Tips for Starting the School Year with Diversity & Inclusion in Mind

9/4/2018

A Letter to Faculty from the Director of Diversity & Inclusion, September 2018

Friends,

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year!

We are in the thick of preparing to meet students tomorrow. Many of us are putting the finishing touches on our first cycle of lessons. We are sprucing up our classrooms--reordering files, recycling old papers, and dusting off book shelves. Most importantly, we are all, in different ways, thinking about human connection, which is at the core of our work as educators.

As you think about this new year, I invite you to bring to your awareness diversity and inclusion as an integral part of your work with students. A query: In our classroom and advisories, and in every space in which we interact with students, how might we foster human connection across lines--and in recognition--of difference?

Below are a few suggestions that may help us on our journey:

1) Consider facilitating a pronoun exercise on the first or second day of classes, as part of student introductions. After first modeling it, you might ask students to share their names and pronouns. The language of "personal or affirming pronouns" situates the conversation as one about respecting people's deeply rooted identities; the language of "preferred pronouns" doesn't quite get us there. If you would like a refresher on gender-neutral or gender-inclusive pronouns and the practice of pronoun affirmation as part of introductions, please click here. This practice is a small opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to being an ally specifically to transgender and nonbinary students.

2) Still on the road toward reducing bias in my own language, I continue to make many mistakes. I forget to use "folks" or "friends" and instead use "guys" when addressing a mixed-gender audiences. Sometimes I assign people pronouns without ever hearing them identify themselves. Sometimes I'm right; sometimes I'm wrong. I hope that I am not alone here! As we all know--but it bears endlessly repeating--mistakes are a normal part of the learning process; the key is recognizing mistakes and resolving to do better--my daily prayer! If you need a refresher on gender-inclusive language, please click here or here.

3) Every year teachers across the country connect their curricula to national observances that promote attention to the contributions and experiences of people from marginalized communities. GLSEN has created a calendar of commemorative days, weeks, and months. I view these commemorations as opportunities to zoom in on the histories of particular communities, not as the only moments in which we should pay attention to folks on the margin. The ultimate goal is a fuller telling of U.S. and world history that includes us all. A heads-up: Latinx Heritage Month is just around the corner! Consider using some of the resources here to lift up the stories of Latinx communities. For an interesting article on intersectionality and honoring intersecting communities, click here.

4) As you are scheduling field trips, homework, major projects, and assessments, please consider consulting this calendar of religious observances. Religious observances can impact the likelihood that a student will submit a homework assignment or project on time, the quality of that work, or their readiness for an assessment. A heads-up: Rosh Hashanah, beginning of the Jewish New Year and the first of the High Holy Days, is early next week. Avoiding heavy homework or assessments during this time is advisable. You might choose to engage students in a brief conversation on the work you will do in collaboration with them to accommodate observances. Students could be invited to share with you a week or two in advance what their needs might be in this regard. A note on this practice could be included on your Haiku page.

5) One time-tested strategy for creating inclusive classroom cultures is the practice of contracting or creating community norms together. This list of norms--to which all students in a class should contribute--creates commonality and empowers students and teachers to determine how they will interact--when things go well, and especially when things go awry. Students and teachers may return to the document again and again as a way to remind them of their goals. Facing History has created a useful explanation of the contracting exercise. (Parker Palmer's Center for Courage and Renewal has created a list--perhaps more applicable to adults--that speaks directly to the core of my being and calls me toward my best self.)

6) As I have grown in my practice of facilitating difficult or sensitive dialogues with students and adults, I have found this resource from Teaching Tolerance (TT) to be helpful. TT's Speak Up At School is a great resource for all educators; we are all growing in our ability to recognize and interrupt bias and insensitivity when it emerges within ourselves and in interactions with others. Addressing prejudice and stereotypes is best when it takes a restorative approach that honors hurt feelings, the distinction between intent and impact, the possibility of growth, and the potential for stronger human connection.

7) Please lean on the support of your teacher colleagues. Mutual coaching is one of the best ways for us to grow in our awareness of difference and in our practice of navigating and affirming it. Lean on the support of your department chairs and divisional leaders. Please also lean on those of us who work at the School's Center for Peace, Equity and Justice. We are grateful for opportunities to support and learn with you.

I wish you a wonderful and wonderfully inclusive school year!

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