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Kerry Graham

Kerry

Kerry Graham writes regular essays as part of The Baltimore Banner's Creatives in Residence program, which amplifies the work of community artists and writers from the Baltimore region. Kerry lives, teaches, writes, and kayaks in Southeast Baltimore. Her vignettes — true, tiny stories about teaching — have been published in numerous literary journals. She shares her experiences with anxiety, body image, and self-compassion in her personal essays, some of which have appeared in HuffPost. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Kerry is grateful for the laughter she and her students (or, as she calls them, her lovelies) share daily.

Latest content by Kerry Graham

Supporters cheer as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
I am a white woman voting for Kamala Harris. But that isn’t enough.
I finally understand that I owe my country more than my single vote. I owe it my time and effort to impact other voters, says former teacher Kerry Graham.
Oct 30, 2024
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, center, hugs his children during the final day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill.
Commentary: Let’s choose a teacher as our next vice president
I was excited when presidential candidate Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz, once a teacher, as her running mate. As a former teacher myself, I instinctively trust educators.
Oct 26, 2024
Illustration of a school sign with bullet holes.
When I was a student, school shootings were rare. As a teacher, they were expected.
School shootings have become more widespread and expected across America than in previous generations.
Sep 17, 2024
Illustration shows woman, all red, surrounded by orange and red clouds of anger, wiping condensation away from window to see activists outside.
Can I complain about gun violence when I am not doing enough to stop it?
For far too long, I’ve been a hypocrite, expecting action and change from others with no effort of my own.
Aug 5, 2024
JD Vance, wearing a blue suit and blue tie, speaks while Donald Trump, wearing a dark suit and red tie, stands over his shoulder watching.
I don’t want kids. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance’s comments about women who don’t have children insults their right to make choices about their own lives.
Jul 26, 2024
Kerry Graham
I went back to the classroom after a mental health break. It wasn’t what I expected.
Former teacher Kerry Graham went back to the classroom as a tutor and realized that healing is not linear but complicated and disorienting.
Jul 6, 2024
Illustration shows black geometric fragments falling from the sky, partially obscuring the faint outline of Key Bridge central span. In the background a sunrise starts to illuminate the darkness.
Grieving my brother and the Key Bridge
Kerry Graham on taking the time to grieve, even when others have moved on.
May 7, 2024
Illustration of three bookcases tipping back from left to right, books falling off the shelves, and four librarians standing on right side of shelves trying to keep them from falling.
Commentary: Why book bans are dangerous
Kerry Graham argues that restricting books limits our access to think for ourselves.
Apr 20, 2024
Illustration shows group of diverse people walking toward the viewer with determination, while one woman stands far behind in the background, looking back toward the sunset.
Commentary: I am not yet looking ahead in 2024 — and that’s OK
Before I launch myself into what’s next, I need to look back at how major life challenges changed not just my realities, but also my priorities.
Jan 7, 2024
When grief doesn’t take a holiday
I don’t put Christmas decorations up this year. Nor do I dread the day itself. I just want it to slip by, a whisper of whatever it will be — horrible or even happy.
Dec 24, 2023
Illustration shows students and female teacher holding hands, with a gap in the middle of the image. They casts shadows which become the silhouettes of other people barely visible against the wall behind them.
Reflecting on the 11th anniversary of Sandy Hook
A former teacher remembers what it was like being in the classroom a week after 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012.
Dec 14, 2023
Illustration of white woman holding open book, looking at image of Black gender nonconforming person; open books in background recede diagonally, showing images of adopted East Asian daughter with white parents; an older woman of color; and a landscape.
Books can help us all understand each other better
Research speaks to what I’ve been lucky enough to witness and personally enjoy again and again. Reading books gives us glimpses into the lives of strangers, makes us more empathetic.
Nov 26, 2023
Illustration of boy pushing through a cloud of large spiky shapes to get to the other side.
Slow his feet: How a former teacher helped one student
Former teacher Kerry Graham helps coach a student through his anxiety about confronting others.
Nov 7, 2023
Illustration of white woman, on left side of composition, sitting on hill at dawn overlooking school building with American flag and row houses, stars radiating outward from the school.
For the first time I won’t be in the classroom for the start of school
Because I recently made the difficult decision to leave teaching, this will be one of the few times in my life that I won’t be in the classroom to feel the back-to-school inspiration.
Aug 29, 2023
Illustration of woman with braided hair, eyes closed, resting hand over heart full of many different students.
Why have children when I have my lovelies?
How one woman handles the awkward question about wanting children.
Aug 20, 2023

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