Inside the Classroom

With all of the aforementioned support and practice from this year, my two strengths that have surfaced are encouragement and organization. I strive to be a “Warm Demander,” as Lisa Delpit would say. In other words, I hope that my students know I have high expectations because I believe in their ability to meet them. At the same time, I hope they feel comfortable coming to me for support of all kinds, but especially about how to exceed these expectations. This relationship building and sense of rapport with my students enables me to be the encouraging voice alongside them as they grow through the year. Outside of relationships, a teaching superpower of mine is organization. Time management, planning, and executive functioning skills are major strengths of mine. These abilities lend themselves to a relationally-based classroom as it enables me to tend to the details and logistics ahead of time to dedicate as much attention to my students to be intentionally present as possible. 

 

One of the many things I’ve learned this year is how much I’ve got left to learn. In particular, I hope to refine my facilitation skills and my ability to run discussions. Over the past year, I’ve gotten ahead of myself in many situations and jumped straight to asking the big, “deeper-thinking” questions. I’ve learned to facilitate discussions by providing access points for students to achieve deeper thinking over time. Similarly, I am working to refine my facilitation skills through anticipatory planning, or thinking on where students might be confused, need to be redirected, or re-engaged. Planning ahead in this way would allow me to be most prepared for in the moment conversations to offer leeway for responsive questions, discussions, and dialogue rooted in students’ funds of knowledge. 

 

Another area of my practice I’ve grown in is my role as an Anti-Racist Educator. To be an antiracist educator I believe one has to start by reflecting on their own lifestyle, practices (both in and out of the classroom), and the part that they play in upholding and dismantling systems of oppression. Upon this reflection, the educator must then take action. They must educate themselves to make changes within themselves and the practices/pieces of their lifestyle that continue to oppress others. Not to say that the journey is ever over as one must always be continuously learning, working and holding themselves accountable. Only once they have done the innerwork can someone begin to truly work with others in a larger way. Antiracism must be at the forefront of the educator’s mind throughout all of this. This may be evident in multiple ways: 

• Centering marginalized voices through the act of deeply and intentionally listening

• Advocating for change against unjust practices and systems

• Continuously educating oneself as it will be a lifelong journey 

Additionally, there must be a recognition of all the intersectionality of issues. For example, one can’t discuss mass incarceration without mentioning the racial wealth gap, complexities of the healthcare system, and inadequate school funding mechanisms. I aspire to establish and maintain a classroom that enables students to identify and grapple with these intersectionalities so that they may be catalysts for change. 

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Altogether, I hope to foster these skills and further my practice to encourage and challenge my students in ways that support their ability to be agents of their own well-being. I am especially intrigued to explore how I might audit student services to determine if students’ needs are being met.