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There are people leading schools who believe that nurturing the humanity & wellbeing of teachers is “fluff” & a waste of time. These people say their teachers need to learn the curriculum b/c teachers are failing children. These people don’t realize they are failing teachers.
Urgency is part of the toxic culture that is white supremacy delusion. We are in a global pandemic & somehow when it comes to teaching black & brown children - there’s a sense of urgency and hyper focus on curriculum at the expenses of teachers’ wellbeing. We have the curriculum.
The curriculum is an economical, racial, and viral pandemic. The curriculum is grief, loss and trauma. Don’t invite me to help your teachers dissociate. I am NOT the 1,2,3 or 4! Tending to the wellbeing of teachers isn’t mutually exclusive of teaching. Stop with the dichotomies.
These same schools wonder why they are “failing.” They wonder why their students won’t grow. They treat their teachers like robots & expect them to educate with joy. They don’t allow their teachers to think for themselves & expect academic excellence.
If you want teachers to teach with love, joy, & rigor- in the most critical, culturally sustaining, & trauma informed way...Then that’s how you have to model your adult learning experiences. Give them what you want them to give kids. People can’t give what they don’t have!
Taking 5-10 mins. in PD to center, ground & uplift teachers with an activity, poem, or music before jumping into “curriculum” is an investment in humanity. It says I see you, I hear you, I know this is hard. And you showed up. We showed up. Now let’s stay uplifted & teach w/ joy!
There’s a pedagogical schizophrenia in education. Teach SEL to children in the morning & before they go home. Be culturally relavent on holidays. Do a unit on social justice. But stay focused on the curriculum & follow it to a T. Don’t bend it to meet the needs of our students.
This pedagogical schizophrenia (term coined by me) causes a split in our teachers & students minds, hearts & souls. When I enter a space, I can’t leave my culture, race, trauma, or feelings at the door. I need the space to integrate it in everything I learn and teach to be whole
Before working in any school, I need to know what is valued. If it’s not honoring the needs of families, students & teachers by integrating trauma-informed, culturally responsive, SEL into the fabric of the curriculum- we are NOT aligned. My brillance & time will not be wasted.
And I’m not talking about just citing frameworks. I’m talking about helping people be clear on the purpose and pedagogy that drives learning in a school. I’m talking about helping every member know their WHY...If it’s not about healing, liberation and excellence, count me out!
So many educators are still teaching children in ways that only prepare them to work in factories!!! Where are the factories??? We need children to be critical thinkers, to know their inherent power, to be encouraged to use it in their academic, social & emotional learning.
We need to teach children in a way that makes them feel limitless in changing this messed up world. How can we help them do this if we do not help teachers -who are the products of the very systems that are failing students now - unlearn all of the educational violence in PD?
