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Get to know/acknowledge all students
Make students feel safe/listened to/ valued
Be Patient and Kind
Plan, structure your room, and implement STEM to meet the needs of all learners

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Takeaways and what new questions do I have

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Takeaways and what new questions do I have

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The biggest take-away for me is to slow down, remember to take time to know the stories of all and to acknowledge those stories. Try harder to reach the ones that I have biases about and try to remember, who is being left out in my course. New questions I have are around my environment this fall and how that might affect those that are already marginalized.

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I learned about inclusion of ALL students. Who gets left out? Who is unseen? New questions will arise when we return to our students.

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I think my biggest take away is remembering the question... "Who gets left out?" "Who is not seen?" When I teach or introduce a new topic how do I make sure all learners are grasping the ideas and not suffering in silence. Also making sure I am careful of my language. Using the THINK model to direct my conversations with students. Making sure I don't say things like, "I don't see color." Because then maybe I don't see them as a person a student. 



The only questions I have going forward include: What strategies, methods or tools can I use to get students more eager to learn and encourage them to overcome their challenges in STEM? 

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Make a concerted effort to see who is being left out.
Continue to work on my implicit bias
Work on breaking down the barriers that get in the way of students participating in STEM
Get to know each and every student at an individual level (what makes them tick)
Provide more opportunities for student voice
Work with educators to support the list above

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Appreciate the differences/past struggles

Pay attention to the classroom and your word choices.

Change is a good thing and the changes can be led by the students.

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1.  Inspiration is probably the biggest thing I will takeaway.  All of the presenters and mediators were so honest and vulnerable and really opened themselves up.  Thanks for that, it couldn't have been easy.
2. By "Rights of the Learner"  sheet is my next favorite takeaway.  I can't believe that I've never wrote one before for my gifted kiddos.
3.  I mentioned on the first day in the chat that I do an annual "Night of the Notables" project with my elementary gifted students.  They pick a "notable" person and do an in-depth biography research project on them, including dressing up as the character. Before we start this project, I want to take a couple of class times and introduce a bunch of notable people who aren't that well known: like women and people of color. This will be another one of those favorite times of mine in teaching gifted where I get to learn along with the kids.. I love it when that happens.

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I see you and I hear you.  Speak up.

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1. Teach, being aware of who might be left out

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Conversation and feedback is important.

How do we reach out to minorities and get them interested in STEM?

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Who is left out? And how do we continue to include?
Action ~ we need to walk the walk beyond talking the talk

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Stay open to learning new things everyday as a teacher and be excited about it!

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Stay open to learning new things everyday as a teacher and be excited about it!

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Overall we have all heard it takes a village, it all makes sense now.

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Acknowledging who is being left out and do something about it!

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Acknowledging who is being left out and do something about it!

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Stay open to learning new things everyday as a teacher and be excited about it!

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Stay open to learning new things everyday as a teacher and be excited about it!

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We need conversations for all Iowa teachers around equity and inclusion

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We need conversations for all Iowa teachers around equity and inclusion

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We are all learners and have something to learn from everyone.
The classroom is OUR table, not MY table!
Student identities tell us a story and help foster those relationships.

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I am going to be less judgmental. I am going to realize that students are humans first and I am here for them.

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Emotionally drained! Good intentions, good people, so many different perspectives.

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Emotionally drained! Good intentions, good people, so many different perspectives.

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You are valued and you have potential.  I have work to do but will do it  because I care.

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1. A big takeaway for me is just thinking about how the words I say are affecting the students in my classroom. Do my students feel loved and safe? Do they feel like they belong? Or do they feel like I am singling them out and poking fun of them even though that is not my intent?

2. Another takeaway is thinking about how student identities are affecting the way I teach and the way I interact with my students. Are there times where I just give up right away because I don't know how to reach them? I need to ask questions and get to know those students so that I can form a connection with them even if it takes more work on my part. 

3. I loved the triangle with helpful, encouraging, and rigor. This is something that I can take to my fellow teachers no matter what subject area they teach. It is also a great reminder of me of how there needs to be a balance between these three things.

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My old basketball coach said on the floor for every action there is a reaction. He was talking about basketball but I think our discussion today highlights how important our actions are -- and how they impact others, our students in so many ways.

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Make a concerted effort to see who is being left out. Don't make assumptions that lack of participation implies apathy. Have a conversation with the student.

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This class reminders me how powerful I am in the classroom. My words and actions mold the learning foundation for my students.

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Be aware of bias, who am I leaving out.

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Thanks for all the tools and ideas we can use in our classrooms to make a change in our classrooms and school buildings.  I also appreciate your sharing that this is not going to be easy and it is a work in progress.

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I need be mindful of my actions/words. I am need to be aware of my body language and how I am responding to that child or colleague.

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Be patient.
Always have a smile.
Listen.

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Of all the expectations placed on me as a teacher, the slide with Toni Morrison's quote hit home: "When a child walks in the room, our child or anybody else's child, do your eyes light up? That's what they're looking for." I want my EYES to LIGHT up for EVERY child!!!

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Words have meaning and facial expressions have meaning. . . .it is important to be aware of both

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Takeaways:

1.  The issues facing individual school districts are different across the state and country.  Some of the things discussed does not have a direct impact on my life, but I understand the need to know about what is going on.  This is why I like to hear other people's stories; they help me to understand the different perspectives.

What are some examples of ways to address issues facing the small school districts? How do we get these kids that are not exposed to world problems to realize their impact on those problems?

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Be mindful of biases and think about who is being left out and find ways to include them.

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My takeaways from this time:

1.  Kids are still learning and growing, so am I.  I want grace when I mess up, I need to learn to extend grace as well.

2.  Actions and words can be hurtful or helpful, THINK before I do anything.

3.  If it makes me uncomfortable, someone else is probably uncomfortable too.  No one should be left out.

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Wow! This turned out fantastic! I am so humbled to meet so many educators making a difference around Iowa and the country! Thank you for providing us the tools to drill down to the 4%. When you are in the 4% it can be easy to be overlooked. You matter. The tools like THINK, Bill of Rights, and Feedback will be essential to me in coming year. I have also learned that relationships are key! So happy to have gotten the opportunity to grow here in this community!

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How powerful it is to be able to sit with a group of people and listen to their opinions and validate them.

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How powerful it is to be able to sit with a group of people and listen to their opinions and validate them.

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I will post this in my classroom for my reminder.

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When you are frustrated, stop and take a breath, positively approach the situation and address the situation head on.

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Embrace the diversity in the classroom. Building connections with our students is sometimes how we get them to love our content. The lasting impacts we can have on students can be positive or negative, which are we going to choose and how are we going to get there!?

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Who is getting left out? That isn't a question that I have heard before when thing about equity. It has made a huge impact. It is something that I will be reflecting on and then responding to every day as a teacher. I will be sharing it with the teachers and staff at school. If we can all work together to answer this question, we will be be building powerful students!

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Be mindful of how powerful words can be, think about others, it's not always about me or us. 

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Be mindful of how powerful words can be, think about others, it's not always about me or us. 

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Learning to acknowledge my mistakes and biases in order to change and reach even more students.

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Learning to acknowledge my mistakes and biases in order to change and reach even more students.

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1. Wow... the facial expression comment resonates.
2. Changing my perception of blame off students.
3. Develop support group of other staff and colleagues that care about equity.

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T.H.I.N.K
Equity and who is getting left out!
What changes I need to incorporate into my classroom.

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Being mindful and attuned to the culture in my room.
Celebrate/appreciate differences.
Continue to grow and change.

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Remembering that you need to connect to your students at a social level before you get the best academics from them.

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Remembering that you need to connect to your students at a social level before you get the best academics from them.

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Consider things I can do, not blame it on the student refusing to work.  Find a way to get through to the student.

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Consider things I can do, not blame it on the student refusing to work.  Find a way to get through to the student.

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1. You can have these challenging conversation online with a large group of people.

2. To facilitate deep conversation and listening  you need to allow time- good wait time and a safe forum to share. Anonymous Padlet is great.

3. It's normal to have biases in today's culture because of our upbringing, acknowledge them and work to make changes.

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Looking at things from a different perspective. I don't always look at other's point of view and it would be helpful in making connections with my students, so that they feel valued, accepted and successful.

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I'm stealing that idea of working on my facial expressions... they say ALOT!  I'm going to get out of my "comfort" and really try to focus on the kid vs. the content.  I love the THINK concept.

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I need to take a breath before I speak. Words matter and I want to try and make sure I am saying the message that is in my head and heart.

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Constantly ask myself these questions: Who am I leaving out? What is the 5% I can change today? Am I respecting everyone? Do I make my students feel valued? Can I make my student's eye light up everyday?

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I need to think about who I am leaving out. I need to T.H.I.N.K. before I speak. I need to look at my bias that I didn't even realize I had. I need to get more feedback from my students.

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*Who is getting left out? That's a super-powerful question!  I'm going to be asking it a lot more!
*Every child is important and deserves a respectful relationship with you. Oh yeah, it's not all about you.
*Watch my sarcasm and eye rolls! T.H.I.N.K.

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I will be more mindful of the experiences that my students are bringing to the classroom. I will teach students and not their labels.

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When you thought you've given your all, try even harder.

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When you thought you've given your all, try even harder.

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Feel I can use this training to be better, but it may not be overnight. Will need to make sure this is top of mind with all of the other crazy that will come this fall.

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More awareness that even though I "think" I'm including everyone, I am leaving someone out.  My question is what do we do when we are doing everything we can to include everyone, and someone still gets left out?

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More awareness that even though I "think" I'm including everyone, I am leaving someone out.  My question is what do we do when we are doing everything we can to include everyone, and someone still gets left out?

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I really liked when we talked about THINK and how sometimes I don't always follow that within my classroom.
Me being uncomfortable is ok
I would like to add more checkins with my students. I talk to them all the time but sometimes they might not tell me face to face so just having a second way to tell me things

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I know that I need to take a closer look at my own biases, but how can I examine them when I don't know what they are? How can I try to expose myself to communities that I am not familiar with? How do I make sure that the work I'm doing is not burdening people of color?

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Continue to grow in my own learning of equity. Begin the journey of STEM in order to incorporate more equity opportunities in the classroom. All of this can push us forward in recognizing and celebrating our similarities and differences for the betterment of all.

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This will be on ongoing process. I will need to continually ask, "who is being left out?".  Then work to address the answer in collaborative and repectful ways.

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This course defining equity as who is getting left out. This is the major take away for me. I never had it framed to me this way. The other powerful comment in my career has been Don't ask what is wrong with that child, what happened to that child?

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I need to be more mindful of what I say can be interpreted completely differently than intended.

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T.H.I.N.K.
--create feedback forms that are not just at the end of the semester, but throughout the course so I can continuously improve my teaching strategies.
--How can I create or work on a balance with rigor, helpful, and encouragement. How do I differentiate this?
--Who is getting left out in my class? This takeaway is causing me to reflect on the make-up of my classes and is my time and effort focused on a certain type of student?

--Implement the changes I have proposed to myself at the beginning of school - whether we are part-time, full-time, or on-line (COVID). It needs to start.
--Continue the practice of "writing letters to myself".
--Keep reminding myself of Pam's words - WORK REQUIRES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT!

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I need to be mindful of my facial expressions in addition to what I say.  I also need to watch my sarcasm.
What cues will I be missing when we are all wearing face masks?

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T.H.I.N.K.  and Bill of Rights will be implemented. Carefully evaluate my sarcasm. Make sure I reflect every day. 

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T.H.I.N.K.  and Bill of Rights will be implemented. Carefully evaluate my sarcasm. Make sure I reflect every day. 

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One of my biggest takeaways is to T.H.I.N.K. before I speak. I want to post this acronym in my classroom at the back of the room so I can constantly be reminded of this (and I think it would be super beneficial for middle school students to also know).

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My takeaway would be mindful of how I communicate with my students.
Think before I speak.
Treat every student like they are a precious flower and help them bloom into the person they can become.
How will my own personal bias affect my teaching?
Everybody has a story or a background and until you get to know that person or student don't make assumptions.

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1. Be mindful of the communication styles.  THINK before you speak and act in hopes of preventing harm.
2. Acknowledge my students for who they are and for the contributions and value they bring to our classroom community.
3. Bias is real and the decisions I make as the leader can affect my students. "Who is being left out?"
4. Equity begins with relationships and equity is perceived differently amongst individuals.