SEED Staff Member Judy Logan, a middle school teacher of English and social studies in San Francisco and the author of Teaching Stories, here shares the story of being an ally to LGBT students in her school. She writes about the initially negative response to her putting up a pink triangle to indicate she was someone students could turn to about LGBT matters, and how she then worked constructively with other faculty and students to create a more welcoming environment.

This post is by Allison Spire, a SEED leader and K-1 teacher at Our Community School in Chatsworth, California.

Since attending SEED New Leaders’ Week, I can no longer teach the traditional pilgrim stories (the single story) I have always known. I keep hearing the voice of Chimamanda Adichie saying in her video (in that beautiful voice), "Start the story with the arrows of the Native Americans, and not with the arrival of the British, and you have an entirely different story." At first, since I had not had an opportunity to develop new curriculum, I simply focused on a general theme of "being thankful." I believed that was, at least, better than teaching the single story—until I could get my act together.

SEED leader and San Francisco teacher Judy Logan shares her story of how using Serial Testimony, SEED's method of intentionally structured conversation, helped her multi-racial class of middle school students respond to the O.J. Simpson verdict in a constructive way, without shame or blame.