Read on Twitter
So, this is where we find ourselves -- the intersection of intent & impact. 1) I wholeheartedly assume that you are an excellent teacher based on the philosophies & ideas you share. 2) Where that falls short for me in this conversation is exactly there: philosophies & ideas. 1/ https://twitter.com/MsAbeja/status/1316738190636535815
I have not engaged, at all, by choice, as publishers, content creators, & hardworking teachers have had their names dragged through the mud, publicly, without end. Do we need to address our materials & practices? Obviously. Are we all doing the best we can? Probably. 2/
When we know better, we do better. Plus, your (public) tweets (& their replies) seemed more like reflective musings, not for me to reply to -- totally fair. But this is where I draw the line -- when is it enough? When are we enough for you? Bob's & my message was exactly the 3/
opposite of your interpretation as stated. We were saying, in sum: Is Twitter the place for these interpersonal convos? I'd say no -- it's too complex. My friends and colleagues KNOW that they can come to me if I step out of line & we discuss these issues frequently, together. 4/
They are people in real life & we have a relationship. They SEE my daily practice, & vice versa -- we aren't just surmising based on philosophies & ideas. Should we call injustices out? Of course. Am I being fragile & avoiding that happening publicly? No -- I'm simply waiting 5/
for the specific example: "Hey, Meredith, I saw ___ on ____ & I'd like to push your thinking in hopes you change/consider ___," period. We ALL welcome that convo all day every day. But that hasn't been how a lot of these conversations go. I appreciate your resources & all 6/
your input & contributions. What I can't get down with is you taking more than you give, talking in circles, & hiding behind the mask of, "Well, I'm always the pot-stirrer, soooo this will be unpopular." No, you're not -- you're a kind teacher w/ on-point approaches who works 7/
hard for her students. That part is clear. What isn't clear is the 'why' behind conference attendance shaming, calling out "CI Royalty", & using other people's vulnerability as an opportunity to be the woke police of everyone. I'm of course not saying everything needs to be 8/
positive Pollyanna all the time -- quite the opposite. I'm saying that teachers are openly sharing, talking, & contributing in ways that I don't see you doing. To the contrary & their & your detriment (my perception), you insist on using social media, screenshots, & more to 9/
discredit said people & then you blame cancel culture for being muted, blocked, etc., when *you* made the choice to invade people's peace via notifications, tags, & lists. Instead, why not offer solutions? (give vs. take) When I asked if creators owe us a constant stream of 10/
updated resources, I wasn't saying AT ALL that I don't think they do -- they do! So, can you help them? You know so much; pony up some cash for Streamyard & host an #OwnVoices series; don't just make an anonymous, passive-aggressive spreadsheet w/ book titles & start threads 11/
with "some thoughts" -- reflections are critical but what is the follow-up contribution? If "the work" is as important as we know it is, then surely said cash can be found, borrowed, whatever, & who benefits? Teachers! & then in turn, students! What I'm mostly saying is that 12/
you are so valuable to our community as language Ts & I want others to continue seeing that, not dismiss you because they perceive you to be hard to work w/. You have a LOT to give, like you DM'd me those resources over the summer for the equity docs I was putting together 13/
w/ Bob. I really appreciated that -- others, not so much. Some very outspoken people simply said, "That giant chat is overwhelming to me bc I saw it late. Is there anything specific you hoped I'd contribute?" w/o further response to my reply. That's totally fine, but I have a 14/
feeling that same person would assume malintent if someone said, "Wow, you tagged me in a VERY long thread, & I got overwhelmed, can we talk instead?" But, then there's the fear of that convo being broadcasted to Twitter, then maybe FB, and back, etc. 15/
Frankly, I'm done worrying about if you think I'm doing enough & wasting mental real estate on noise from ppl who aren't directly in my life. like colleagues & ss of color whose LIVED EXPERIENCES I value more. They mean the world to me & I listen to them every single day. 16/
EVERYONE should look critically at their practice, EVERY SINGLE DAY, in EVERY SINGLE WAY. But am I going to lose any more literal sleep over how I could do things differently to appease *you* from afar, on social media no less? Absolutely not. I hope that you will continue to 17/
push others in crucial ABAR teaching, learning, the whole bit. But, until you build up & contribute as much as you tear down & take, I'm not engaging about this on Twitter because I'm dedicating to doing more of what you yourself have advocated for: listening more. 18/
&, please know, that when you host those discussions, start that blog, present those webinars, & get your voice heard in positive ways, I will be the first to sign up. I'm not canceling the conversation, I just think that your energy, esp if it's on work away from your fam, 19/
is better spent. &, because we both care deeply about the #langchat, #WLbookaudit, #BlackLivesMatter 
, & #OwnVoices communities, I don't want your work to go unseen / be seen in the wrong way(s). 20/
, & #OwnVoices communities, I don't want your work to go unseen / be seen in the wrong way(s). 20/
Exhibit A: why Twitter sucks for important stuff: writing this was tricky b/c of its stupid thread/replies disconnects, & the algorithms don't always allow for seeing certain content. I hadn't even seen that you replied until you tagged me, & even then it was after the fact. 21/
Not to mention (Iâm remembering where my thoughts left off 
) there are varying degrees of anonymity here. My districts HR & some of my own admin follow me, & many others, heck my school website is linked! I think we need to respect the WHY behind people engaging or not. 22/
) there are varying degrees of anonymity here. My districts HR & some of my own admin follow me, & many others, heck my school website is linked! I think we need to respect the WHY behind people engaging or not. 22/
