Ordered Steps

In her second memoir, Jodi Fernandez shares her experiences navigating New York's public school system while shedding light on the disparities that exist for both students and teachers of color. As a career changer, Fernandez chronicles her arduous journey as an unorthodox educator through a system predicated on whiteness by getting in "good trouble" and demonstrates how she ascends to a position of power and freedom by staying true herself and her beliefs social justice and most importantly, freedom. From her witty, intensely honest, Bronx-born and bred perspective, Fernandez invites the reader on her journey as a liberationist educator committed to the mutual humanization of all students--and she does so in her unique writing style reeling the reader in with pithy Hip-Hop lyrics and poignant literary call-backs. In her account, Fernandez bravely exposes the systemic racism that runs through the veins and arteries of the education system that impedes the progress of both teachers and students of color alike. Most importantly, Fernandez shares her professional and personal life lessons to offer hope and solutions to systemic issues.