I have heard a colleague warn, “Watch out for that one! He’s trouble!” Students quickly gain a reputation with the teachers. In an effort to help each other, teachers may offer a warning about a challenging student. I’ve learned not to believe everything I’m told.

It’s undeniable. Technology is in the classroom in new and instructive ways. Flipped classrooms and interactive instruction videos created by teachers for use by students at home are becoming more popular. Teachers are emerging as bloggers, creating classroom websites and using other digital products. Technology offers the potential to level the playing field for students without direct access to resources available to other students in more affluent schools.

In sports, machismo and closeted sexuality prevail. And players courageous enough to talk about their sexual orientation are, sadly, not on equal footing.

Have you noticed students being excluded in your classroom? A new seating arrangement can make all the difference.

Envisioning schools that affirm and protect Black students means reckoning with a long history of racist punishment.