Continuing the Learning and Taking Action

I am currently part of the SCSD Pilot: Competency Based PD. I have chosen an focus on Equity for this Pilot. This includes use of the NYS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Framework to guide development of my own PD portfolio. Additionally, I have participated in focused PD and book studies around several books around the conversation of race and equity. These include The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, MisEducated by Brandon Fleming, and For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Race, Education, and Democracy) by Christopher Ebdin

Work with your Policy Board to set annual goals related to equity. Consider the specific needs of educators in your area. What do they need to know and be able to do to grow in this area?

• I am an advisory on the Teacher Center Policy Board 
• I currently starting a mentoring Book study and PD

I have subscribed to the "Learning for Justice" magazine. The Learning for Justice Website has a variety of different resources that can be used with students, including printable posters. I plan to send some of the posters to print shop, as they are positive and empowering images that the students would benefit from looking at. I also have been looking through some of the lessons that I can work with my students to complete to help empower them. I shared this resource with a colleague (english teacher) because I see a lot of different resources she can use in her current unit of "empowering speeches". I think these activities are a great idea to work with my students during SEL time (10:15-10:28). It is not a large chunk of time, but even if we are just have conversations about the resources I think it would be important for my students to engage in. 

I plan to use this framework to help educate my colleagues. A few of my colleagues and I have planned to work through this framework and identify what we can personally incorporate into our classrooms and what we need admin help incorporate into our school. 

I subscribed to Learning for Justice and subscribed to their magazine. I also downloaded the "where am I tool" and plan to re-evaluate myself every few months. Finally, I saved the list of 19 essential books to understanding race and equity in school and I'd like to begin to read through that list, even it's just on my own. 

I subscribed to Learning for Justice and made an account. I will use the Social Justice Learning Standards in all my lessons and also I will use their lessons on their site. I really liked the identity portrait lesson, so I hope to do that with my 2nd graders.

I appreciated the above document as it requires actions. I especially appreciated the following statement:

Equity means fair treatment and opportunity for ALL.
Equity is fair access to programs, classes and needed supports.
Equity prepares ALL students to be actively engaged citizens.

I hope to better my classroom and my interactions with the above motto.  Not every student will always take advantage of the opportunities, programs, or supports, but we have an obligation to give them fair access and encouragement. The vast majority of our students will use the opportunity to do so when it is available to them.

I downloaded, and plan to print and post this simple graphic. I believe I was at a 1 or a 2 before starting this pilot, and I would estimate that I am a 4 or 5 now. I think it will be helpful to post this to remind me that the work isn't done; its a continuous process of checking in with yourself to make sure you're continuing to learn and grow, and letting that learning leak into and improve your teaching.

I downloaded the “Building Equity into your Teaching Practice” document to post in my room as a continual reminder when planning and executing activities. I also plan to share it with my co-teacher and students teachers (both current and future). I plan to facilitate conversation around what each element specifically means, both in theory and in action, but this chart can serve as an anchor to continually and intentionally refocus my actions back towards the major tenets of equity.