This Is Not A Test

José Vilson writes about race, class, and education through stories from the classroom and researched essays. His rise from rookie math teacher to prominent teacher leader takes a twist when he takes on education reform through his now-blocked eponymous blog, TheJoseVilson.com. He calls for the reclaiming of the education profession while seeking social justice.

José Vilson is a middle school math educator for in the Inwood/Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. He writes for Edutopia, GOOD, and TransformED / Future of Teaching, and his work has appeared in Education Week, CNN.com, Huffington Post, and El Diario / La Prensa.

Table of Contents

ON PERSPECTIVE [AN INTRODUCTION]3
PLEASE PUT YOUR PENCILS DOWN9
PRELUDE TO A HURRICANE20
CAN IT BE THAT IT WAS ALL SO SIMPLE THEN?32
A SYNOPSIS OF THE ROAD LESS WANTED44
FALSE KINGS54
THE ANSWER65
The Post-TFA Assessment72
BLUE MAGIC80
THE HOMEROOM IS A HOME87
SNITCHES OPEN STITCHES96
ON THE REASON WHY YOU DON’T SEE MORE BLACK / LATINO TEACHERS ... YET102
THE FINE ART OF THE CLASSROOM JOKE117
WHAT HAPPENED123
IT DOESN’T MATTER WITH ME NOW132
RACE AND EDUCATION WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY139
TECHNICALLY, IT’S CALLED CONVENIENT IGNORANCE147
WHY YOU POST-RACIALISTS GET IT WRONG … AGAIN153
BAND OF BROTHERS159
GOD GOT JOKES (THE CASE OF 702)172
IT’S THE LIFE180
GENESIS OF A NEMESIS187
WHITE NOISE (ON BEHALF OF RUBEN REDMAN)193
GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD198
A CAUTIONARY NOTE TO BURGEONING TEACHER LEADERS [THE EAGLE VS THE HUMMINGBIRD]206
CONSIDER TEACHING211
ON THE STATE OF TEACHER VOICE216
AFTERWORD232