Week 2 Discussion

[RCCE Admin]

1. In Chapter 3, the authors highlight various ways in which our identity is shaped by our engagement with others in community. But community can lead to various ways of thinking about ourselves. According to the text, community can cause divide identities, spoiled identities, and erased identities. What are some ways you’ve seen this play out in schools and classrooms? 
2. Chapter 4 begins, “The opposite of exclusion is not the absence of exclusion. It’s the active presence of inclusion” (p. 58). What are some ways schools (both as a whole and in individual classrooms) can be more conscious of being inclusive and not just avoiding exclusion?
3. Shirley & Hargreaves talk about inclusion of students with special needs, indigenous students, linguistic minorities, students with LGBTQ+ identities, and immigrant students. Are there ways your school or classrooms have found success in creating an inclusive space around these identities?

[rdevito]

In response to how dividing/spoiling/erasing identities play out in the classroom, language barriers are present. My school has embraced a dual-language model (English & Spanish). This has really opened up my mind to other cultures and “stories” of students. The model was started at the Pre-K level and advanced one grade level each year. This has been great at inclusion of all the differences and challenges students and teachers face. Before this model, the Spanish speakers were at a huge disadvantage. Now, the Spanish speakers help me. As a teacher, I deliberately plan my lessons to include all students using group activities, choices, and flexibility with assignments/assessments.

My school has also embraced multi-cultural families in the school community. I try to celebrate all cultures and make an effort to encourage discussion in the classroom. I like to ask my Middle School students what they do outside of class. Specifically, on Mondays, I share and I encourage them to share, kind of like a show-and-tell, about their weekend, especially “extraordinary” events.

At my school, we do celebrate different cultures, too. There is an annual Heritage Day event celebrating families: food, dance, music, etc. It is a highlight! Sometimes, at Mass, students celebrate Saints from different countries by dressing like them & sharing information to the school “family”. Morning announcements/prayer alternate in the different languages, too. Before becoming a dual-language school, teachers and students seemed very divided with the language. It is really beautiful to see this barrier gone or at least eroding. There is more to do to promote inclusion of all, but the awareness is a great step forward.

[alexanjg]

The move to dual-language model for teaching is a great example of creating space for multiple identities. I wonder if there were growing pains involved in this process or even support from the school leadership that helped in the shift.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[fkeusenkothen]

I have seen the concepts of divided and spoiled identities played out in middle school due to the pressure to conform to group standards. One or two students have refused small group accommondations because they don’t want others to know they have a learning difference. A couple of students will opt to wear their uniform on “dress down” days because they don’t think they have stylish enough outfits. A few 8th graders claimed to be going to a high school to which they had been rejected to avoid admitting which school they were actually attending.

Our school community encourages active inclusion of all students and their families. We are in the process of becoming a dual language school. Multicultural events are planned throughout the school year and are incorporated into classroom activities. Some of the uniform and hair requirements have been relaxed to allow for cultural and LGBTQ+ students inclusion. Teachers are given professional development on differentiated instruction and offering choice in assessment to meet the needs of the different types of learners. A wide range of electives are offered and students can start a club with a faculty moderator, so students can have choice on activities and groups where they feel they belong. Service clubs, in particular, build community and give students an opportuntity to be an impactful member of the community.

[alexanjg]

You bring up two really interesting examples of ways in which identities can be spoiled in schools with the issues of accommodations and issues of class that are evidenced in dress issues.

I find the accommodations a difficult one because these are intended to help students and allow them to succeed, yet in your example/experience it seems like students resist this because of the implications or perception of other students.

I wonder if there are strategies, that you or others have seen, that help with creating spaces that help with this and allow students with accommodations to feel more included in our communities.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[katiemckiernan]

Two years ago, our school implemented a House system. In this system, each student is placed in a House and works with the same advisor, Head of House, and school and college counselor over the course of four years. Meeting in advisory three times per week and seeing his Head of House every day (or nearly every day) allows the time and space for students to show up as who they are and feel valued for all of their identities. I think this model actively practices inclusion because there are multiple spaces throughout the day where students are being encouraged to learn about the lives and identities of their peers, as well as sharing on their own.

This model gives students with special needs, indigenous students, linguistic minorities, students with LGBTQ+ identities, and immigrant students a place to celebrate each of those identities and to share their story with a team of trusted adults and/or peers.

I think our retreat programming also is an inclusive space around all student identities. Students can choose the kind of retreat that they want to attend, which helps buy in. Once on retreat, they are able to open up more than they would in the “normal” spaces of our school like the cafeteria, locker room, or library.

[bdallam]

I often think about students religious identity in the school where I work. All students must be catholic to attend the school and I can see how that creates a school where many students have the same ideas around religion. We are beginning to do a better job of exposing our students to other religions and faiths, but I am always concerned with how we are doing this. Are we deepening their understanding of different faiths while also strengthen their faith as well, or are we just scratching the surface? Do our students who come from a multifaith background feel like they can be transparent with that information about themselves or are they feeling like that is a part of themselves that they need to “hide” in order to be accepted by others in the community?

[mmenden]

The many ways that one’s identity is lived within the context of school communities impact and inform a person’s views of oneself and experiences in a particular community. Especially in schools, this experience is informed by the school’s policy and procedures, how a person experiences learning with a particular teacher and feels welcome or unwelcome in the classroom and broader community. Often, what has been normalized in a school community of remaining in your seat, raising your hand, following the rules, and walking on one side of the hallway can impact how others regard the student. For example, students who follow the rules and refrain from negative consequences are almost always regarded as good students. There were many occasions when teachers and principals equated a student’s behavior with being considered smart and intelligent. The students who are considered less intelligent by some of their teachers and peers may exhibit behaviors outside of what has been normalized.

School expectations, policies, and procedures may promote the notion of divided, spoiled, or erased identities. In the classroom, students form groups and socialize with one another based on participation in sports or other clubs. A school’s uniform policy can promote an erased or divided identity, especially when the policy allows male students to wear pants and female students must wear a uniform skirt or jumper. Another example is students learning English as their second language while the school’s curriculum is delivered in English. Students may suppress or deny their native language to be accepted by their peers, teachers, and school community.

The above realities can be experienced differently when the schools and teachers work together to understand and create relationships by getting to know each other in profound and meaningful ways. From my experience, this is an area we struggle with at my Catholic school because we are good at knowing who learners are on the surface. We relate to our students at the surface level by completing the learner survey at the beginning of the year, meeting the parents at open houses and conferences, and communicating through email and Class Dojo. However, it is hard to move beyond this surface level because of time challenges, fear of not completing the required curriculum pacing requirements, or unawareness and lack of knowledge to build successful student-teacher relationships within the classroom. Another way would be for schools to examine and discuss policies and structures through the elevation of all stakeholder voices. This would need to be carefully planned, and it will be a worthwhile process to live together fully and embrace each other’s gifts and talents. It would take a conscientious effort for all to understand their own identity within the community and move closer to the core of belonging within a school.

At St. Nick, this is always in motion, especially within the special needs and linguistic student populations. We have had much success in building a culture for inclusion of all students. We have worked to develop school structures to welcome diverse learners through our school doors through professional development, clear communication, and many activities to work together as one school community with many voices. We practice accompaniment daily with one another and work through the school’s MTSS Team. It’s a daily, lived learning experience.

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