The Responsive Classroom

How are you feeling? Are you excited? Still tired? Anxious? Ready?

The last year and a half have been unspeakably hard, and you weathered it. I sincerely hope that you took some time this summer – if only a week or two – to turn your brain off and rest!

But now it’s time to be proactive! I have no doubt that this year will look different than last year, but it will not be 2019 either! You will still have academic gaps, students who had completely different experiences over the past year and a half, some teachers who can’t wait to give their students a hug, some who are still living in fear…so much to juggle. I know you are having to take so much more into consideration as you’re nailing down the plans for next year.

I wanted to remind you of a few things as you move into the next year:

1. Assume Positive Intent – when parents, teachers or students are frustrated, complaining, or not acting as we would want them to, assume they are doing their best with what they have in that moment. You can always guide up or redirect, but the way you respond could make or break future interactions. People are still heightened emotionally.
2. Grace – Give grace to your students, grace to your teachers, and perhaps most importantly, grace to yourself. Recovering in an ongoing pandemic is going to be a long game, not an immediate fix.
3. Remember your “why”, and help your teachers remember theirs – Asking simple questions like, “Think of a student you know you’ve had an impact on. What was their name? How did you know you impacted them?” can remind teachers of why they are working so hard.
4. Listen – listen to your students. Listen to your teachers. You won’t be able to fix everything, but sometimes, people just want to be heard. It makes them feel valued.
5. Celebrate wins authentically – “wins” may look a little different this year, but they still need to be celebrated!
6. Show appreciation – to students and teachers. Be specific. Even if they are doing a job they have done for years, it’s gotten a lot harder lately.

We are here to support you. We know you don’t want to overwhelm your teachers, but they are going to need tools to help the widely varying needs of their students – academically and otherwise. We can help. From 10 minute monthly videos to help with planning, to short cultural competency videos to help with communication, to 10 ready-to-implement Culturally Responsive Strategies, to a self-reflective book study, we can give support at any level!

Clarity, our monthly support resource for planning as a culturally responsive teacher will be available through the month of August ONLY (so that teachers can get the support throughout the year), so click here for information today or visit www.pressing-onward.org!