Ohio Advisory Board Materials

When I heard the title, Teaching For Equity and Justice, I honestly was a little annoyed because I feel like equity has become such a buzzword in education today. And so my question for Facing History was, how is this going to be different? I had attended a number of Facing History professional development sessions before. And I wanted a fresh take on this issue of equity and justice in schools because so many books had come out. So many speakers.

And thankfully, this was welcome news to someone like me who's equity minded. But I really wanted to see how this training was going to be different. This professional development really helped me reflect on my classroom, and what it means to be a part of my classroom. So many other professional development sessions that I've been to are really, really content heavy. This professional development is so much more about ways of being in your classroom. A few things that really resonated with me during this professional development were around the issues of how I perceive myself as a teacher of middle school students.

I am, whether I like it or not, a giant in my classroom. And I need to operate as if the world were made of cardboard. That doesn't mean that my students are soft. They are resilient. They are incredibly strong. But it does mean that every single word, every glance, every repetition that I use in my classroom has to be purposeful so that I'm encouraging and building up students. And not tearing anyone down.

My why for teaching with equity and for justice is a reminder that I want my students to experience the same types of educational experiences that I want for my sons. If I don't want the same things for my students that I want for my sons, then that's nothing short of being hypocritical. Teaching for equity and justice today means that I'm mindful of what my students are learning, but I put more emphasis on the how and the why in which they're learning that particular content. It also means that I have to keep a keen eye on student perceptions in my classroom. Regardless of what I might believe about how I'm being perceived in my classroom, I have to hear from my students.

So teaching for equity and justice means listening. Deeply listening to the words and the voices of my students even when it might be difficult to hear. I think the training pushed me to not just reflect with nostalgia, but to take a critical view of the ways in which in my educational experiences I haven't been advantaged, and the ways in which I did not see how my classmates or those around me were disadvantaged. Whether they be people of color, or even the young women in my classes.

I think as I've done that reflection, I can find and have been able to find some critical and crucial points in my own educational experiences where I received an education that was meant to promote the success of people who looked like me. People who had experiences like me. I think so much of what I took away from the teaching with equity and justice professional development was a reminder to look at the past with a lens for equity.

These are not new issues. And these are not new solutions. So it's really humbling and important for us to look back at the words of the people who came before us who were silenced, or who we've forgotten. And it was just an incredible reminder of not just why it's important to learn history, but why it's important to learn and reflect on how we learn history. And how the educational experiences that we have as students shape who we are for the rest of our lives.

I have a lot of purpose, and really see the impact of what I'm doing every day. I love coming to work. I love my students. And I don't see that changing. Educational equity means to me that everybody gets the shot they deserve. I don't think your race, your income, or your address should define what you're able to do, what you do. I think everyone should have that choice. And they should be able to make their dreams a reality.

I think educational equity is the recognition that everything doesn't look the same for every kid. If we're going to give every kid the shot they deserve, then like every kid is going to need different kinds of supports. We're going to have to meet them where they are, and give them what they need to be successful. In order to move forward, we have to have some uncomfortable conversations. And really think deeply about what's working, what's not working, and how are you going to get there.

And the reason why we and I wanted to do it with Facing History is because I don't think there's anybody better than just recognizing that these uncomfortable conversations have to happen. But they can happen productively when they're facilitated thoughtfully and intentionally with a deep understanding that we all bring stuff to the conversation. None of us are perfect.

And putting that forward, and then also putting the kids first. Because we care this much, let's figure it out. Let's talk about it. And let's really do the work of changing what we do, why we do it, and how we do it so that we can serve the kids better and empower them to be the people that we believe they can be.

Recognizing that the way folks are going to get there, and the time it takes them to evolve and adapt will look different, feel different, sound different for every single person. I think what I've taken from it is like this need to sort of slow down and look around and really thoughtfully move forward versus try to just run everybody to the front of the line, and fix everything immediately-- that's not how it works. There's hundreds and hundreds, and thousands of years of history that have led up to this moment. These conversations. And it's going to take more than one hour, more than one conversation, more than one Ted Talk to evolve from where we are.

It is a meaningful but slow and gradual process. But it is a process that without getting into it won't happen. It's the process that can be avoided. And I would say when you're avoiding it, you're probably moving backwards. So to really move forward, you first have to just put a step out there. And I think Facing History and Ourselves, and this programming really showed me what it looks like to really take that step forward. How we message sort of the stories of our students.

There's this sort of asset versus deficit based thinking. And just really thinking about how we present our students as they move forward. So we have these meetings where we talk about the upcoming class and who's coming into your room. And just really try to think about how we framing that in all of the amazing things each kid is bringing to your room. Or are we sometimes letting some of the students struggles, or things that stand out maybe in a negative way overshadow the positives about those students. And so just really thinking deeply about what we can do to orient ourselves and frame conversations so that adults are set up to think from an asset based mindset. And kids are set up to benefit from how they're being portrayed, and how they're being seen by the adults in the building.

What do the conversations actually look like when we talk about the kids coming into your classroom? And so we've intentionally asked really specific questions that are asset based. How do they learn best? When do you see them finding the most joy in their learning? What should the teacher know about how this student can be successful in your class? And basically trying to give every kid a clean slate when they walk into your room. And just a positive light. So that you see every kid with the same positive thought and smile when they walked into your room on the first day.

We've really tried to implement them this spring to really hear what the teachers are feeling like is going well for them, and also what's not. And where they think we're serving the kids well, and where they think we're not. And we've been able to take that feedback and do some quick course changes in the short term. But also to think deeply about what is the medium and long term look like in the school. And again, it's rooted in this idea, this understanding, that the teachers are the ones closest to the work. And what they think, what they feel, what they say not only matters, but should be acted on.

And so just really trying to create these spaces through fishbowls for them to really share out what they're thinking so they don't either keep their thoughts to themselves, or they live in silos, or they live in the teacher workroom. Right. We want them to live and breathe in the spaces that we all operate in so that we can all learn and change. How are we going to get there? Like the actual things you're going to do in the classroom is just one piece of such a broader more complex puzzle. And so I would just say like if you're looking for this magic thing that's going to just make everything better, that's not the program. And so that would be my biggest piece of advice is just come in ready to do that work, and willing to be vulnerable. And if you're there, then it's going to be a really meaningful experience.