It’s November in NYC, I have been feeling disempowered, confused, and angry with so much about our country and it feels so large and overwhelming. So I brought it back to something tangible. It’s called WHAT CAN I DO?
I AM A TEACHER, I can be an ally to my students and model what I hope to become standard in the world on a macro scale, a reality in a micro scale in my classroom.
- I can create a safe space where all students feel comfortable expressing their feelings, concerns, dreams, and opinions.
- I can recognize that I might have assumptions and biases about students, and disavow those assumptions to see the students as they are, now, in my class.
- I can allow all students access to my attention in the class and to benefit from my guidance.
- I can provide breathing room in my curriculum to allow student voice to help guide the direction and possibility of the content.
- I can create unbiased assessments and grading policies that include awareness of a diverse group of students with a range of skills, needs, and backgrounds
- I will foster self-awareness and self-confidence in my students through dance that they can bring to other aspects of their lives.
- I will affirm and re-affirm that each student matters to me, to the school community, and to the future of their world.
dancers and artists can make a difference!
image via http://ingilizcedelisi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/what-can-i-do.jpg
Thank you, Deborah, for such a clear articulation of the approach we are all called to take with our students. Your words are both encouraging and empowering–we are teachers, and this matters.
Fantastic, Deborah. Thank you so much for articulating the complexities of our integral role as teachers and connecting it to art. We all need a “VOICE” to express ourselves, especially during times like this. Having an outlet to express oneself non verbally is paramount, because quite frankly, there are no words that I know of for certain kinds of confusion, sadness, and rage.