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Christine Esposito

@msespo.bsky.social

1.7K followers 1.8K following 690 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 · 22h

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 · 1d

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 · 1d

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 · 1d

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 · 1d

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

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 2d

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

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 3d

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 · 3d

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 · 3d

Yesssssss! I love merging the two whenever I can.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 3d

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 · 3d

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 · 3d

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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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 3d

Fall break. I wish we had a fall break, though to be fair, I don't mind getting out in May, but right now I wish we had fall break.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 4d

Oh yep. When I pull out a Blooket they're always asking to do the "all right" ones. My children, have you MET me?

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 4d

What?!

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 6d

The damage some teachers do is real & it's hidden. If not hidden, it's not obviously actionable. How do we change that?

How do we make it so that teachers can be disciplined & removed for things that, if you're not looking, you won't see?

Racism is real. It's there, whether you see it or not.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

This whole thread gave me the goosebumps. It is the perfect encapsulation of what it is to teach when the World is on Fire.

Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 7d

Reasons to Teach High School English when the World is on Fire

Black girls in advanced academics who write literary analyses about “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Queer kids who call the English Department The Fruit Factory. Allowables and Legacies by Nikki Giovanni.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

THAT PAGE. Gives me chills. EVERY TIME.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 7d

To some of my early career colleagues: We need and love your energy AND we know stuff too. Many of us keep up with research, pedogogy, & read a lot. I know I've been teaching for 25 years, but I'm really fucking good at it because I choose to keep learning.

Your palpable disdain is not a good look.

Reposted by Christine Esposito

Ashley C. Ford @smashfizzle.bsky.social · 7d

As long as the loudest folks on the left insist tone-policing, compromise on human rights, and acquiescence are our only options for a unified country, they will continue to lose the faith of the marginalized. And even when they win, they’ll just be waiting to lose the same way again.

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Reposted by Christine Esposito

WuTangIsForTheChildren @wutangforchildren.bsky.social · 8d

RIP Jane Goodall 🙏

Her Trump description:

"I see the same sort of behavior as a male chimpanzee will show when he’s competing for dominance with another"

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 8d

I know this is likely a hot take, but middle school kids are just my favorite age group.

On any given day they can be the best & the worst in the same 10 min. They are trying to juggle all the things: hormones, school being an increasingly complex place, & friends.

It is the wildest, best ride.

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Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 10d

Thoughts, prayers and gloves heading your way.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 10d

If they want to build math anxiety in kids they're certainly on the right track.

Christine Esposito @msespo.bsky.social · 11d

This is one of my monthly automatic donations. @eji.org is even more important today.

Phil Mandelbaum @philmandelbaum.bsky.social · 12d

We’re crowdfunding for @eji.org, a charitable org dedicated to “ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.”

tiktok.com/@thisisawkword

The United States incarcerates its citizens more than any other country. Mass incarceration disproportionately impacts the poor and people of color and does not make us safer. EJI is working to end our misguided reliance on over-incarceration.

The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but nearly 25% of its incarcerated population.

Our spending on jails and prisons reached $87 billion in 2015, an increase of 1000% from the $7.4 billion spent in 1975.

In 1972, there were only 200,000 people incarcerated in the United States. Today that number has grown to 2.2 million.