Resources for Addressing Racism and Hatred in the Classroom

Resources for Addressing Racism and Hatred in the Classroom
Articles, podcasts, webinars, and other resources to help educators effectively discuss racism and hatred in the classroom.

Race and Politics in the Classroom

COMMENTARY Yes, Race and Politics Belong in the Classroom Ten tips for constructively engaging students on divisive political, social, racial, and economic issues, from H. Richard Milner IV.

Good Resource for Student Learning Objectives

What Works For Getting Kids to Enjoy Reading?

How do we prompt a child with negative or indifferent attitudes toward reading to pick up a book?

What doesn't work (e.g. rewards), what does (make the choice easy, change the other choices), and why.

Read article from Mind/Shift here.

New Teacher Survival Guide

Teaching Channel has curated a series of videos on topics of special interest to new teachers, including lesson planning, differentiation strategies, classroom management, and the formal observation. But I have found them to be wonderful reviews of what's really important for all teachers! You can find the series here: https://www.teachingchannel.org/new-teacher. Enjoy!

Call for Submissions

We invite you to consider submitting an article for publication in our 2018 Primer Calendar- Literacy Strong: Reaching All Readers. Topics may include, but are not limited to cultural literacy, visual literacy, critical literacy, disciplinary literacy and other facets of reading and language arts. Deadline for Submissions is September 1, 2017. Please submit articles to: Jo Ann Thompson. Sample Primer Calendar Page with article. Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Manuscripts are limited to 650-750 words including reference and other materials (tables, charts, etc.) Manuscripts must be double-spaced in 12-point font and should be saved as Microsoft Word Documents Manuscripts must be prepared according to the style specified by the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). Each manuscript must include a cover sheet containing (a) the manuscript title, (b) the author’s name, affiliation, position, preferred mailing address, email address, telephone number(s), and fax number. No identifying information should appear elsewhere in the manuscript

Please let us know if you have questions. Sincerely, Jo Ann Thompson Primer Calendar Editor Ask me for more samples or ask me questions if you're not sure what to submit! - Jennifer

End of Year Reflection

I just want to take this opportunity to say how proud I am of all of you as teachers and as colleagues. Whenever I talk to colleagues about Everett, I brag about you all – about your skill, your passion, and your commitment to excellence and to your students. Of course, we aren’t perfect, and I hope that you see my feedback on your practice, both informally in conversation and formally on observation reports and evaluations, as my efforts to help you become the even more excellent teachers that I know you can be. I hope you take the time at the end of the year to reflect on your own practice and your place in our department as you begin to think about your goals for next year:

·      In what areas can I still improve professionally?

·      What’s stopping me from improving in these areas?

·      In what ways can I support my colleagues in their students’ learning?

·      In what ways do my actions as a teacher show my belief that all students can learn at a high level?

·      In what ways do my actions as a teacher show that I take pride in my work?

·      In what ways are the relationships I have with my colleagues conducive to creating a collaborative culture focused on learning?

I encourage you to help your students also reflect on their effort and performance this year. According to Assessment for Learning, students who self-assess

·      recognize that learning is associated with a very positive kind of difficulty, which increases motivation rather than destroying it

·      experience an increase in self-esteem

·      experience an improvement in their learning because they come to know how they learn rather than just what they learn

I posted some links on student reflection on our blog in January, but the end of the year is a good time to revisit some of these ideas: http://everettela.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-new-year-time-for-reflection.html

Here is a new link with some ideas for activities that encourage student reflection:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/05/23/reflective-end-of-year-activities/?utm_source=newsletter20160527/

This year has been a learning experience for me, and I appreciate all of you who have helped me to learn. I hope to meet with each of you before the end of the year so that you can share your honest feedback, both ways in which you feel I have supported you and helped you grow and hone your craft and ways in which you hope I can support you more (or challenge you if you need it!) next year. As I reflect and self-assess and set my goals for next year, I hope to incorporate your feedback. So please don’t be shy! I am truly open to your suggestions and constructive critique.

Thank you for all your work this year. Hold on – it’s almost summer! I look forward to a productive year with you next year.