Echo Chambers
by Heather Hopkins
1. I really enjoyed this video, and I hope to read some of his work. This video had several applications for the classroom. First, Wittgenstein's argument that language is often unclear, emphasizes the need for hands on examples of ideas. It is difficult to help students understand fractions solely using words, but using a pizza can illustrate the idea by showing fractions in the real world. Second, Wittgenstein's argument that exposure to a larger vocabulary helps us to better know and express how we feel, provides teachers with a possible solution to students who struggle to express themselves or who act out. I believe this could be worth investigating as a strategy. Following is a link to a list of feelings that could be used in the classroom. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/u__iLCWWREMymhk0uPGYDaumI4FeZ3_zovBWmPXX9uwlxqAYaqrUKYqr4lr0FrTQz4QRNcmOtb-2urZBaihgfLEbQ1FP0C8f66WDxj0N9bmpuhfGSXqzHlobrycewf6iIqE_OfZQfS964C063w -Francesca
2. Students Leading Classroom Discussions
3. I constantly try to add scaffolding techniques especially at this point of the year, where I am still learning the students levels. This photo is a good tool for different scaffolding techniques. https://www.google.com/search?q=teaching+scaffolding&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNT0kXM7T9viTRtOIoPEih2DwcGxHg:1567962262177&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjryKHN2sHkAhVFmeAKHRQ9AV8Q_AUIEigB&biw=1250&bih=601#imgrc=LfccU8uwSzawIM
4. Teach For America... where do I start? While a lot can be said regarding TFA and its mission, perhaps the greatest message I perpetuate is the Teacher as Change Agent which has the flip-side of Teacher as Problem. E.g. Problem in class? Teacher can solve it! = Problem in class? Teacher's fault. Tenuous relationship with this one.
5. Language Games. Ideas about how we communicate, how we fundamentally understand one another. (Watch about minute 4 onward for the tl;dr version)
6. I'm a hopeless ~romantic~. Humans are fundamentally good. See link for information on Rousseau; related to the tried-and-true high school due Hobbes & Locke.
7. Scaffolding
7.1. What Went Wrong With Teach For America
7.1.1. Connectivism
7.1.1.1. The video on connectivism has an important implication to funding and education. Every student does not have access to a computer. Before the pandemic, the school I worked at only had one cart of laptops per grade. Increasing the availability of technology has been at the forefront of the pandemic response. However, students who did not have access to technology prior to the pandemic are at a major disadvantage. First, they likely had major delays or gaps in the school year last year that schools who were already one-to-one did not have. Second, they have to learn new websites and programs at home rather than in a classroom. They also my not have learned how to type making even simple writing responses more time consuming. https://www.customlogocases.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Depositphotos_74756149_m-2015.jpg
7.1.2. While I completely understand the sentiment to not liking TFA because of the many problems, I also ask myself what other solutions are there for teacher shortages in urban schools? As of right now, TFA is one of the only ways to get teachers into urban schools because of their notoriety. I wonder what other possibilities are there to attract people to teach in places like the Greater Philadelphia Region. Is it higher pay? More secure positions? More stable administrations? I do not know the answer.
7.2. Students learn well through a model of gradual responsibility and lessons that are structured this way help to support students (I do, we do, you do.)
8. Restorative Justice
8.1. Students deserve a good morning before they deserve a demerit, correction or consequence. This idea of restorative justice in the schools we teach is super important. Our students constantly feel unable to explain themselves and constantly subjected to harsh rules in laws that inturn hurt our students. Although these rules were intended to the opposite they are in turn contributing to the achievement gap and keeping many of our schools out of school due to harsh punitive school rules. the following is a great resource on restorative practices that can be implemented in classrooms and even on a school wide culture level. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/03/implementing-restorative-practices-in-the-classroom/
8.2. Dealing with issues that arise in school in punitive ways does not actually help the issue at it's core. In order to understand why certain rules and norms are in place, students need to be able to see how their actions affect others. They need to be given space in which to voice themselves, to be heard, and to talk to each other. Without these opportunities, students only learn to do (or not to do) things because of the consequences that may come with them, rather than developing a deeper understanding of what is acceptable and what might be harmful to others.
9. ELL students and Special Education: A large percentage of the school I teach at consists of ELL students and I constantly question whether these students are receiving the right resources to succeed in class. Last year I had an ELL student that also had an IEP that I struggled to provide adequate assistance for. This student ultimately was performing on grade level for math but no one was able to effectively advocate for him. As an ELL student growing up myself, it often felt to me that I was ostracized and singled out in schools. I had the privilege of my ELL teacher also being a Korean American woman but this is not the case for all students.
9.1. Charter Schools: Coming into TFA and being placed in a large charter network such as Mastery started my teaching career with many concerns. Originally I did not know much of anything about charter schools and then began to explore the deep-rooted problems both through Teach for America and Penn. I often still find myself challenging what it means to teach at a charter school considering both the benefits that my students and their families have gained as well as the large picture concerns that are raised in education as an institution.
9.1.1. I could not agree more with some of the responses I am reading. I even remember joking with one of my co-workers about the feedback model we are supposed to be using at our school. I said it would be amazing if before we walked into this school they could just suck out all the emotion out of us. Exchanges between coaches and teachers are dry and like business exchanges. Although this system does work- it feels unauthentic. But, I think that those of us that are employed for charter schools tend to forget that we are working for businesses at the end of the day.The Promises Charter Schools Don't Make
9.1.2. I left Mastery Charter for a variety of reasons one of which was the demerit system. I believe that the strict behavior monitoring prevented students from developing their own codes of behavior and morals. At best I found that it limited student individuality preferring quiet conformity to passionate engagement. A professor at Penn wrote an article arguing that these discipline structures could hinder the development of student virtues. I have attached the link to the abstract here; however, if students are interested the full article should be available through the Penn Library. Deferring virtue: The new management of students and the civic role of schools - Sigal Ben-Porath, 2013 -Francesca
9.2. As a special education teacher, I see the effects of this every day and I think it is incredibly important to be aware of and work to go against this narrative. I also think it's really important to think about who we refer for services, and what we refer them based on. When we look at our population of special education students in comparison to our general school's demographic, if they don't match up, there is some serious self-reflection that needs to take place.
10. Race and Identity in Schools: Education has historically been another institution in which racial categories have been defined, reinforced, and reproduced. Racial integration and diversity within schools often seems to be a superficial fix to a larger problem when non-white students face different treatment and opportunities than their white peers. Additionally, an overwhelmingly white faculty at many schools leads to a disconnect between students and staff.
11. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in Schools: In order to be successful and happy students, children first require their most basic needs to be met. Providing children with their basic needs is often only considered the responsibility of the parent/guardian but when children spend 7 hours per day and 5 days per week at schools, these needs also become the responsibility of schools.
11.1. I wanted to connect this idea to my own echo chamber centered around the importance of having an SEL curriculum in school. The fundamental reason behind why I think this is so important goes right along with the idea of meeting certain needs for students first. While I am not talking about basic needs such as food, water, and safety, I do believe that the concepts of self worth and self control come as underlying basic needs before academics can be learnt.
11.2. I believe that Maslow has two implications in education. First, it reminds us that factors outside of the classroom do impact student achievement. TFA, like charter schools, take a "no excuses" approach to students and teachers. While teachers do need to try ways of helping all students meet success and have high expectations, we need to realize that teachers are not a one factor solution to educational inequity. We have a responsibility to advocate for better housing, improved economic opportunity, access to food and more if we want to see our students succeed at the same rates as more affluent students. The second implication, is ensuring we meet these needs to the best of our abilities in school. Attached is a picture showing some applications of the hierarchy within a school context. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fadvancing-k12-edtech%2Fmaslow-and-the-modern-learning-environment-8593968967cf&psig=AOvVaw1oIU73ceTjJyKDpA2Tjpax&ust=1599282891575000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCMj5v6TfzusCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
12. Awareness:
13. Effective Teaching Methods
13.1. Teachers need to be completely involved in their learning to fully grasp the information we expect them to learn. Think about it, how fun was if school when we were only asked to regurgitate facts to pass a test. We learned the most when we were asked to use our creativity to win a science fair or create a holiday and explain why it should be celebrated. Teaching requires educators to incorporate students in their learning on a consistent basis.
13.1.1. This makes me think of using guided inquiry in the classroom.I sometimes take a lesson that maybe difficult for students and use guided inquiry to get them thinking critically and creatively. It also helps them see my way of thinking while reading and serves as a model thought process. Along with that, it gives the student ownership over their education and the opportunity to get to. the answer on their own.
14. Technology: the Great Equalizer
14.1. Technology grants students of all backgrounds access to a plethora of information that is otherwise out of reach for most. The next step is to ensure that the quality of technology provided in urban schools matches up with the technology provided in suburban school districts.
15. Empathy In the classroom: As a new teacher I have been told to "be mean until October". This rhetoric is one that many new teachers hear and equates respect with power and fear. This creates an early on classroom environment of hiegherarcy, uncomfortability and distain for many students.
15.1. For Educators: How to Build Empathy and Strengthen Your School Community — Making Caring Common
15.1.1. Modeling empathy for students is essential but easier said than done, as we are all humans and make mistakes. My school's idea of a supportive community does not extend as far as I wish it did. I wish we had more school wide programming regarding empathy and what it means. I don't find that we have a negative school culture, but I don't think students are as supported as they actually need to be. I definitely think this involves a lot of reflection and collaboration as well as a plan to execute school wide with fidelity. Tough when there is such high pressure for performance, not just building well rounded individuals.
15.2. Five Steps to Create a Progressive, Student-Centered Classroom | ASCD Inservice
15.2.1. "Don't smile til November" is a phrase that I have also heard frequently at the start of my first year of teaching. Too often being strict becomes conflated proper classroom management. Being able to manage a classroom is not simply about power, control, and fear but rather creating a classroom environment of respect between students as well as between teacher and student. Power and control draw strong parallels to the traditional classroom in which teachers are at the center and students are treated as empty vessel in which knowledge is deposited. Having empathy in the classroom on the other hand creates a space in which progressive models of teaching in which students and their thinking become front and center.
15.2.1.1. Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Zinn Education Project
16. Educational Consequences: Before going to teach I remember distinctly a teacher telling me to only give reading. packets. Her explanation was rooted in the fact that her class talked too much and was. disrespectful. So when they began the lesson, if they got too loud or "unruly" she would simply hand out packets of their work to complete. This line that lies between behavioral consequence and academic consequence is one that bothers me. Students should not be punished academically for how they may struggle behaviorally in a classroom. Their learning should not be compromised or used as a reward and consequence system.
16.1. Cultural Competence: As educators it is our responsibility to educate ourselves on the many different cultures we may find in our classroom. This spans across the board from macro to micro level cultural differences. We also have a responsibility to create and build cultural competence within our classroom and expand it outward into our school.
16.1.1. Cultural competency is connected to my own echo chamber of race and identity in schools. More specifically, and importantly, cultural competence is crucial when schools have become an institution in which racial categories, expectations, and stereotypes are being reproduced. Cultural competency can also easily be misinterpreted and misrepresented by white teachers and it is truly important that we are able to distinguish accountability from appropriation and tokenization. For example, making assumptions and generalizations about student and their cultures can prove to be offensive even if a teacher meant well.
16.1.1.1. Cultural Competence for Massage Professionals (2 CEs) - Premier Continuing Education
16.2. How Leaders Can Improve Their Schools’ Cultural Competence
17. Asking "why" 5 times: As educators we are taught to think on the fly but a practice that I implemented after somewhat of an awakening has allowed my classroom dynamic to change completely. Asking why 5 times, whether. to yourself or your students, opens up dialogue and can help overcome some implicit biases you may have.
17.1. https://www.google.com/search?q=asking+why+5+times&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ACYBGNRplz8gKcmLwOSEMj6jzn9R-tc6MQ:1567962954937&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMqsyX3cHkAhWGMd8KHV5XCqEQ_AUICygC&biw=1250&bih=601&dpr=2#imgrc=valraI-XdXctIM
17.2. 5 Whys: Getting to the Root of a Problem Quickly
17.3. This is a great idea to begin dialogue in the classroom. How did you begin to implement this strategy? I feel like many students are not use to this type of questioning, so it would be uncomfortable fo r them to answer. Did you scaffold the questions in a specific way? How did you deal with student pushback to the questions?
17.3.1. The main thing for me was being very aware of my tone and body language. Those two things can take the conversation from "I'm asking because I care and want to know" to an interrogation really quickly. I also sometimes ask myself this question internally before giving feedback to a student. An example of when I didn't ask why:A student had a very nasty look on her face and I immediately went to the idea that it was attitude toward me. When in reality, she just couldn't see the board. Going forward, I always try to ask myself why the student may be doing that a few times. It slowdown my immediate reaction and allows men to think about how to approach it.
18. Allowing choice in the classroom: Allowing choice gives students the freedom to showcase their abilities while also showing them that their voice matters and is valued in the classroom.
18.1. Differentiating by Offering Choices
19. Hidden Curriculum - I also favor this theory because it helps explains the socialization of children of color and the oppressive structures that socialize them. What is the Hidden Curriculum?
20. Educational Accessibility for IEP Students and ELLs What to do first: Creating a welcoming ELL classroom environment
20.1. As students who are marginalized in various ways, I believe that ELL students and IEP students should be at the forefront of every teacher's mind when planning anything for their classroom (along with other marginalized communities).
21. White Guilt and White Fragility
21.1. https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116
22. Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson
23. Constructive Intervention
23.1. Students deserve constructive feedback. It allows for them to develop and grow cognitively. The more you show that you care about their learning, the more likely they will be less afraid to fail. Teachers are responsible for guiding students to the top, not letting them continue working to in order to stay busy.
24. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
25. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy There is a critical need for culturally relevant pedagogy in the public school system. Through experience, I have learned that students are able to understand content matter more easily when it is connected to topics that they already know and understand. CRP should be used not only in ELA, but also in Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science. The following clip is a video that explains the importance of CRP in mathematics.
26. An equal balance of procedural and conceptual is one of the foundations of my math class, although "equal" isn't the right word. I definitely gear my students more towards conceptual, but we start every lesson with the procedural. I think this practice mirrors a lot of the significance of scaffolding. For example, starting my lesson on a level everyone can get in on, and then adjusting practices as we go. It's one small thing I do--only taking up about 15 minutes of instructional time--but it makes a huge difference in my class. Procedural Fluency in Mathematics - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics I've included an article that dives deeper into the benefits of procedural fluency and the case for "saving" the process of procedure in conjunction with conceptual.
27. Controversy in the Classroom: I believe that one of the most important roles of schools is to prepare students to be active citizens and therefore agents of change. I believe that being an informed agent of change takes practice, which is why I advocate for the inclusion of controversial issues in classrooms. Controversial issues allow students the opportunity to learn about the world, develop critical thinking, and apply standards to issues that matter here and now. It grounds abstract principles of biology and chemistry into conversations about how to reduce emissions or confront climate change. It empowers students to find their voice and listen to the voices of others. Teaching About Controversial Topics Led by Dr Diana Hess
28. Positive Reinforcement Instead of Negative Discipline From readings and experience, I found that the most effective way to get my students to understand and follow positive behaviors is when they are positively reinforced. Positive reinforcement in my classroom is reinforced using the Class Dojo application. My only concern with using Class Dojo as a tool for success is that my students strive to gain the most points. This affects their learning because at times my students will not truly understand the reason why they received a point.
29. "We must Maslow before we bloom" is one of my favorite quotes which I hope reflects in my pedagogy, my classroom, and in myself as an educator. The quote is in reference to both Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Bloom's taxonomy, a hierarchical model used to classify educational learning objectives by levels of complexity and specificity.
30. Class Dojo in the Classroom and its Effect on Learning Class Dojo is used in my classroom to connect with parents, the school, the community, and to reinforce positive behavior. On the first day of school, my students and I went over why they need to follow directions and many of their responses were “to get a dojo point.” This statement concerned me and I made a point to discuss the implications of their behavior and its connection to their dojo points.
31. Students Leading Classroom Discussions Classwide discussions should be implemented in every classroom because students should be allowed to develop their own voices. As I do not have the mind of a second grader, it is imperative to my job that I learn what my students are thinking about and how they are thinking about them. Though I am a great supporter of this strategy in the classroom, it does take a lot of trust in my students to have them lead our discussions. Students need to lead the classroom, not teachers | Katherine Cadwell | TEDxStowe
32. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjejrregsXkAhXpmeAKHS1GC70QjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fascd%2Fstatus%2F1106937108940406789&psig=AOvVaw1xbEfELjFfs8Jtp3RCgIVP&ust=1568162509441900
33. I work at a charter school and I find this criticism quite apt. I personally enjoy the staff culture at my institution, but the administrative culture - in particular those who are disconnected from the actual classroom - tend to treat education like a business and teachers like salespeople. Here is an article referencing my CEO's salary as it relates to other charter CEO's. Money remains a large source of power, read threat, at my school.
34. My response to charter schools> When I initially began TFA, I was extremely upset to learn that TFA Philadelphia had a stronger connection with the charter schools in the area versus the school district schools. Before becoming a teacher, I was led to believe that charter schools were the modern day segregated schools. Though this can be true for some schools, I now understand that the charter school network is much greater than the mishaps of a few schools. As New York Charters Turn 20, Let Good Schools Flourish - Education Next
35. I am weary of falling into the echo chamber of "excellence above all" that is perpetuated at my school. Since our performance and evaluations determine our pay, teachers tend to focus on the standardized test that are evaluated. This year I have accepted that that is not a route I can afford to take because 1/2 of my 6th graders are at or below a second grade reading level and the reality of it is the curriculum I am given is at a rigorous 6th grade reading level. I have made a conscious decision to help my students build basic skills that will help them instead of forcing them to memorize a formula.
36. I loved this tedtalk! Restorative justice is something I am greatly working on this year. Last year one of my biggest regrets was not having enough restorative conversations with students. After an unfortunate event in my classroom I talked to the social worker at my school and she led me to Brene Brown's podcast as a means of learning some approaches to empathy when having restorative conversations! Best Brene Brown Podcasts (2019)
37. Project Based Learning Project Based Learning: Explained. Project Based Learning (PBL) is both a teaching strategy and a mindset. I believe that schools have a responsibility to prepare students for life outside the classroom. Project based learning goes beyond teaching students the standards by incorporating the life skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving. When I learn new strategies, I always ask myself if it covers these life skills as well as the standards. This mindset makes me challenge the focus on student test scores as the only indicator of student achievement.
38. Rita Pearson said it best, "Kids do not learn from people they don't like" https://www.google.com/search?q=rita+pierson+don%27t+like&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNSQ838twFZQCqD66S-3-4zi5Xu3jw:1567963070614&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjj6uDO3cHkAhWRUt8KHXrmCL4Q_AUIEigB&biw=1250&bih=601#imgrc=99Istt6iLm8qqM
39. The idea of struggling productively is one that most students and young kids struggle with grasping. Our kids and even us at their age, didn't believe in struggling in the moment to receive benefits in the long run. We as kids always wanted immediate results. However, this concept is super super important when it comes to the students we teach. They need to understand that sometimes they will have to make sacrifices but all these struggles are productive..a good example of this is pursuing a higher education as a first gen. students. Furthermore. in a less broader sense this idea of struggling productively is one that is super super important in math class. the idea of inquiry tasks is for students to struggle so that they can understand and grasp the formula or the concept/big idea of the day Promoting Productive Struggle in Math
40. The Power of Relationships in Schools
40.1. Last year I felt one of my few successful goals of my first year teaching were the relationships I built with my students. I think because so little was in my control and my management skills were lacking I relied heavily on my personal relationships with my kids to leverage when I needed things to happen in the lessons. Over summer upon reflection I do feel that I need to find a better balance between management and personal relationships because they can also change the tone of the classroom and challenge authority in an unproductive way. Even as an organization the leadership has fallen in to this pattern as well. There is a big push for straight talk and accountability. The balance is vital to successful learning, I hope to maintain that better this year.
41. Mine! The Power of Ownership | Bruce Hood | TEDxSouthampton
42. I wanted to connect this idea to my own echo chamber of the scaffolding theory because I think that both of these ideas really maximize on student potential and capability, regardless of what something seems like on the surface. Both ideas go off of this concept that if we give students the tools, strategies, and responsibility they need they are capable of doing work that might seem "too difficult," when in fact they just need this trust and ability to stretch their capabilities.
43. Social Thinking
44. Opportunity Gap
45. Social Emotional Learning
45.1. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) should be an important part of every child's day. That being said, skills learned in SEL should be applied and practiced throughout the day in order to reinforce important concepts including self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness. Students need these skills and practice with these skills in order to be successful in school in every facet - socially, emotionally, and academically. This goes along with the concept that students cannot fully focus on academic learning until their social and emotional needs are met.
46. ET Connects to HH: I felt immediately struck by the inclusion of The Hidden Curriculum in this web. Just recently I helped someone who has 0 experience in education or education research approach a new class in sociology. One of their papers required they analyze the attached video as part of the assignment. One thing lead to another, and a paper originally analyzing the opportunity gap became an investigation of the Hidden Curriculum as the person I was helping interrogate their own school profile compared to those afforded to low-income, urban communities.
46.1. Dewey wrote that there is an explicit and implicit curriculum. While the explicit curriculum is often how teachers are judged, the implicit curriculum is as important. Why do schools serving poor and minority students often allow less freedom, stricter discipline, and more scripted work compared to majority white suburban schools? What do these rigid discipline structures teach students? Minimizing student input and voice teaches students how to follow orders rather than how to be managers. I believe it is important for teachers to question every aspect of their school and practice to uncover what implicit messages they are teaching their students. https://image1.slideserve.com/1656845/overview-of-accreditation-implicit-curriculum-l.jpg
47. Authenticity in the Classroom:
47.1. As a first year teacher, you view veteran teachers and try to use the same tools and teaching techniques they use to succeed in the classroom. Though doing this helps in your first year, understanding that you as the teacher need to be authentic and use techniques that match your personality and values is key to succeeding. https://www.google.com/search?q=authenticity&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwicvuyh3sHkAhUxnuAKHb5jBt8Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=authenticity&gs_l=img.3..0i67l5j0j0i67l2j0l2.148678.148678..148957...0.0..0.80.80.1......0....1..gws-wiz-img.u4RnPiKkS1o&ei=bDh1XZzYNLG8gge-x5n4DQ&bih=601&biw=1250&client=firefox-b-1-d#imgrc=eoa_z-aoEuswCM
47.2. I remember
48. Productive Struggle
49. Relationships: An echochamber that has been reinforced time and time again through the situations and experiences I have had in life, at my job, and with my students is the importance of relationships. Most schools focus on zero tolerance and punitive practices that do more harm than good. The importance of building relationships with your co-workers and students can easily make a school function smoothly. Furthermore, if as educators we focused more on relationships rather than following punitive practices we could leverage student personalities in our classroom.
49.1. I'm really glad that you brought zero tolerance policies. I have found that often time these policies, while good in theory, don't allow space for mediation and. communication to work through problems. This can leave students feeling unsure of exactly where they went wrong and how to avoid similar conflicts in the future. It can be difficult when you need to follow school policy that may conflict with your personal views on education. I've found that while still enforcing these policies, we can carve out a space of our own to allow student mediation and communication.
50. Ownership:Another echo-chamber that plays a huge role in the school I teach in is ownership. Ownership plays a role in mostly all parts of our lives. If we cannot take ownership of our faults and shortcomings in front of our students they will fail to recognize we are human and will fail to take ownership of their shortcomings themselves. Furthermore, Ownership allows an individual to accept feedback and change the outcome to one that they desire.
51. This echo-chamber of self care is one that is super important to me and many of the individuals I work with. Without taking care of ourselves or finding our therapy, we would be unable to show up as the teachers our students need.
51.1. How to practice emotional first aid | Guy Winch
51.1.1. The echo chamber of self care I extremely important for ourselves and our students. Many of our students today have suffered through a traumatic experience or know someone who has. Even if our students have not experienced first hand trauma, they may be experiencing second hand trauma. Along with that, as teachers, we may experience second hand trauma from seeing them every day and experiencing this journey alongside them. It is imperative that we not only practice self care ourselves but that we also teach our students how to practice self care as well. By teaching our students different self care and coping strategies we are not only showing them the important of self care but we are modeling it for them.
51.2. Last year, when I thought of self care, I thought of sitting and doing nothing for hours. Though this is relaxing at times, I later realized self care is more than this. I needed to find things to do for myself that made me happy and took my mind off the stress of school. Activities like yoga really helped me to care for myself. https://www.google.com/search?q=yoga&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwirqOzO2sHkAhXHn-AKHV4MD80Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=yoga&gs_l=img.3..0i67l2j0j0i67l4j0j0i67j0.604784.605262..605358...0.0..0.76.285.4......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......35i39.LB4OtpQ_8Ik&ei=mTR1Xev3Hce_ggfemLzoDA&bih=601&biw=1250&client=firefox-b-1-d#imgrc=Oq22TUS0WgaTUM
52. Awareness: In all arenas of life it is extremely important for individuals to be aware of how they show up in spaces. Some of us are unaware with the privilege that exists with our identity/race and how that affects others when we say certain things. We must be always be aware and open to feedback. We must be aware of how certain practices in a classroom can or will make students feel. We must be aware of the speech and tone we use with our students and co-worker
52.1. Increase your self-awareness with one simple fix | Tasha Eurich | TEDxMileHigh
52.1.1. I loved this TED talk, and I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from simply changing "why" to "what." In our practice reflection is essential to improving our skills to benefit the students, but I do at times focus too heavily on the wrong parts of my day. I hope a simple change to "what" as my starter rather than "why" will help shift my mindset from focusing on why some part of my lesson went poorly or why a student acted as they did, to what went well or what can I do to improve my students' learning experiences.
53. Punishment as a Disservice
53.1. Punishing minority students at a disproportionate rate further perpetuates the notion that they will be less likely to achieve as much as their white counterparts. Instead of considering why these students are lashing out and misbehaving, school administrations promise to chastise them in a manner similar to the prison system. Students need to learn and be supported, not robbed of their chance of creating a better future for themselves. educators and administrators must think before we act and students will follow suit.
54. From Rethinking Schools: An Open Letter to New Teach For America Recruits
54.1. Being a part of Teach for America has made me feel incredibly uneasy from day one. From the articles of former corps members as well as veteran teachers and community members expressing their disdain for the program it is apparent that TFA creates strife in the already contentious world of education. Additionally, watching white corps member after white corps member quit the program in the middle of the year and leave students without an educator has shown to me firsthand just how toxic this program can be to students and communities in urban settings. Articles such as "An Open Letter to New Teach for America Recruits" calling them to quit is sometimes how I feel about incoming corps members. However, so much of the focus is placed on corps members that use this program to advance their professional careers outside of education, is there any way to refocus the narrative on TFA corps members turned lifelong teachers to make the program better for students in urban schools?
55. Use of Mindfulness in the Classroom
56. Three Legged Stool of Success: The support and relationships to the families of our children is highly important. Within my school we call this the "Three Legged Stool". In order for us to help the student succeed, we need help from the student, the teachers and the families.
56.1. Student Success and the Three Legs on the Education Stool
56.2. I love the visual and the idea of the "Three Legged. Stool". While many school emphasize the importance of family, they also tend to not teach teachers how to better build that relationship with parents or guardians. Has your school provided specific advice for how to do so?
57. Mismatch of race between students and teachers of color: There has been a lot of research on racial mismatch of black students and white teachers. As a non-black teacher of color, I wonder how my racial mismatch is affecting my classroom.
57.1. Furthermore, the racial mismatch of white teachers and non-black students of color. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0038040712444857
57.2. I'm really glad that you brought this up! My situation is slightly different, being a white woman with a classroom of predominately black students. I often think about how my students are responding to me and how I may be having an effect on them. I found that, being an ELA teacher, one. thing that has benefited my classroom greatly is representation in my library. Making sure that my students have powerful women and men of color to serve as role models, authors, and protagonists in their stories.
57.2.1. I also feel this way in my school that is majority Latinx. I am able to connect with my students through our mutual knowledge of the Spanish language, but I am constantly seeking better ways to connect with my students and their families. I think at time this affects my students' trust in me.
58. Religion in the Classroom: As a teacher in a charter school, we do not teach outright religion but many of my students religious culture comes to play within the classroom. I wonder how I can add religion within my lesson without crossing the line.
58.1. My question to you is what line are you concerned about crossing. I know as teachers we are not supposed to be preaching a religion, but I see that as very different than incorporating it into the classroom for the sake of your students. I think one thing you could do to start is acknowledge religious holidays that are not just Christian holidays. While it is no where near enough to begin to make students feel comfortable in the classroom, it opens a conversation for all students about celebrations and belief systems.
59. The rise of white supremacy and all its manifestations is a topic that consistently circulates in my mind due to my experience as a person of color. As the video states, white supremacists no longer wear white hoods, but rather dress like everyday professionals now. When reading research by white individuals, I instinctively begin to wonder the racist implications that may be underlying the data.
60. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy TrillEDU: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy... | Jeffrey Dessources | TEDxNewJerseyCityUniversity
61. Bootstrap Theory- Coming from an underprivileged community, I sometimes fall into this mindset because I was able to "make it out of the hood."
61.1. Challenging The Bootstrap Myth | Antonio Valdés | TEDxPhiladelphia
62. Homophobia and Heterosexism in Academia
62.1. Homophobia and/or Heterosexism - what's the difference - ABBI
62.1.1. This makes me reflect upon my school's environment and the outspokenness of my students as well as their interactions. These mindsets and actions are highly detrimental to my students growth and personal relationships, but are pervasive especially among middle schoolers.