[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

[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

[alexanjg]

It’s really exciting to read over all of these introductions. To see people who have been working in Catholic schools for years and yet still want to learn and grow so that they can better care for and come alongside students as they grow, learn, and develop. It is encouraging to see your willingness to invest in your own professional and personal growth as well as what you can bring back to your schools and classrooms.

Also, it’s great to see the diversity of identities represented in these introductions. We are all a bit different, yet we also share some commonalities. I look forward to learning from and with you all as we read and think together.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[alexanjg]

The reflections and posts you all have offered up here have given us all a lot to think about. Many of you have mentioned the difficulty of talking about identity because of political and social factors. But what is encouraging is we’re talking about these issues together. As we continue to read and discuss these issues, I hope you all are developing the vocabulary and comfort level to talk about these in your own communities in healthy and productive ways. Furthermore, as many of you have mentioned, and we’ll continue to talk about, our common faith provides resources and ways of dealing with these complex issues. Whether it’s Cura Personalis, the Imago Dei, or the virtues of humility and seeking the good of others, our common faith can provide a way for us to think through and talk with others about these difficult issues as we learn and grow together.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[alexanjg]

I think your attention to the “could be good at” is important for our students and ourselves. As Shirley and Hargreaves mention throughout, our identities are not static, but change. thinking about possibilities is important to think about the kinds of people we (and our students) might become.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[alexanjg]

Your focus on the idea of joy seems important, and I think you’re right that many search for happiness rather than pursuing joy. Engaging with students over the concept of joy may help them as they work through own identities as well. Joy seems to be a place where purpose, contentment, and satisfaction meet one another and dwell together. And this seems to say something about the imago dei in us and our students, which may be important in thinking through issues of identity.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[alexanjg]

Robin – We’re excited you’ve joined us.

[alexanjg]

Amy welcome to our book study. I think you highlight something important to keep in mind as we read. Thinking about identity is not just about our students, but includes us as well. We change and grow as teachers and leaders. So I hope we can apply what we’re learning to ourselves as well.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

[alexanjg]

Rachel – Welcome to the book study and thanks for sharing. We hope this can be a space to explore the way faith intersects with questions of our daily lives and the lives of our students.

Cheers
Jeremy Alexander

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