The White Rhino: A Blog about Education and Latino Issues

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Archive for May 2012

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  • About the Blogger

    Since 1995, Ray has been a public school English teacher in Chicago.

    In 2017, thanks to a former student, Ray received a Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award from Northwestern University.

    In March 2013, The White Rhino tied for second place in the Best Blog category of the Education Writers Association's national writing contest.

    Ray earned an M.A. in Writing, with distinction, and a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from DePaul University. He's been a National Board Certified Teacher for over ten years.

    He graduated from a neighborhood Chicago public high school.

    His writing aired on National Public Radio and Chicago Public Radio many times. His editorials appeared in the Chicago Tribune and on CNN's Schools of Thought blog, as well as on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' Web site. He's also written articles for NPR's Latino USA, Latino Rebels, and NewsTaco.

    Ray is also a powerlifter and an aspiring guitarist.

    For thirty years, Ray lived in Chicago's 26th Street neighborhood. Today, he lives a little more south and a little more west in the city with his wife, son, and daughter.

    Photo credit: Rocky Jara: Rocky JPhoto on Facebook

  • The Blog’s Title

    This comes from a conversation with another Latino English teacher when we met a few years ago. He said I was the only other Latino English teacher he knew: "We're white rhinos."
    According to National Geographic, there are about 20,000 southern white rhinos struggling to survive in the wild.
    The last male northern white rhino in the world died in March.
    Like the animal, Latino English teachers exist in low numbers. And we know the low number of Latinos with college degrees in our city.
    Therefore, I have a perspective that, like the white rhino, must fight to exist. The writing here includes my responses, reflections, reactions to Latino- and education-related issues.
  • Recent posts

    • Chicago Public Schools teacher discusses National Board Certification, teaching satire, and powerlifting »

      Ray Salazar, NBCT on The White Rhino: A Blog about Education and Latino Issues
      Posted May 2, 2022 at 8:43 am
    • Chicago Public Schools teachers have another option for National Board Certification »

      Ray Salazar, NBCT on The White Rhino: A Blog about Education and Latino Issues
      Posted April 5, 2022 at 9:18 am
    • Hear how a Chicago Public Schools teacher centers student voice at virtual AFT conference Tuesday, March 22 »

      Ray Salazar, NBCT on The White Rhino: A Blog about Education and Latino Issues
      Posted March 21, 2022 at 9:27 am
    • Chicago Public Schools teacher sets 3 Illinois powerlifting records »

      Ray Salazar, NBCT on The White Rhino: A Blog about Education and Latino Issues
      Posted March 13, 2022 at 1:32 pm
    • Chicago Public Schools student rejects cheating and develops a work ethic instead »

      Ray Salazar, NBCT on The White Rhino: A Blog about Education and Latino Issues
      Posted November 10, 2021 at 10:17 am
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