Parenting, Protesting, and Protecting: Confronting Political Elephants in the Classroom

The past year and a half has been quite interesting, as it has been filled with extreme ups and downs that I never imagined I would face in academia and while parenting. When I completed my PhD in curriculum and instruction in 2012, I had no doubt about my ability to prepare teachers for the classroom. I had no doubt about my ability to engage preservice and in-service teachers in critical yet thoughtful rhetoric regarding teaching, learning, and the history of public education in the United States. I had no doubt that I would be able to contribute positively to the education and thought of the next wave of scholars who would undoubtedly find ways to make their research applicable to K-12 classrooms around the world. I am five years out of my doctoral studies, and, while I still have very few doubts about my abilities to effectively prepare the next wave of teachers, my education did not and could not prepare me for the aftershocks of the 2016 presidential campaign and the impact that it is having on my students and the beautiful child that I am raising to be a strong woman of integrity and a productive American citizen.