Jess Lifshitz
@jess5th.bsky.social
Fifth grade teacher who believes we can use reading and writing to make the world a better place.
I’d be curious to know how many people at the large national teacher conferences are classroom teachers. It just seems like such a far away world to what’s happening in our classrooms these days.
November 16, 2025 at 3:31 PM
I’d be curious to know how many people at the large national teacher conferences are classroom teachers. It just seems like such a far away world to what’s happening in our classrooms these days.
I think about what we, as educators, will say in years from now when we are asked, “How did you help kids through the crisis when human beings were being dragged off the streets by masked folks with guns?” For some of us the answer is sadly going to be, “Oh. We doubled down on phonics instruction.”
November 7, 2025 at 12:31 PM
I think about what we, as educators, will say in years from now when we are asked, “How did you help kids through the crisis when human beings were being dragged off the streets by masked folks with guns?” For some of us the answer is sadly going to be, “Oh. We doubled down on phonics instruction.”
This year the letter home about Halloween costumes and ways to help us ensure they are not harmful, feels particularly important. Teachers, please feel free to use in whatever ways feel helpful!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Halloween Letter Home
Dear Families and Caretakers, Halloween is quickly approaching! While dressing up and celebrating the holiday provide opportunities for fun and community building, they can also create situations w...
docs.google.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:20 PM
This year the letter home about Halloween costumes and ways to help us ensure they are not harmful, feels particularly important. Teachers, please feel free to use in whatever ways feel helpful!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Teachers: DO NOT DEBATE ICE IN YOUR CLASSROOM! To ask students to witness their own humanity and safety being debated by their classmates is harmful. This is a reality that is causing harm and fear and pain to so many young people.
October 23, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Teachers: DO NOT DEBATE ICE IN YOUR CLASSROOM! To ask students to witness their own humanity and safety being debated by their classmates is harmful. This is a reality that is causing harm and fear and pain to so many young people.
What they are asking us to do is not teaching. It is moving through curriculum. And I fear for what that means for our students.
October 4, 2025 at 3:23 PM
What they are asking us to do is not teaching. It is moving through curriculum. And I fear for what that means for our students.
Yes, there is good reason to be deeply concerned about what is happening in our schools. But no, it is not because of our test scores.
September 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Yes, there is good reason to be deeply concerned about what is happening in our schools. But no, it is not because of our test scores.
Reposted by Jess Lifshitz
We hope you’ll join us in the work of building toolkits that help us create LGBTQ-affirming schools. Register today to secure your spot! 2/2 #IREL25
September 5, 2025 at 2:03 AM
We hope you’ll join us in the work of building toolkits that help us create LGBTQ-affirming schools. Register today to secure your spot! 2/2 #IREL25
Reposted by Jess Lifshitz
We can’t imagine moving through the world of education without the light that Jess consistently provides for children, families, and communities. Now more than ever we need this light and each other. 1/2
September 5, 2025 at 2:03 AM
We can’t imagine moving through the world of education without the light that Jess consistently provides for children, families, and communities. Now more than ever we need this light and each other. 1/2
The school year has started and I find myself already in desperate need of the kind of community rooted in justice and liberation. I am so grateful that @sonjacherrypaul.bsky.social and @triciaebarvia.bsky.social are bringing us back together again for another Teaching Towards Freedom.
August 31, 2025 at 9:31 PM
The school year has started and I find myself already in desperate need of the kind of community rooted in justice and liberation. I am so grateful that @sonjacherrypaul.bsky.social and @triciaebarvia.bsky.social are bringing us back together again for another Teaching Towards Freedom.
Y’all. I’m trying something new this year. I am going to completely ignore the start of the school year. Until it arrives. I’m going to hold on to summer until it is gone. I’m going to welcome my students with a big open heart and a lot of love and whatever I can plan in the time I’m given.
August 8, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Y’all. I’m trying something new this year. I am going to completely ignore the start of the school year. Until it arrives. I’m going to hold on to summer until it is gone. I’m going to welcome my students with a big open heart and a lot of love and whatever I can plan in the time I’m given.
How you know back to school time is right around the corner…
July 31, 2025 at 6:19 PM
How you know back to school time is right around the corner…
I’m running a PD in a few weeks where we are using Dr. Barbara J Love’s framework for developing a liberatory consciousness as we center the stories of young people talking about their school experiences and how those experiences were impacting by various facets of identity.
July 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I’m running a PD in a few weeks where we are using Dr. Barbara J Love’s framework for developing a liberatory consciousness as we center the stories of young people talking about their school experiences and how those experiences were impacting by various facets of identity.
For two decades now, I have worked with my fifth grade colleagues to build a literacy curriculum that weaves together reading and writing instruction with the kind of work that helps kids understand the ways in which we can use reading and writing to create positive change in the world.
July 15, 2025 at 9:01 PM
For two decades now, I have worked with my fifth grade colleagues to build a literacy curriculum that weaves together reading and writing instruction with the kind of work that helps kids understand the ways in which we can use reading and writing to create positive change in the world.
July 1, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Jess Lifshitz
These three women are writing dissents like our lives depend on it. I’m grateful for their work documenting the severity of the crises of this moment.
June 28, 2025 at 1:47 PM
These three women are writing dissents like our lives depend on it. I’m grateful for their work documenting the severity of the crises of this moment.
Today, the anger came first. In response to a myriad of Supreme Court decisions released today, and in particular on the case involving LGBTQ+ related books in public schools, I feel the anger really strongly. Clearly. And that anger is justified.
June 27, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Today, the anger came first. In response to a myriad of Supreme Court decisions released today, and in particular on the case involving LGBTQ+ related books in public schools, I feel the anger really strongly. Clearly. And that anger is justified.
Small bits of hope, friends. Small bits of hope.
In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done.
My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it.
I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.
My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it.
I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.
June 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Small bits of hope, friends. Small bits of hope.
Help needed! I’m running a workshop focusing on helping a group of mostly straight, cisgender, white educators better understand the impact school has on marginalized young people. I’m looking for voices of marginalized young people sharing school experiences in writing, video, podcast, etc.
June 5, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Help needed! I’m running a workshop focusing on helping a group of mostly straight, cisgender, white educators better understand the impact school has on marginalized young people. I’m looking for voices of marginalized young people sharing school experiences in writing, video, podcast, etc.
Don’t show me you are an educator who supports LGBTQ+ students by posting a statement on social media. Show me by reading books with your students with LGBTQ+ people and by interrupting homophobic hate speech every single time you hear it and by weaving LGBTQ+ people into your instruction.
June 4, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Don’t show me you are an educator who supports LGBTQ+ students by posting a statement on social media. Show me by reading books with your students with LGBTQ+ people and by interrupting homophobic hate speech every single time you hear it and by weaving LGBTQ+ people into your instruction.
This year, for teacher appreciation week, maybe we can have less coffee mugs and candles and instead have more speaking up. Speak up to defend public education…
May 3, 2025 at 2:45 PM
This year, for teacher appreciation week, maybe we can have less coffee mugs and candles and instead have more speaking up. Speak up to defend public education…
A beautiful response in the face of hate.
In Deerfield, IL tonight for a District 109 school board meeting.
A small crew from Moms for Liberty is here, supposedly to give public comment. Community members in support of trans students also here in large numbers with many signs and flags.
A small crew from Moms for Liberty is here, supposedly to give public comment. Community members in support of trans students also here in large numbers with many signs and flags.
April 11, 2025 at 1:44 AM
A beautiful response in the face of hate.
Does anyone else feel like our schools are becoming places with less and less joy? Places that are just harder and sadder to exist in? Is it testing season? Or is it something more?
April 8, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Does anyone else feel like our schools are becoming places with less and less joy? Places that are just harder and sadder to exist in? Is it testing season? Or is it something more?
Oh, this day. Dismantling of the Department of Education. And. The district I teach in is about to adopt a packaged literacy curriculum that is known for lacking cultural responsiveness. I am so worried about what happens next in our schools and for our students and for our teachers.
March 20, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Oh, this day. Dismantling of the Department of Education. And. The district I teach in is about to adopt a packaged literacy curriculum that is known for lacking cultural responsiveness. I am so worried about what happens next in our schools and for our students and for our teachers.
This week, my district made the decision of which scripted, packaged literacy program we will be purchasing for next year. After spending 20 years building a literacy curriculum I am so proud of, next year I’ll be reading out of a workbook. I don’t know how we keep doing this, friends.
March 20, 2025 at 11:42 AM
This week, my district made the decision of which scripted, packaged literacy program we will be purchasing for next year. After spending 20 years building a literacy curriculum I am so proud of, next year I’ll be reading out of a workbook. I don’t know how we keep doing this, friends.