# data[].attributes.body
One practice that I want to bring into my teaching is the use of SEL check-ins throughout the day. Many of my students are experiencing grief and are in dedicated grief counseling which the school provides to these students weekly. However, these sessions must also be accompanied by moves within the classroom. I think some of the teacher toolkit tools which were provided, including the check-ins, are something that I can feasibly bring into my classroom. This will allow me to be more responsive to the emotions of my students on particular days and adapt how I interact with these students.

# data[].attributes.body
I really loved the idea that a growth mindset is an actionable belief. Building off of that, my commitment to support student belonging is to keep on checking in with my students to see how they feel about the classroom environment. Creating an inclusive environment for students is difficult without knowing what the students are feeling and then responding and adapting to those student needs. One practice that I have adopted and want to continue to do is just choosing different students each week to conference with and check-in on with a longer conversation and I think this has been effective because it has built trust between myself and the students.

I also want to focus more on how I provide praise to students, with the shift from ability praise to process praise. In thinking about how I have given praise recently it has mainly focused on ability praise and I want to continue thinking about this when I give praise to my students.

# data[].attributes.headline
I will incorporate what I learned in the "Supporting students through grief, loss, and bereavement"  in my practice by using the SEL check-ins in my class and allow my students to feel safe to be in my class. 

# data[].attributes.subject
I will incorporate what I learned in the "Supporting students through grief, loss, and bereavement"  in my practice by using the SEL check-ins in my class and allow my students to feel safe to be in my class. 

# data[].attributes.body
Jenny oh

# data[].attributes.body
One aspect of belonging I think my school does right and that I commit myself to engaging in further is weekly circles. Essentially, once a week, each class will take time out of their period to stop and get together to discuss how we feel about the class environment. The conversation could range from redecorating the walls to completely revising the curriculum to instituting new warmups and close outs. The point is that we do our best to incorporate student voices so that they feel heard and affirmed throughout their learning experience.

# data[].attributes.body
One moment I seized on for this reflection is the common mistake when it comes to supporting through grief, loss and, bereavement: pressured conversation. Too often we feel as adults and teachers that the conversation needs to happen as soon as we hear about what has happened and we rush through the emotions of the situation, hoping for a quick fix. Effective grief support relies not only on the validation of those emotions and modeling of that grief as natural from adults but also choosing the correct time and space for expression.

# data[].attributes.body
To support student belonging, I have set up more group and pair assignments so that students will have more opportunities to get to know each other as well as work together. I want to enact more groups in tables working together. I want to interrogate the pre existing relationships between my students to see how they affect their classwork.

# data[].attributes.body
I will try to appear more open so students will feel comfortable telling me about their grievances without fear of repercussions or embarrassment

# data[].attributes.body
Something I see a lot with my kids is the need for SEL check-ins daily. Given the specific situation I work in, my kids are all involved in the same stressful environment day in and day out. That’s not even mentioning their lives outside of the Rehab that they still have to deal with. I try to make my classroom a safe space, a true break for my kids so that they can come into the space and relax. I like to do an activity with them where I give them a scrap of paper and tell them they have 5 minutes to write whatever they want. Whatever they want to write, but at the end of the 5 minutes they MUST stop writing. I then tell them they can either crush up and throw their paper, rip it, or keep it. But they must get it out of their line of vision in some way, that way they are able to renew their minds and focus on something other than what is stressing them out. I make sure that my students know that I don’t need to know everything about their situation, but I am here to help give them structured time to process their emotions.

# data[].attributes.body
The main promise I am making to myself and my students is to put their needs first and the content second. I can sometimes try to bulldoze through the content in the name of getting them test ready, but that means I’m leaving behind a lot of SEL growth that could have been happening.

# data[].attributes.body
Belonging is a feeling that is hard to create and cannot be artificial. To improve belonging in my classroom, I will not only continue to do SEL warm ups with students everyday and ask their opinions about tasks that we complete, I also plan on doing focus groups moving forward where I will have the opportunity to talk with students about what they think is missing from our classroom environment and get their input on how to best move forward.

# data[].attributes.body
Science is formally known to be exclusive for caucasian middle and upper class, so I don’t want students to continue the misconception that they are not good enough for a career in science. I promote a growth mindset in my classroom by constantly challenging students to defend their knowledge. Students will learn, apply, question, and challenge concepts they learn in class, so simply getting a question correct is not enough. Students have to fully understand why they are getting questions correct by substantiating their claims with proper evidence and reasoning. I have been actively supporting student belonging by encouraging students to help and know each other. I do this by asking students to help their peers. My students are mostly on the timid side so many of them don’t want to ask others for help or ask me for help. I learned that students become less timid and shy if they are encouraged to help each other. Students build strong relationships through helping each other and also learn the concepts more deeply when they practice explaining them to each other. I want to continue promoting team work and other prosocial behavior in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been checking in on my students several times a week a reserving break times in each period.  I would give time for students to chit chat with their peers or relax for a few minutes. This webinar taught me new mini activities to do during those microbreaks. I think those suggestions are better than just letting students sit alone quietly.  I can see myself have students write down three things their grateful for, or do a breathing exercise. I also think I can be a more mindful teacher to my students because I now recognize triggers of trauma, such as, tense muscle, slower movement, and glassy eyes. I’ve probably seen some of these signs before but didn’t realize that some of these signs are triggers of trauma.

# data[].attributes.body
The session on supporting students through grief gave me a new perspective about how grief may manifest in my students lives. When I know a student has recently experienced grief, I am going to pay closer attention to their behaviors and see their behaviors through a grief lens. This will help me better understand and make sense of my students' behaviors.

# data[].attributes.body
To support student belonging and/or growth mindset, I am committed to using intentional language when speaking about my SPED students that ensures they know and feel that they are supported and belong in our classroom. I also want to help shift our school community's perspective on SPED students by speaking up if I hear others expressing limited beliefs about SPED students.

# data[].attributes.body
I am committing to making sure that students see themselves in the classroom by setting up student work and highlighting mathematicians from similar backgrounds.

# data[].attributes.body
I commit to doing SEL check ins throughout the day.

# data[].attributes.body
I am making the commitment to continue my education on both belonging and growth mindset. I am committed to checking in with students to ensure that their voices are heard. I want to interrogate my application of praise further. I want to create more opportunities for students to work together in discussions and projects.

# data[].attributes.body
I will incorporate what I learned by practicing more frequent check-ins with students, giving students space, giving students the invitation to counseling, and teaching the understanding that it is okay to express emotion and grief. I will practice in myself that grief shows up in many different ways.