Freedom Dreaming at NCTE 2023
Dr. Tonya Perry and Jacqueline Woodson My last three posts have been reset to draft. I wrote three posts, published them, and then after careful thought of who might read what I had written, I reset them back to "draft." Unpublished. Unread. I am writing on my blog site for myself because I am too afraid to post my truth. Let that sink in for a moment. This is a less visible form of censorship--perhaps an invisible form of censorship--where writers and creatives no longer feel safe to publish, talk about, teach, or otherwise communicate their thoughts, feelings, and recollections on life and current events. Teachers self-censor. This chilling effect has been written about in the news, especially regarding teachers and their curriculum. The idea is that all school districts have to do is fire one or two teachers, push strong recommendations, and increase observations, and teachers will automatically shift their content, pedagogical stances, and teaching practices to avoid get
