Recently I have been thinking a lot about the current state of affairs in our society. These past two weeks we have been able to listen to both of our two main political parties lay out their plan for moving our country forward. Both parties have very different ideas of what that vision looks like though. Both parties have chosen candidates that for different reasons are more unpopular than any presidential candidates in recent history. This has definitely been an election season unlike any other I have seen in my 25 years of life. It will be interesting to see how this election plays out come November. The reason for my post today is to shed some light on a topic that I am very passionate about. We have heard throughout this election season a focus from both sides about inclusion and making sure that everyone in our society has a chance to do great things. It got me thinking about our education system and the idea that everyone has their own story to tell. Everyone has something good to contribute to our society. I believe it is important to recognize that this literally does mean everyone. Regardless of your own personal beliefs, people voices deserve to be heard. Whether you are black or white, gay or straight, latino or asian, man or woman, Christian or Muslim, you deserve to be heard. I think this is especially important to remember during this election cycle when SO much hatred is being spewed by both parties...conservative and liberal.
When it comes to the classroom, the ability to tell your own story is incredibly important as well. We spend a lot of our time as educators letting students know what we expect of them, how they are meant to behave, as well as our expectations for them academically. We spend more of our time telling rather than listening to what students have to say. The same can be said for administrators who focus more of their time telling educators and staff members what to do rather than gathering input and listening to them.
Everyone has their own story to tell. Everyone has something good to contribute.
During my first year of teaching (2014-15) I witnessed something that would forever harden my belief that everyone has a story to tell. I had a student in my class with a mental disability and throughout the year it was clear that it was a constant struggle for this student to learn the content of the course. Now as this was my first year teaching I was also learning how to best differentiate for all varieties of learners in my classroom. One day we were discussing the Industrial Revolution and all of the different inventions and innovations that were created to help America grow during the 1800s. One of the things we were discussing was the Mill System and how it operated. Every time I would ask a question about the Mill System this particular student would raise his hand and answer it. I was amazed but quickly realized that the student had a particular interest in all aspects of farming, including things like how mills work. I decided to let the student come up in front of the class and describe how the Mill System worked in his own words, as well as draw a diagram on the board. It was amazing for me to sit back and watch this student teach the class about something that he was extremely interested in. The rest of the kids really enjoyed it as well!
I also want to point out the fact that I did not mention the phrase "mentally disabled/handicapped student" but instead said "student in my class with a mental disability." We must define anyone by their physical or mental disability because that is not who they are. I decided that it was an important moment not only for this student but also for myself to realize that everyone has something good to contribute. He explained the Mill System better than I probably could have and made it much more relevant to his classmates. Bigger picture obviously is that this moment allowed the student to gain confidence in himself and the belief that he is able to do anything he sets his mind to.
We must remember both in our schools and in our society that everyone has their own story to tell. Everyone has something good to contribute. We must have a growth mindset and break down barriers so that everyone has a chance to tell their story. You do not have to agree with every story nor do you have to follow their line of thinking but we must appreciate the fact that they were willing to share it. I still believe in the decency of our society and hope that in the coming weeks and years we continue to move our education system and our nation forward.
Until next time, Be A Light!
-Derek
