In the wake of social unrest and an ongoing pandemic, 2020 has proven to be a year that demands action and change. As teachers, we left our students in March unknowing of what was going to happen next and attempted to continue learning experiences within new spaces. In late May, our nation experienced a devastating loss with George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN that led to civil rights protests in all 50 states and 18 additional countries. And, while we move forward throughout this year, we also wonder what the fall will be bring as we reunite with our students - physically, emotionally, mentally. With so much of what the world has shown us already, it begs us to critically examine our own practices as teachers and move forward with change that will best support all of our students.
In the later part of 2019 (it seems so long ago, right!?), Robyn and I formed a teacher group to help support one another as we all experimented with inquiry in our classrooms in various ways. Our group - coined "Teacher Church" by one of our members because we tend to meet on Sunday mornings - continues to meet with each other (and now more often to feel a sense of "normalcy" since the start of COVID-19) to discuss our work with our students. We offer feedback, we ask questions, we share resources, we laugh, we even cry.
John*, a member of Teacher Church, fellow colleague, and avid Canon user among his high school English classes, messaged me this week and said, "Sarah, I need to take a closer look at what I'm doing..." In light of recent events, John* started a journey to reflect on his teaching practices and became motivated to change. From the very short time we had messaged each other, he enthusiastically shared a Google document with me that housed all of his new brain dumpings - *a term that Robyn and I use often when we engage in major brainstorm sessions! John* sketched a variety of essential questions centered around the notion of the American Dream, thematically blended a critical examination of documents such as the Declaration of Independence with modern-day texts that tell a variety of narratives, and outlined a space for students to take action of their own. Amazed by this shift in thinking, I made a few notes on the document and invited John* to share his thinking with Teacher Church.
Logging into Teacher Church that Sunday morning was especially exciting because we had just started reading Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility. As we shared quotes and feelings around the first four chapters that morning, John* cleared his throat and asked if he could share his screen with the group. As he made his plans visible to all of us, John* began talking through his thinking so that we could also process the work he had completed so far. Starting at the beginning of the document, John* reviewed his essential questions and continued into his first theme.
At that point, I wasn't sure if his computer was functioning properly or maybe coffee had gone down the wrong way but, as I looked closer, I noticed John* starting to tear up as he continued to speak. Even to the point of turning off his camera for a moment, John's* emotions caught up with all of us in that moment. Seeing his tears and feeling his need for change was nothing short of awe-inspiring. To bare witness to his awakening only motivated me to not only be there for him but also continue to find ways to do more.
When we take time to slow down, - listen, read, learn - we can reflect on what's important, what needs to change, and what we need in order to make change. As we keeping going into the new school year, I hope you find ways to reprioritize your teaching to focus on the concepts that are meaningful and important to your students. I hope that you find the courage you need in order to enact change and overcome the barriers that continue to keep you in your comfort zone. I hope that, like John*, you find the motivation to discover your awakening moment in your professional practice. And, I hope you can find your support system that can be there for you when you think you might be the only one driven to evoke change. There's no denying that the year 2020 carries with it it's own message...change starts NOW!
(John* is pseudonym to protect personal identity)
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