Several years ago, I wrote a blog post about what constitutes good classroom management in urban schools. When I wrote this post, I had taught in a title I school for 5 years using comprehensible input exclusively as my approach to teaching. I was a level 5 teacher, the highest evaluation you could receive in Tennessee, and had what most would consider a “strong classroom”. My students, 100% of whom were black, were compliant, engaged, and on some days, joyful in my classroom. Everything about what I was doing as a teacher was, seemingly great.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a fellow language teacher who had read that post. Her message to me was poignant, elegant, and carried a simple message: This blog is racist and white supremacist, and you need to take it down. She highlighted some of problematic language I used in…