My School Year Prayer for 2020-2021

My Prayer / Hopes / Dreams / Wishes for 2020-2021 - a year like no other.

At the start of my 26th year as a teacher, I pray...

...for the teachers, that they may make the connections they seek, and that they are a beacon of light to their students on this difficult journey.

...for the parents, that they find balance in work and play and school and discipline and really listen to their children and learn along with them.

...for the children, that they find school engaging, relevant, and are aware that we all love them and want to help them learn and make their world better.

...for the parent-teachers, that they find childcare and balance somehow.

...for the administrators, that they not act until they know in their heart they're doing the right thing.

...for those who want in-person schooling the way it was, that they find patience and perspective.

...for all - strong internet.

...for those who are scared, that they find ways to keep covered and distant until we find a vaccine, and that they reach out to others who will lend an ear.

...for those who spew hate, that they find quiet and peace to another route to try.

...for my family, that I may not bring sickness home with me, and that they, too, stay safe and not share it amongst themselves.

...for myself, that I may find strength to combat hate with patience, be creative with ways to know my students through a screen, and that I may continue to try to look after my own mental and physical health while trying to be the best I can be in the classroom.

...for those I have left out because I still have a ton to learn in my own life, that they may know there are people in the world trying to see you, trying to hear you, and trying to include you. 💚

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Photos from my school (which has educators teaching students who are home):

First days - meeting in the gym.

I threw away my footstool/seat & Yvette's (broken but usable) gaming chair. 

Karen threw away her blue round seat, too.

This is new (to me) furniture, borrowed from another classroom. It now fits 15 students.

Specific Ways I Will Be an Ally

I've been writing this blog post all summer. It was going to be titled "Specific Ways I Will Be Anti-Racist in School This Year" until I quickly realized I need to be this way ALL THE TIME. EVERYWHERE. Writing it for all to see will not only hold me accountable, but I hope it will help you, reader, with tools you can use alongside me, as an ally to our children and peers of color. I do not have all the answers. What I have here is a beginning.

From today-years-old, I pledge to do the following:

When I hear something from a peer that doesn't sit right with me, I will stop whatever I'm doing.
I will say calmly, "I'm uncomfortable with something that was said."

If I hear it in the classroom, I will stop whatever we're doing.
I will say calmly, "I just felt something shift in the room. I wonder if anyone else felt it."

I may follow up with any of the following:

• Who else was uncomfortable?
• Why do you think I am (or "we are") uncomfortable?
• I don't find that funny.
• We don't use hurtful words in our school.
• I'm surprised to hear you say that.
• That statement was racist. Why do you think it would be racist?
• What do you mean by that?
• Tell me more.
• What point are you trying to make by saying that?
• Did you mean for that statement to be hurtful?
• Using that word (or those words) doesn't help others feel safe or accepted here.
• I'm having a "yeah, but" moment - can you help me work through it?
• I need time to process. Let's come back to that in a moment.
• Do these words unsettle you? I have some resources if you're willing to learn more and be more comfortable talking about it in the near future.
• We wake up each morning and want to do what's right for our students. Let's focus on the impact those words could have on all of our students.
• Let's confront challenges together, even when they're uncomfortable.

Besides using the language above...

• I will have these phrases ready (literally in my pocket).
• If someone else speaks up before me, I will echo their message with support.
• I will ask students how they want to feel in our class. We will curate their answers and make a plan as to how we can accomplish this. I will share my responses with students (above), so they have tools for helping our classroom be all we want it to be.
• I will provide students phrases to use when they feel prejudice against them, such as, "I don't feel good when you say that" or "I don't feel respected right now."
• When I provide book talks, I will add descriptions of the authors. For example, I may say, "The author of this book, ____ is a cisgendered Black American woman." Calling out the authors will let students know that anyone can become a writer, let students know that I support writers of all races, genders, etc., and it will help me make sure my classroom library becomes even more diverse. 
• When students are in partners or groups, I will ask them to first find out a difference they have with each other, and then something they have in common.
• I will post a message that says, "Black Lives Matter." I want my students of color to know they matter to me just as much as everyone else. I want them to know our class (in-person and virtual) is a safe space. (Thank you for pointing that out in a webinar on Aug. 6, 2020, Dr. Tron Young.)
• I will create a space of curiosity - where we all have room to learn from multiple sources, especially each other's stories.
• I hope to have an activity or writing prompt where I can ask students, "Share your earliest memory of race" or "When where you first instructed about race" or "When did being your race first impact you" or "How has being your race impact you?" (I'd love help with wording this one.)
• I will work towards finding a way students can change the skin tone of their "reactions" via Zoom, so we see our differences in color in multiple ways.
• I will use Rudine Sims Bishop's idea of "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors."
• When we are discussing ideas for school, I will inquire as to which perspectives we're missing.
• I will continue to read (voraciously) and share perspectives of BIPOC.

If I do not speak up against biases or prejudices, it means I condone it.

I will make mistakes.

I will work towards being comfortable - with being uncomfortable.

I will renew my pledge to be an ally and to be anti-racist each and every day.

I will continue to strive to be a better person and better educator.

Resources I've used to help me with what I plan to say or do:

• Speak Up at School
• Use Media to Teach Better, Know Better (PBS)
• White Fragility Reading Guide
• On Race, Being White, and Education Right Now
• Mindset Changes Needed for More Equitable Schools
• Flipgrid Community Panel Discussion on Race, Equity, and Justice
• So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• This Book Is Anti-Racist... by Tiffany Jewel

Would you like to join me in this pledge? Put your name in the comments below, along with your Twitter handle, and I'll connect with you once a month to see how we're doing and where we can use more guidance.

Day 141 - Sports During COVID-19

I'm fascinated with what the nation (U.S.) is trying with sports...

I'll focus on the NBA for this post - they just started playing their games two days ago. 

First, the players, coaches, referees, and everyone involved with the NBA (of the 22 teams that chose to play in Orlando, FL) are in a bubble. They have been since July 7-9. They can order food from five places if they don't want the food there. They can't leave. If they do, there's a hotline others can call to report them. Their families aren't there. They play games (like ping pong). They fish (in a stocked lake). 

Then there are the visible changes (photos are from my television)...

All players hooked elbows and kneeled for the anthem.

There are fake fans (when there aren't ads or points or a team name) on screens behind the benches:

And behind the nets:

Some on the spaced-out bench seats are wearing masks.

Players on the bench wear shirts that say, "Black Lives Matter."

The floor says, "Black Lives Matter."

On the back of their jerseys, they can choose their last name or there is a list of social justice phrases from which players can choose:
     Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can't Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Si Se Puede (Yes We Can), Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am a Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform, and Mentor.

Coaches have a badge on their shirts that say, "Coaches for Racial Justice."

I think this all fascinates me because I'm constantly thinking about heading back to school. In fact, when I hear "athletes," "players," or "coach," I often substitute, "students" or "teacher." If we could be in a bubble... If we could all wear masks and have the space to social distance... If we could get paid for not playing... (HAH! That's a joke, parents. Just a joke. I'm not in the sports entertainment industry, so I don't expect to get paid for not teaching. I heard just two nights ago that I'm "essential," yet I shouldn't be working - just as hard - from home...)

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Golf is doing okay. It's a no-contact sport. Players usually stay away from each other.

In baseball, there is no bubble. The Marlins have at least 18 positive cases of COVID. They're being sent back to Florida by bus. The positive cases there... woah. The mound says "Black Lives Matter." Some players kneel for the anthem.

In hockey, they're trying to play the playoffs. No bubble. No news there yet.

In football, at least 30 players have opted out. They'll get $150,000 anyway.