“Excellence always endures …
it remains long after the cost is forgotten.”
As a social studies teacher, I had the opportunity to teach the same lesson to three classes. Though I followed the same plan, it wasn’t until the third class that I felt that excellence had been achieved; content, delivery, individual talents and/or needs, and classroom cohesion added to the cost and some things were asked to be forgiven and forgotten.
Often times, non-profit organizations collaborate with educational organizations with the goal to produce academic excellence - such is the case with North Central High School and Spark Central of Spokane, Washington. Together, they allow African American and Native American Literature students to publish their writings into a book For the year of 2022, I coordinated with the adults with the goal of providing social justice content along with social and emotional learning; this is similar to the CASEL model wherein self and social awareness are fostered through authentic partnerships and aligned learning opportunities.
"The Fire Now" became the final product and the teachers’ introduction began with the statement “WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR TRUTH IS IGNORED?” They also included James Baldwin’s 1963 assertion that “To accept one’s past - one’s history- is not the same thing as drowning in it; it is learning how to use it.” The teachers concluded their introduction to the writing anthology collaboration by requesting “We only ask that you listen.”
It is a balancing act to hear the students’ truth about social justice and COVID and to simply listen to those who seem to be drowning. It is a balancing act for a teacher to step into other teachers’ classrooms and quietly serve as a mentor when trauma-informed care is available. It is a balancing act for an African American poet such as Stephen Pitters and the Native American artist Freddy Throne to have their past be heard while encouraging students to learn from their history. I’d like to invite you to explore some of their work and evaluate how we can use it to learn. Their examples of excellence will remain with me for a very long time.
I’d also like to invite you into a Learning Circle and share some examples of the student’s writings. In many ways, extraordinary examples of excellence are visible. In others, students used their writings to vocalize ways in which they were drowning and were asking for help in learning how to overcome their history. In this, the process by which the adults strove to achieve their own individual goals was a hefty cost and we need to ask the students for their forgiveness.
My goal is to help individuals and societies move above and beyond excellence. First, we must look at how our educational system and approach to teaching is creating a sense of hopelessness for self, community, and others. Next, we need to foster collaborations with the community and parents that will move us through our diversities, establish a sense of equity, and allow us to become an inclusive entity that fosters creativity in unique ways. You can learn more about bringing hope into the circle through my webpage DEIwithCompassion.com in the Equity section.
My goal is to help individuals and societies move above and beyond excellence. First, we must look at how our educational system and approach to teaching is creating a sense of hopelessness for self, community, and others. Next, we need to foster collaborations with the community and parents that will move us through our diversities, establish a sense of equity, and allow us to become an inclusive entity that fosters creativity in unique ways. You can learn more about bringing hope into the circle through my webpage DEIwithCompassion.com in the Equity section.