On Racism and Equity

Two weeks ago, I was privileged to participate in the Rowland Foundation Conference, "Beyond Buzzwords: How Do We Transform Equity Ideas Into Effective Action." The keynote speaker for the second year in a row was Dr. Ruha Benjamin (@ruha9).  One of her slides resonated with me that day and has stuck with me since:

Racism is a form of theft

Dr. Benjamin went on to explain that it is obviously a form of theft for those who are impacted by racism, namely those who suffer from the systemic inequity that is baked into our culture, the structural codes that prevent us from living in equal relationship with those who are different than we are. But she was also clear that it is a form of theft for those of us in positions of power, as we are robbed from living in equal relationship with those who are different than us. In essence, racism robs us of each other. 

And there are other forms of systemic inequity that pervade our schools. The screenshot below was an excerpt from the reading given to us during the conference. 

How do we marginalize, you may ask? 

• We keep them in from recess, when they don't complete their homework. 
• We limit participation to hand raising only. 
• We force them to look the teacher in the eye. 

(Thank you to Katy Farber (@Non_Toxic_Kids) for this list, shared via Twitter at the conference)

There are other ways as well...

• We make curricular choices that are representative of the majority, but not all. 
• We have systems in place that make presumptions about home and family, again, not reflective of all. 
• We have expectations that come from our own experience of schooling and education, not the experience and education of our families and current students. 

Our focus this year in the St. Johnsbury School is Teaching and Learning for All Students. Not just the ones that complete their homework. Not just the ones who see themselves in the curriculum we offer. Not just the ones who look us in the eyes. All students. 

The only way that we will be able to bend the curve on these systematically challenging issues is to do it together, in the service of our students and their families.

Photo courtesy of www.equitytool.org

Walking In Their Shoes

When My Wife was pregnant with our oldest son, we were living in Chicago. From time to time, I would hear on the news or read in the paper stories of people who had shaken their infants to death. And I would judge them. How could you do that to a defenseless child? That is something that I would never do...

Our oldest son Patrick turned out to be a very colicky baby - and while never quite fit the medical definition of colic, he was incredibly close. One afternoon while he was still an infant, I was unable to get him to stop crying and it went on for what seemed like hours. As my frustration grew, his crying seemed to grow worse. I was holding him close to my body, trying desperately to get him to stop crying and at one point, I held him away from me at arms length. And in that moment I knew...

I put him down in his crib and walked away. In that moment, I knew how it could happen to anyone. I knew how anyone could shake an infant baby in frustration, in anger, in the desire to have the baby stop crying. I knew how anyone could do it because I was moments from doing it myself.

As I was preparing to become teacher, I promised myself that I was going to be the kind of teacher that loved his students and would not make them cry. I'd seen and heard of teachers that were too hard on their students and in some cases, brought them to tears. And I judged those teachers. Not me, I told myself. That won't be me.

In my second year teaching on the Near Westside of Chicago, I had a student who we'll call Chris. He consistently failed to complete his homework - consistently. My patience was wearing thin when on this particular day, I chose to ask him in front of the class, where his homework was. Predictably he did not have it.

In that moment, I launched into a long, public explanation of how important homework was, how he was not doing his best, and how effort mattered in my classroom. Finally at the end, I asked him why he didn't have his homework and in a timid voice he told me, "My brother ran away from home last night and we were out looking for him." And then, as if that wasn't enough, the tears began to silently run down his face. I made him cry...

It is very easy to sit in judgement of others, especially if we have not been there yet ourselves. The real challenge is in trying to better understand the actions of others. The real challenge is to find a way to connect with someone, to empathize with their situation, to show compassion. The real challenge is to see the humanity in each and every person, including ourselves.

Photo courtesy of Medium.com

Finding Hope

One of my all-time favorite movies is Love Actually, a 2003 movie about where love is in the lives of eight loosely connected people. I love the opening scene and the narration that goes along with it:

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the Arrivals Gate at Heathrow airport. General opinion's staring makes out that we live in a world of hatred and greed but I don't see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified, or newsworthy - but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. Before the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate and revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion you'll find that love actually is all around. 

It seems to me that we are currently living in one of the most troubling times in recent history. For me, this is the most polarized that I've felt in my forty-four years on this planet. There is no middle ground, there is very little room for compromise, for empathy, for compassion. Those three things are the life blood for relationships. We are either for something or against it. We either believe in what is happening or we are entirely opposed to it. 

When I was first considering the superintendency eight years ago, one of my greatest fears was that I would be disconnected from children. Children are the reason that I went into education and until I became a superintendent, I was able to always continue teaching, even if it was just one class. What I was delighted to discover as superintendent is that I'm able to be around children, often more than I ever anticipated. 

And children bring something to me consistently - and they have ever since I was a baby teacher in Chicago in 1996 - they bring hope. They deliver hope in their innocence, their willingness to forgive easily, and to forget. They deliver hope in how they choose to see the good in others, how they so often can find compromise, and how they choose to help. They deliver hope in their passion for whatever they're doing, their bright eyes and smiles, and their honesty. It is a gift to be surrounded by children while serving the St. Johnsbury School District.

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the St. Johnsbury School. General opinion's starting makes out that we live in a world of hatred and greed but I don't see that. Seems to me that hope is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified, or newsworthy - but it's always there - teachers and students, paraprofessionals and school staff, School Board and district employees. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion you'll find that hope is actually all around. 

Don't just take my word for it. Listen to what we are hearing from the St. Johnsbury staff as we begin this new school year: 

• Decisions are made always keeping in mind what is best for kids. 
• Everyone in the building is smiling and greeting one another. 
• Solutions are being found to support students and teachers. 
• My voice matters to my principal when I needed it most. 
• Our classes are more set up to help kids be able to learn. 

Where do you turn for hope? I find it in the children and the adults of St. Johnsbury School.  

Picture Courtesy of Chris Sneddon on Flickr

On the Real World

In a recent discussion with a friend, we were talking about the dynamic realm of education, and how much it has changed since we were students. One of things I am most proud of as a professional educator in the state of Vermont are the statutes around proficiency and personalized learning for all students. This is a dramatic shift in how we consider, prepare for, instruct, and assess our students.

One key component to proficiency based learning is the feedback given to students about their work. The feedback needs to be specific, much more than just a grade, in order to be effective. In addition to feedback, there need to be opportunities for additional practice so that students can demonstrate their response to our feedback, with the goal being mastery.

Change typically is not easy, and in presentations about proficiency based learning, I was frequently challenged that this is going to make education "soft" and we won't be able to prepare our children for the "real world." That is a perfectly reasonable response, given that until now we have accepted that promotion should be given essentially for seat time. That is, if you have gone to school for the required number of days and have earned anything but an "F," you are promoted to the next grade. While that is painting with a very broad brush, it is not too far from the truth.

During those presentations, I also offered the following real world examples. How many of you reading this blog failed your driver's test the first time that you took it? Well, if you failed it the first time, clearly you are unable to drive now, right? Of course not! If you failed the first time, your instructor (hopefully) let you know the areas you needed to practice more. To earn your license, you practiced those areas more, and when you felt you were ready, went back to take your test again.

The other example I would often point to is taxes. If you fail to pay your taxes by April 15 each year, does the federal government give you a zero and wipe away what you owe? No. You are given a six month extension and you also have to pay a fine, in addition to your original taxes.

Our children deserve an education in which they are judged by more than just seat time and showing up. Our children deserve an education in which they receive specific feedback, in order to get better at what we are expecting them to do. Our children deserve an education in which there are few, if any, one-time high stakes assessments, that have a negative impact on their future.

As adults, we know it doesn't get more real than driving and paying your taxes. Our children should know that too.

Image courtesy of Pintrest