Manifesto
I am a teacher who favors the permanent struggle against unfair practices that keep "those kids" out and against the stereotypes that follow the label a student has been given, be it from a teacher, doctor, caregiver, or specialist.
I am a teacher who rejects copy room talk, because this seemingly innocuous act is responsible for creating biases that cloud the minds of well-intentioned teachers and keep them from seeing a student for who he/she/they really are.
I am a teacher full of idealism, in spite of a world that is filled with cynics and nay-sayers.
I am a teacher who refuses to give up, even when others tell me to stop trying.
I am a teacher proud of the differences.
If I do not struggle for creating a system where all students are welcomed and given a fair shot at an equitable education, then I will no longer be the advocate my students need.
Hello Alyssa. I enjoyed reading your manifesto. A particular statement you made is you support diversity. During these times, we have seen our country divided in many ways. How do you provide your students with experiences that promote diversity? Also, I admire that you do not chat about students in the copy room and you rather understand the student from your own experience with them in your classroom. Does it become difficult to separate yourself from teachers whom try to influence your views of your students? I look forward to hearing about your experiences.
ReplyDeleteHi Andriana, thank you for your comment. Promoting diversity has definitely been more challenging since teaching virtually, especially when I am typically supporting other teachers with their instruction as an inclusion teacher. That said, I do have my own classroom for my caseload of students which typically is utilized to provide additional academic support for their other classes, however in light of COVID-19 and the rise in BLM protesting nationwide, I have used this class as a space to teach/ promote social-emotional tasks/ mindsets as well as provide readings via Newsela that cover the pandemic and the protests. When I provide Newsela articles, I also ask students to complete a google form that asks them comprehension question so I know they completed the reading/ understood it as well as reflection questions to get them thinking more broadly and personally about the topics in the articles. I believe this helps me promote diversity because it gives students a space to reflect on actual issues happening in the world today and the effects it has on various populations as well as themselves and their peers.
DeleteIn terms of separating myself from colleagues to avoid copy room talk, I do sometimes find it difficult to remove myself in these situations, oftentimes because the person sharing their views could be someone I look at as a mentor and/or friend. Depending on what is said, I usually find myself either choosing to avoid saying something out of fear of retribution and/or future strain on necessary relationship, or if I feel comfortable enough that my relationship with this person can withstand disagreement/conflict, I find a way to bring it up later in the day so we can discuss it privately.
It is evident from your manifesto that you deeply value the unique differences of your students which I am certain they feel from you in your work with them. My personal manifesto is similar to yours and in thinking of my own struggles working with students, I am wondering, how do you guide them to embrace their own differences, as the gift of uniqueness that you see them as, in a culture that values perfection and sameness?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Ms. McKay Math! I'll have to check out your manifesto after I write this comment! In terms of how I help students embrace their differences: this is something that I have to intentionally do every day and be mindful of when I am working with students who I know have a low sense of self-esteem/ self-efficacy. Usually I try to be as proactive as possible when promoting differences. Last year this looked like me creating a poster that celebrated people with learning disabilities and ADHD; essentially I was trying to break the stigma that having a disability means you aren't smart/ can't be successful (which sadly, many of my students believe about themselves). I also try to include lessons around growth mindsets as much as possible to help students understand that just because they don't understand something right away/ get a high grade on an assignment/ test, doesn't necessarily mean they will never get it, it just means they don't get it yet. One final thing I'll share that I prioritize in an attempt to celebrate differences is getting students to share their experiences, be it via journal writing (I try to start every class with a journal prompt and provide time for students to share what they write) or a personal inventory--usually I use these moments to also help students break down barriers between each other by giving them the opportunity to discover similarities despite their differences.
DeleteHi! I liked your manifesto and teachers who really practice what they believe in are the real initiators of changes for the positive of a community. As a teacher one only creates that sense of right, care, justice, equality all the good ideal virtues and to live by it and stand for it in case of injustice and oppression from depriving any human ease to live freely. More or less teacher are vital individuals to accept what create a peaceful beautiful living for humanity in existence.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! Thank you for your comment--this is such high praise for teachers! More specifically, I am really moved by your statement that "teachers are vital individuals to accept what create a peaceful beautiful living for humanity in existence." To me, this made me reflect on how the role of a teacher isn't just to teach about their content area, but also ensure that our students have a safe space to grow into their full identities as human beings and give them the chance to really explore what those identities look like through meaningful classroom experiences.
DeleteThanks, Alyssa! Love the idealism, bring it! Cynics and "pragmatists" will often use that term as a put-down, but I think it's a compliment. The radical Black historian Robin DG Kelley calls it "freedom dreaming" and talks about how idealistic visions of a better world animate social movements, and there's so much to learn from idealism, visions, desires. And then I think about how we can cultivate freedom dreaming in our students (Bettina Love gets into this a bit!).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Dr. Benson! I think my background in City Year has a lot to do with my continued idealism (and I am so thankful for that!). As easy as it is to point out the bad in the world and use the existence of this "bad" as our reasoning for giving up/ not trying to make things better, I oftentimes try to push against this perspective, even when I feel it myself. To me, not trying to improve the quality of something, just because it has a bad past feels counterintuitive; if anything, having a bad past makes me all the more motivated to try and make something better because it has yet to happen. I'll definitely have to look more into Robin DG Kelley this weekend, seem like my kind of person (thanks for putting him on my radar!).
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