KATE Conference 2K16

This past week I had the privilege to attend the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE) Conference, and it was an experience that made my heart so full. I spent the two days listening to personal testimonies and presentations about inclusiveness, diversity, and awareness, which are all topics that highly interest me. I will admit that I was closed off to the idea of other educators being willing to learn more about the students they are serving in order to create spaces in which they can flourish, but I was quite moved by everyone’s curiosity and attention to different topics discussed such as ethnic/racial diversity, gender identity/expression, and sexual orientation.

I suppose their care was stunning to me because I was not surrounded by educators brave enough to stand up for me or others like me in order to provide me with the best education possible when I was a kid. Remembering how isolated I felt in my school environment, especially in my teens, I am doing my best to learn how to be a supportive and inclusive educator. There’s some quote along the lines of “be the person you needed when you were younger” and I hear that on loop in the back of my head every day. Bill Konigsberg’s keynote amplified the little voice in my head to be better; he even put some pressure on me to implore other people around me to be better. Konigsberg reminded us that we may be the only figures in a student’s life that validates them in their identity and supports them as a whole person, so the things we say and do must be calculated. Although I’m sure we all knew this, sobering reminders are needed at times so we can re-evaluate our behavior.

Addressing diversity in the classroom takes truckloads of bravery, especially in environments where it may not be encouraged, but it is NECESSARY. The KATE conference reinforced my ideas about the type of educator I want to be, but it also challenged me to examine areas in which I need to be more intrepid; I need to be more brave about standing up for things I don’t feel okay with because the safety and wellbeing of my students count on it. I cannot stand by and let comments a young person says ride because they assume no one heard them. I have to hold my colleagues accountable for damaging comments or silence as well. Most importantly, I have to check myself when I am in the wrong. 

Here I am rambling again, but my whole KATE conference experience was quite introspective. I’m still ruminating on some of the subject matter, so I expect this post to expand.

Here’s to growth,

Ms. McDaniel

Monday

The familiar, drawn out ding sounds
A hushed shuffle of feet, shh, shh, shh
make their way down the corridor
Carrying exhausted bodies, baggage
Raspy voices mutter about the weekend
and assignments fallen by the wayside
Eyes like lasers cut every which way
Skirting contact as minds
race to gather their things and
Thoughts
The final countdown occurs
as some are still clearing the sleep
from their eyes
They pour through the threshold, water
Sink into their seats
Papers rustle, crunch, bags ziiip
A hand shoots up, "Miss, what'd I miss?"
A collective audible groan resounds
as colleagues shoot daggers at their
inquisitive peer
Hello, Monday

Awareness 101: All Are Welcome

As a pre-service teacher, something I have been grappling with is how to create an inclusive environment for my students. Over the past year I have been working more on awareness of differences (ability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc.) and checking my privileges along the way.This growing awareness has made me particularly mindful of how my assumptions about students and their experiences inside and outside of the classroom are shaping them, especially socially and emotionally. I know that education and experience are the most influential components of growth, but how do we tackle those experiences that teach us with grace rather than indignation?

A few weeks ago I had an interaction with a student that keeps replaying in my head. She had been late or absent from class just about every day since the semester started, and this particular morning she walked in pretty flustered. Because we were already twenty minutes into instruction, I quietly approached her and began explaining what her classmates were doing and attempted to provide her with an example to get started. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes, but I continued talking, trying to ignore her growing frustration. Once I stopped talking, she informed me that she wasn’t going to complete the assignment because she didn’t complete the reading. When I suggested better time management outside of class, she told me she was a parent and found it extremely difficult to allot time for reading. Before this conversation I was unaware that she had a child, which is why I assumed that she may have had time outside of school to complete school work. In that instance, I alienated this student by making her feel like she wasn’t doing the best she could with what she had. She eventually transferred out of the class (which is not a result of our conversation) but when I ran into her in the hallway last week I made sure to apologize for making her feel attacked our last morning together and asked her about how things were going at home. Everything seemed forgiven afterwards, but thinking back on myself at that age, I can only imagine that this student, as well as many others, probably still carries that assumption in her subconscious; more baggage. The things we say to students and the way we make them feel while under our authority has the power weigh them down, just as the things outside of school that we don't know about do. Instead of adding to that baggage that is isolation, non-affirmation, and inferiority, what can we do to help our students take a load off?

The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) offers some seemingly effective practices for fostering an inclusive environment. Their research and resources obviously have LGBTQ+ students in mind, but much of their message can be applied to other populations of students that I listed at the beginning of the post. Some of the ideas GLSEN presents are:

•  Making certain classroom norms are clear
• Do your students understand what things are acceptable/unacceptable in your classroom?
• Being sure to use examples and teach materials that represent varying experiences/backgrounds in respectful ways
• When in doubt, do more research and get input from your colleagues
• Inviting students to share their lives with the class
• Make yourself accessible to students as well to foster a community environment
• Examining and re-evaluating our own biases about different cultures and backgrounds
• It is okay to acknowledge those biases! Admission of bias is the first step to change.

Cornell University also provided a wealth of useful information regarding classroom climate. As an educator, I'm now beginning to see how integral my role is in promoting student growth by becoming and remaining aware of the extensive list of circumstances that may inhibit their advancement. I am also beginning to truly understand the importance of doing my best to not use any preconceptions I may have to oppress or inhibit them either.