I connected a lot with Janice in regards to how
she was feeling about her students, and as I was reading about the three things
ever teacher should know about implicit bias and the brain I started to think
more about my relationships with my students. I like to think that I know my
students very well and when a student is not engaged that they just do not like
math, or do not like school. I need to think more deeply about this. I started
to look deeper at my patterns of inequity and who I call on more often. I am
more prone to call on students in a rotating manner, but I think it varies on
the difficulty of questioning. I do tend to discipline the same students more
often, instead of thinking about why they are acting out in the first place. I
do need to look deeper into different cultures and using those tools to build
connections with my students. I try to connect with my students on a deeper
level, but because I do not look like them many do not want to engage in deeper
conversations with me. The one think I know I am doing well is being vulnerable
and real with my students. I think this COVID pandemic has been a blessing in
this aspect as I am forced to have this deeper connection with my students in
that we are all in this together. Also, sharing more about my personal life
helps my students to see that I am a person with feelings as well.
