This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Megan DaGrava

I have read several books since the quarantine began and my most recent book is Shift This by Joy Kirr and I have been questioning how will things shift in the classroom this school year?!?

We have been through some serious shifts in 2020. We shifted to remote learning, shifted to wiping groceries, shifted to wearing masks, and shifted to keeping our distance- so many shifts. The greatest shift was in education (at least for most) and the shift was quick and somewhat unexpected. We did not have time to prepare, we did not know that was the last face-to-face day of teaching we would experience with our students. The realization of that was yet another shift.

One day we are in our classrooms with our students and months later we do not know when the shift back to classrooms will happen. So we are preparing for all sorts of shifts in education during this time of unknown. Teachers being learners of new technology and systems to prepare in case we are remote. Teachers gathering materials and preparing for distancing in the classroom. Teachers are stressed, anxious, and waiting for the next shift- what will it be? No matter the shift, we are prepared.

We know that our students need us, so we will be there for them whether it is in-person or remote. The shifts have been many this year but who better to take on such shifts than teachers. We shift constantly when teaching in the classroom- shifting from student to student, lesson to lesson. We’ve got this! We are masters of shifting! It isn’t going to be easy but we won’t let these shifts get in the way of what really matters- our students. 

Megan DaGrava is a West Liberty University (undergraduate) and Walden University graduate. She has been employed with Ohio County Schools for ten years and teaches second grade at Madison Elementary School.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Angela Curfman​

July 4th is not only a national holiday; it is a celebration of self as it is my birthday. This year, it was spent with a safe circle of close family and friends. While the company and authentic relationships were the best gifts, one present that I received has caused much revisiting, rereading, highlighting, sticky notes, and personal reflection. And, what could cause much everlasting action? A book titled Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More than Ever, by Gavin Edwards (2019). Drawn to his lasting legacy and warm embracement of all, modes and methods to live more like Mister Rogers today prompted my own pedagogical insights and classroom improvements. It was these same thoughts that found a natural alignment to the goals and objectives of the FLUENCY Project.

“The best teacher in the world is someone who loves what he or she does, and just loves it in front of you.”
Today, that same promotion of kindness, empathy, and wonder in the classroom is critical. Imperative for overall student success, educators have the amazing responsibility to foster the development of both the affective and cognitive domains. To awaken the imagination and spark curiosity in a student empowers academic success and emotional health. Utilizing a Mister Roger’s philosophical perspective, educators may just be able to create an authentic nurturing classroom that
supports diversity, promotes student voice, and equity.

“No matter how old or young we are, we learn best from people who care about us. That relationship grows when teachers are friendly, respectful, and interested in us as unique human beings.”
Known for his kindness, creativity, commitment to the overall well-being of children, Mister Rogers left an admirable legacy. It is that legacy that educators may take into consideration in the design of a nurturing classroom. The utilization of children’s and young adult literature creates a powerful transitional bridge to share Mister Rogers’ thoughtful integrated approach to life. Literature presents the opportunity for reflection, reality, and an unknown promising world. To meet the
development needs of students and to fulfill academic standards while supporting his timeless approach, a list of Mister Rogers’ quotes aligned with children’s and young adult literature:

1. More and more I've come to understand that listening is one of the most important things we can do for one another. Whether the other be an adult or a child, our engagement in listening to who that person is can often be our greatest gift. Whether that person is speaking or playing or dancing, building or singing or painting, if we care, we can listen. Suki's Kimono Paperback, by Chieri Uegaku, (2005) tells a story of a young girl that marches and dances to her own beat.
2. “When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the façade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way.” Sulwe, by Lupita Wyong’o (2019), is a story about a young girl that shares a message about self-esteem, learning to love oneself, and that true beauty comes from within.
3. The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” In I am Enough, by Grace Byers (2018), promotes positive affirmations and self-acceptance through a lyrical ode that reassures that we are more than enough and that we all have a purpose.
4. “We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.” How one girl changed the world is wonderfully written in the inspirational I Am Malala (Young Reader’s Edition): How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World, by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai (2013).
5. “All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.” Encouragement of being the good in the world and acts of gratitude and appreciation are conveyed in Good People Everywhere, by Lynea Gillen (2012).

“It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression. Looking through a Mister Rogers’ lens and employing children’s and young adult literature in the classroom presents the powerful opportunity to inspire wonder, kindness, and empathy in the classroom. Find the joy in the daily miracles in the classroom, starting first and foremost with the students that enter into the classroom. In true Mister Rogers’ fashion, a song to conclude:

It's you I like,
It's not the things you wear,
It's not the way you do your hair
But it's you I like
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys
They're just beside you.
But it's you I like
Every part of you.
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you'll remember
Even when you're feeling blue
That it's you I like,
It's you yourself
It's you.

It's you I like.
Written by Fred Rogers | © 1971, Fred M. Rogers

References:
Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media. (2018).
www.fredrogerscenter.org.
Rogers, F. (2005). Life’s journeys according to fred rogers: Things to remember along
the way. Reprint, Hachette Books 2014.
Rogers, F. (2003). The world according to mister rogers: Important things to remember.
Reprint, Hachette Books 2014.
Rogers, F. (1971). It’s you I like. Pittsburgh Music History.

Employed as an Assistant Professor at West Liberty University, (West Liberty WV), Angela Curfman is in her 10 th year in higher education. She first began her educational career as an elementary educator in Marshall County Schools, (Moundsville WV). 
Angela Curfman is currently enrolled at West Virginia University in the Curriculum and Instruction doctoral program and is finalizing her dissertation. Angela’s research areas include children’s literature, bibliotherapy, and emergent literacy
instruction. Her most recent manuscript, The Integration of Bibliotherapy in the Classroom: A Literature Review, was just accepted in the 2019 American Reading Forum Online Yearbook.
Angela is a member of the Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Angela’s research areas include children’s literature, bibliotherapy, and emergent literacy instruction.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Katie Dantrassy

Good. Great. Influential. Entering the teaching profession, I always aspired to be a great teacher, but my definition of great was simply intuitive. My teacher education and professional development taught me content, pedagogical strategies, and educational methodologies, but I still struggled with the ambiguity of what it means to be a great teacher. 

It wasn’t until pursuing my National Board Teaching Certificate that I learned to practice and know the defining traits of my profession and reflect on my classroom with a deeper perspective using the lens of the five core propositions. I was refreshed, I was excited, and I felt empowered to lead in my classroom and school. Nine years later, I had found nothing as stimulating or as effective for my professional competence as National Boards until I was invited to join the Data and Fluency Project. 

I assumed that this was another program, another canned professional development for content, or simply another attempt at collaboration across districts. I was so WRONG! After our first conversation, I was thinking about my work and actions more than I had in years. My head was spinning from the depth of the questions our group posed and the feeling that I was a part of a community. I felt like I had joined an educational think tank! The last time I slowed down enough to reflect on this level, I was learning what it meant to be a National Board Certified Teacher, and that led me to examine the links between National Board Certification and the Data and Fluency Project. 

For those who may be unfamiliar with National Board Certification, the process is built upon five core propositions to which teaching is inextricably bound. 
​
1. Teachers are Committed to Students and Learning
2. Teachers Know the Subject They Teach and How to Teach It
3. Teachers are Responsible for Managing and Monitoring Student Learning
4. Teachers Think Systemically about Their Practice and Learn from Experience
5. Teachers are Members of Learning Communities

I found these same foundational traits in the Data and Fluency Project. I was surrounded by teacher leaders who wanted to be in the group to grow and learn for their students. No one was “assigned” or forced to attend, which demonstrated the participants’ commitment to students and learning. Within the first half of the meeting, I was almost intimidated by the number of new strategies shared and the demonstration of expertise among our group; needless to say, I was impressed with my peers and honored to be invited into their fold. Their presence and commentary assuredly demonstrated propositions 1-3.

After completing National Boards, I especially struggled to find anything that truly addressed systemic thinking and deep reflection (Proposition 4). The Data and Fluency Project gave me this. What an opportunity to be permitted to analyze systems of education with such a talented and intelligent group! To pose questions and not need a specific answer, to slow down and consider not only the day-to-day but educational structures, to feel comfortable expressing opinions or asking questions without criticism was liberating. We asked ourselves “What if…” without the pressure to make an immediate decision or worry about systemic rules or the historical design of education. This experience is the definition of a learning community. My circle expanded, and when the COVID-19 school closure occurred, I had a support network that was the envy of other administrators and gave me a greater perspective across a three-state region. The Data and Fluency Project group reminded me of the support and freedom I experienced in my National Board Cohort. 

The most significant connection I made between National Board Certification and the Data and Fluency Project is that both are intensely focused on students and their learning. Every question, every comment, and every conversation is rooted in relationship: know your students and know yourself enough to help them know the content. 

If you are in the Data and Fluency Project, I feel that you already have the basic tools to pursue National Board Certification. What makes a good teacher great is the ability to reflect and act on those questions or ideas. When we understand our students and connect with them, they develop agency. When we see our students for who they are and respect their experiences, they will grow. All learning is personal. 

Katie Dantrassy graduated from West Liberty State College in 2008 with a major in English and pursued her MA in Special Education at WVU in 2011. In 2013, she earned a post-graduate certificate in leadership from Marshall University. Katie  began a career as a teacher at Sherrard Middle school in gifted education and English for grades 6-8.
Katie has been engaged in her life as a high school curriculum assistant principal and focus on renewing her National Board Teaching Certification. Katie is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Katie’s special  interests include educational innovation, grant writing, and access and equity initiatives.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Meredith Dailer

We are six months into 2020. We have seen the possibility of World War III, the impeachment of our highest government official, a pandemic, an economic catastrophe, food supply shortages, racial injustice protests and riots. If you had to choose one word to describe this past six months, what would it be? Based on the memes I have seen on social media, we would all either laugh (or cry) at the forthcoming answers. For me, the word is inequity. 

With Covid-19, inequity simply hit us in the face. As administrators we were the front-line educational workers. We saw the families come for food; thankful that it was only one day a week and they didn’t have to use more gas than necessary to pick it up. We helped the little kids who came alone to get food get that too-big-to-carry box home. We took the calls from families with no internet because they lived too far out or because they simply couldn’t afford it. We made the paper packets and delivered them when they weren’t picked up. We were shocked to see where some of our students live. We monitored their chromebooks and sent police safety-checks when they were searching suicide or self-harm on the internet. We still got the handle-with-care emails. Sadly, those came more frequently than in the pre- Covid days. We tried emailing, calling, knocking on doors and still didn’t touch base with a few of our kids. 

Covid was a hard reality check into our most marginalized and at-risk students. We saw it up close. Everyday. And it wasn’t just with our students. We saw it with our staff. We had those that struggled with the technology, those that came to our food sites for their own families and even those without internet with the expectation to work all day...on the internet.  They expressed their concerns with their health, their paycheck, and their frustration with this new “school”. The stress and anxiety were palpable. The haves and the have-nots had been exposed. 

I was already heartbroken by what Covid exposed in my school community when the George Floyd video went viral. As a history teacher, I am well-aware of the dark side of American slavery. I taught the hate that resided in the South throughout the Jim Crow era and into the Civil Rights movement. As I watched African American outrage on television, listened to their reality and recognized their pain, I was again heartbroken. I picture my kiddos, my students, feeling this way. I can’t imagine dealing with a pandemic AND the everyday racial negativity some endure. 

So, now we’re faced with the re-opening of school. I'm overwhelmed these days trying to navigate this “new normal”. Equity sits in my gut and barks in my ear as we make these plans.  I have a lot of questions and I want to cast their answers through the lens of equity.  How do we best serve our special needs population? How do we reach those without reliable internet? How do we make sure our kids are fed and safe? How do we support our students’ mental health needs? How do we let our minority students know we stand in solidarity with them? How do I tap into the student experience and improve it?  What processes can we adjust, delete or add to help build equity in our buildings? My hope is that this disruption will allow us to create a more equitable system for all our students – both educationally and socially. 

My newest saying is that “nothing is easier in a pandemic”. But, as an earlier blog pointed out, there can be silver linings. Covid was a reality check for us. The realities we saw made compassion and empathy so much easier. When teachers reeled against value-added grading, we could speak from the heart and explain why it had to be this way for now. When parents vented about a certain teacher’s slow grading, we could talk about that teacher not having internet and sitting in a school parking lot for hours to get those papers graded. As I write this, I realize that Covid did what we all aim to do...know our students better. It’s unfortunate that it took a pandemic to get us there. And while it’s disappointing that our country is still grappling and trying to right the wrongs of our history, it is progress. It is opening our eyes to our own privilege and to the systemic racism that may still reside in our schools. 

Both Covid and the Black Lives Matter movement are creating a new space for positive growth and dialogue. We have the opportunity to do things differently, better, more equitably. I don’t want this opportunity to slip by without taking advantage of the momentum and compassion that has been created. I recognize that we are in the position to craft the future of education and am excited for the possibilities. I truly hope we can move past the first half of 2020 and all the inequity it exposed, to build a better, more equitable 2021. 

Meredith Dailer, NBCT, graduated from Fairmont State University in 2001 with a major in Secondary Education, Social Studies. Meredith began a career as a teacher at Wheeling Park High School in Social Studies. She is currently serving as Principal of Wheeling Park High School in Wheeling, WV. 
Meredith previously coached girls basketball and remains heavily involved in student council since coming to Ohio County Schools and currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Meredith’s special interests include cooking and spending time with her family.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Olivia Kilbane

What is grace? No, seriously, what is grace? Is grace a type of elegance or, maybe your cousin’s middle name? Oxford Languages tells us that one form of grace is “free and unmerited favor”.

I think of grace as acceptance or forgiveness without an ultimatum. Something that I don’t do well is give myself grace. Especially recently, I could count on one hand how many times I have actually given myself grace throughout this “new normal” while facing the many challenges. During the last few months, the beginning of quarantine, the first half of 2020, the “shut down”- whatever you may call it, things have changed, and lifestyles have been totally altered. Period. This season of unprecedented change has brought on many challenges, physically and emotionally, for so many people. I am often stuck wondering “What could I have done better?” or thinking “That wasn’t the very best effort on my part.” I criticize myself constantly, even more so throughout the pandemic.

I would consider myself a busy bee. Like many educators, I’m always on the go, I love to be productive, and having a project or goal to work toward makes me thrive mentally.  Throughout college I was involved in many organizations that kept me busy constantly. When that suddenly stopped, I was shell shocked. Throughout the time of quarantine, however, like many others, I was challenged in more ways than one. Sitting at home, not being able to go anywhere or continue with my normal routine genuinely took a toll on me. I ended up sitting alone in my apartment for hours on end, day after day wondering what is going to happen next. I will embarrassingly admit that my days looked something like this:

- Wake up
- Move to the couch
- Attend a Zoom meeting
- Watch something on TV
- Take a nap
- Find something to eat
- Attend another Zoom meeting
- Try to be productive
- Go to bed
How terribly depressing is that?! That is how I was living- every day for months. Like many of you, I shut down when the world seemed to shut down, and it had presented a large negative impact on my mental health. I was hopeless and I was scared. My senior year of college was cut short, I didn’t receive my diploma on a stage, and I didn’t get a proper “goodbye” to the 18 precious students in the class that I was a student teacher in. All in all, I was heartbroken.

Instead of dwelling on my lifestyle and mental setbacks throughout the past months, I choose to overcome and move forward. I’ve decided to give myself grace. I’ve forgiven myself for not putting all of my effort toward many things lately. I have accepted that many people struggled recently and that I am not alone, because believe it or not, coping during an INTERNATIONAL PANDEMIC isn’t really something that we’re prepared for.

Following the point of acceptance and grace giving, I started to make a change. I listened to podcasts, I started walking every day, I started a side job that makes me happy, I have taken more time to be productive and to take care of myself, and most importantly, I’ve reconnected with family and friends. Toward the end of April, I moved into a new house and started graduate school in May. I have found things that make my soul happy, and I’ve promised that no matter how long our lives are altered during the pandemic, I will never sink to a low place that I did previously this year. No matter what, I will give myself grace, and you should, too.

Olivia Kilbane graduated from West Liberty University in May of 2020 with a major in Elementary Education. Olivia has not yet began a career as a teacher, but her dream job is to be a teacher in a Children’s Hospital, advocating for children and their families during difficult times. Olivia has been engaged in multiple organizations and leadership positions at West Liberty, and currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Olivias’s special interests include camping and fishing with friends, and spending time with her cat Lenny. Olivia is currently in the process of obtaining her Master’s degree in Special Education.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Jenna Daugherty

Unstoppable: incapable of being defeated, overcome, or subdued. Synonyms include bulletproof, invincible, invulnerable, unbeatable, and unconquerable. 

When in the midst of preparing and planning for remote learning, I took the time to sit back, look out the window, and acknowledge just what we, as educators, have done in so little time with very little warning. Within days, we created lessons, virtual assignments, virtual field trips, remote learning activities, and I could go on and on. We all did what we had to do to help our students the best we could. It wasn’t perfect, but with the time and tools we were handed it was feasible. 

We are now faced with the unknown once again. The only difference from before is that we are so much more knowledgeable about tools, activities, platforms that we can use to teach from if we are to teach remotely once again. Even though it is summer, I don’t know if a day has gone by that I haven’t been on a webinar or a class or discussed strategies with other teachers about how to make the coming school year successful. I know I’m not alone. You all have done the same. Why? Because it’s who we are. We are teachers. We care about our students as if they were our own children. We only want what’s best for everyone. It’s amazing to think back to where we were mid-March and to see how far we’ve come. I’m humbled and blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of people. Educators. Unstoppable.

Jenna Daugherty graduated from WLU with a major in Elementary Education K-8. She then earned  her Master's Degree in Special Education from WVU.  She has been teaching multiple levels of Elementary students for 23 years. She is currently teaching 2nd grade at Steenrod Elementary in Ohio County.
Jenna has been engaged in the Math4Life campaign in OCS and currently is a member Cohort 4 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Jenna’s special interests include spending time with her family and watching the multiple sporting events in which they are involved.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Melissa Fritter

In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson stated, “...that all men are created equal...” Although this may be true at the moment of birth, within one minute on this Earth, each one of us becomes a unique individual. Whether it is how and when we speak, how we walk, the color of our eyes, hair, or skin, the way we smile, the manner in which we dress, what we find funny, sad, curious, or the way we learn. Educators are very much aware of this as soon as students walk into a classroom from Preschool through University and beyond.

When I first joined the Data and Technology Fluency Project a few years ago I began to look at my values in my own life as well as in my classroom with a new perspective. I truly began to look at my students in a new light. I decided that I wanted to delve deeper into discovering what makes each of my students unique and how can I foster the love of learning in order for them to continue to develop his or her individuality while still teaching the content standards required.

As a Library Media Specialist I am in a unique position in the respect that I do not have an exact curriculum I am required to teach, therefore I have redesigned my teaching style and content delivery various times over the years. However, since becoming a part of the D&T Fluency Project I have attempted to reflect more on what I am teaching and how the students are learning. Currently, I am working with students on STEAM projects during class, as well as some online STEAM projects during the COVID-19 quarantine period. The STEAM projects enable students to not only work together toward a common goal, but see the value in what each student has to offer and allow them to be heard.

This past school year, I had first graders build carnival rides out of EMIDO building kits. It enabled students to talk to each other about what they were building, if they could attach them together to create a larger ride, how their ride worked and why they chose the specific “sticks” to build them “that way”. The interaction and discussion was lively and interesting. Students learned about what worked and what didn’t which gave them an opportunity to employ some of the Mindfulness techniques we discuss daily at both of my elementary schools.

Second graders worked on a “Me” Google Slides presentation in which they listed information about themselves and told about their favorites (color, food, sport, book, etc.). With second graders, logging into their Google accounts was the greatest challenge! It was wonderful to be able to have them share information about themselves and their families while acquiring necessary computing skills that will help them in the future.

Third and fourth graders learned many problem solving skills and teamwork through the completion of hands-on STEAM projects such as building huts, bridges, igloos, etc. These activities are another valuable opportunity for students to showcase their strengths and work together to determine what strategies work and decide what needs changed in order to find success.

Fifth graders worked diligently this year to produce stop motion animation videos on iPads using Stikbots. This lesson was certainly one where the teacher was learning with the students! We learned together the pitfalls as well as successes throughout learning the software and finding glitches in it as well. Students wrote interesting stories and then used the Stikbots to bring them to life. A truly challenging experience for us all.

Throughout the year students learned that not “all men are created equal” because each
student brought their own individuality into each lesson in the Media. Teammates learned to
listen to one another, respect each other’s ideas and learn from each other. Using one’s unique
personality allows thought processes to be different in each group which enables each project to
be an authentic representation of the group, not just carbon copies of each other.

I believe the Data and Technology Fluency Project has made me realize that I do not want nor do I need a room of robotic students doing everything the same way to get a cookie cutter result. I want to encourage students to be themselves and begin to discover what they like and dislike, what they do well now and what they haven’t mastered YET and how to get along with one another building compassion and empathy while building projects.

How will this look in the future with everything that has happened since March? I am not sure; however, to quote my husband’s beloved US Marine Corps mission, we will “...improvise, adapt and overcome any obstacle in whatever situation...” so that students will be able to continue to work together and learn from one another.

Melissa Fritter graduated from West Liberty State College in 1994, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. In 1997, she began teaching full-time for Ohio County Schools, WV, which led to the pursuit of an additional certification in Library Media Science (PreK-Adult) in 1998. She then went on to earn a Masters Degree in Educational Administration in 2008. Melissa currently is a member of Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Melissa’s special interests include spending time with family (including the family dog and cat) and reading as much as possible.

This is the latest in a series of blogs by partners of the Fluency work.
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By Isabella Droginske

​These past few months have been extraordinary.  Even as a busy mom of a rowdy one year old and a full-time Google-Meet-teacher of high schoolers, I’ve found more time than ever for reflection in both my personal life and career. Anyone who is present on social media or just socially can see that the country is calling for a time of significant reflection, too. Reflection that is driven by questioning what we know and what we don’t know. Reflection that is questioning the way we normally practice things or have always practiced things. Though I often  caution my students not to over-use rhetorical questions, because writers should be working out answers and not relying on the reader, I have one leading question: What can we learn from students reflecting on their education-- while they are still in it? From this question, I argue it is the only way to fix our very clearly broken system. 

I saw a viral post that I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on these past few weeks. It asked “How many black teachers have you had?” There was no k-12 limit. No qualifier. My answer was still zero. I grew up in the south hills of Pittsburgh not far from our valley. My upbringing was even more diverse in BIPOC classmates than what our valley currently has, but I did not have black teachers. I did not have black counselors, principals, or even substitutes. I attended Pitt, Point Park and later WVU for my MA. Still no black professors, adjuncts, advisors, etc. Sure, I had BIPOC friends, but is that really the same? As a first year teacher, I gained a black colleague who I now consider a teacher of mine. She has been a teacher for many years in many different roles. She has patience and perspective I hope to achieve one day in the profession. I have always had “liberal” teachers who made me question why we select texts in the cannon and why certain voices are represented in the classroom. I have always consciously made an effort to include not-dead-not-white voices in my classroom. Yet, I have never had the opportunity to formally learn from a black professional. I’ve never even had a black boss. Yet, I have black students. I have students of color that I deeply want to be able to serve. I have turned to my black colleague many times to ask: I want to present this voice or represent this idea or have this conversation the right way. Can you guide me? I never want to make her feel like a cultural spokesperson but I need to check the limitations of my experiences. I need to know if I’m working toward a better way or if I’m wearing my white woman Karen pants again. She has helped me grow so much in my classroom by giving me the confidence to talk about race explicitly and offer a range of BIPOC authors throughout the year. I can only reflect how much more informed I would be if I had opportunities for more black teachers and mentors in my education. My reflection is too late though.

Dre (as I will call him) reluctantly walked through my classroom door in my second year. He was very tall as a young black man, so my theatre seats were a bit of a hazard for him. I sat him on the end of a row by my desk for more leg room which turned out to be quite a blessing. We quickly developed that amazing teacher-student connection when they figure out you’re not a bot and you also enjoy human experiences like music, sports, and oxygen. He would tell me how his day was going and if anything funny was happening. A trend began to develop of Dre telling me little anecdotes, reflections, from the period before our class. He loved history but disagreed with the way the teacher was teaching. He felt things were left out and skipped over. He was reflecting on the curriculum and the holes within the curriculum. I, of course, said the only way to change what you don’t like about the world is to ask for better or do it better yourself. That’s a simple enough thing for me, a white woman, to say. Every time Dre brought up college I would push him to be a history teacher. He always laughed and would say something like “Summers off? I’ll think about it” or “I’m going to be a millionaire instead though!” One day, at the end of class, I pestered him again. I asked “How’s civics?” He replied “A waste of time. My education is being robbed from me.” I heard him. It hurt to hear a young man feel that way. I said “Dre, imagine using the way you feel to make education better for the kids after you.” He said “I couldn’t do it here. I couldn’t be black and a teacher. I would get no respect.” I had nothing to say. That was his perception. I wanted to disagree but how? If he feels that way, then maybe he was in some way right. I didn’t have experience or exposure to encourage him otherwise. 

Dre’s in the moment reflection of education showed that BIPOC representations matter. Curriculum choices matter. More than that, he proved to me that students are mature enough to make these assessments or reflections of their education while they are still in it. I have rolled my eyes visibly when students say “I’m not good at English” and have even myself said “I don’t have the math gene.” Just as we know better to encourage growth mindset by including the “yets” or deconstructing those problematic phrases, we can use student reflection to see why “school sucks” or “isn’t fair.” Rather than dismissing their reflections, let’s think about the root of those ideas. Is our discipline system fair? Is zero tolerance the best practice when in the same breath we preach that tolerance is a good thing? Does school suck? Why? Why can’t we have recess in high schools? Some ideas may be irrational but some may encourage real improvements that American school systems haven’t seen for over fifty-years. 

Last year, I practiced for the third year analyzing and performing Othello with both race and gender lenses. My first year I realized many students were NOT comfortable with challenging their ideas of race. Many students didn’t want to question representation in literature and entertainment. They wanted to “say the right thing.” I would ask: Does Othello have to be played by a black actor? after exposing them to black face representations and the harrowing stories of Ira Aldrige and Paul Robeson. Many students would respond with the counter-affirmative action rhetoric of their grandparents that the role should go to the best actor and not be based on their race. I knew this response was as problematic as not seeing color. How do I challenge them but still maintain peace and respect their journey to growth? I thought maybe if it became a private writing assignment students would lose the fear of saying the right thing and really react and challenge themselves. I was wrong. 

Reflection should be kept simple: Is this the best way I can do this? How do you feel in my classroom? What do you feel you learned? I asked my students last October to give me feedback on the Othello unit (not a unit! A practice? Experience? Inquiry?). Most responses were what skeptics would expect. Short answers that said either “it was fine” or “it was hard” or “it was boring.” There were foam swords so I disagree with the third response, but you can’t win them all. A few responses really showed deep reflection and that’s where the magic happened. The student wrote “I wish we had more time to talk about the articles and videos we watched. I wish you had guided us through them more. I know you don’t want to force race down people’s throats but it’s there and people will be stupid if they want to be anyway.” Another response said, “can you put in some black poetry or music with what you give us? In the same way you use modern poetry with gender?” Reflection, however, is useless without listening to the answers that arise.  These two reflections were the catalyst for my majorly redesigned curriculum for this coming year. They gave me homework. They made me further reflect on the goals of the assignments. 

First order of reflection, be honest because students see it anyway. I am uncomfortable talking about race. I feel underqualified. I feel fear in pushing against the status quo. Maybe by showing students this and being honest I can support students who feel the same way. I need to have more explicit conversations and do away with coddling in the name of safety. Yes, classrooms are safe spaces in a different way, but learning is about growing from an uncomfortable place. 

Second, reflect on why I didn’t do the same practice as I did with a gender lens. Why don’t I offer modern black poetry to look at race? Honestly, I don’t know what poems to include. I’ve had countless feminist teachers to show me poetry for a gender lens. This is the impact of not having black mentors, teachers, role models in place. This summer I have worked to find contemporary black poets and songwriters. I don’t want to pander. I don’t want to be a Freedom Writer-esque white savior. I just want to grow and have resources for my students who often have underrepresented voices. I want to be aware. Morgan Parker, Rudy Francisco, and Porsh Olayiwola will all become voices in my Othello inquiry this coming school year. If you haven’t heard their poetry, you are missing out! I was. 

How do we encourage reflection in educational experiences in our classroom? 

I teach English 12 “regular” which is anything but regular. It is a hodge-podge of welders, poets, artists, mechanics, businessmen, and athletes. It is daunting to try to figure out how to best serve each of them simultaneously. In the past, I’ve done activities where I ask kids on the first day what they want out of this class. That simply. I’ve given them choices and an open option. I got amazing responses. Each student had to respond on a post-it and add to a paper on the wall. I asked that they put their name on the back so I could see but left the name optional. Analytically, it was so useful seeing how some students responded with a short term goal like the ACT, a long term goal like their career, or something that just gave me a hint of their personality. 

This year I’d like to try something else. This is a rough sketch and hasn’t even been practiced yet. I am going to share it with you to encourage you to steal it and tell me how it went for you. I don’t know if I will have to adapt this for an online first day or if I’ll have my kids in-person, but here goes nothing! I’m going to start with a poem by poet Kyle “Guante” Tran Myhre titled “Level Up (My Autobiography as a Learner)” from the collection A Love Song, A Death Rattle, A Battle Cry. First day, no syllabus just reading poetry. Maybe we’ll go outside if the weather is nice and I’m feeling extra. This will be broken up over 3-5 days. I’ll read it aloud as poetry should be. I’ll prompt with reflective questions like “What does the phrasing Level Up imply?” “What does it mean to be a learner?” throughout the poem. Then, the students will have to talk in small groups about their best and worst experiences in education. Finally, as a whole group we will share what they discussed about this poem and about their reflections of their education. Students will write a brief version of this poem for their own educational experience. It is nothing ground-breaking in practice but it is a change for me. Pragmatically, I will also use their writing and reading responses as a diagnostic tool for their growth this semester. Most importantly, I will analyze their responses with: What can I learn about how I practice school from their reflections? How can I make changes within my classroom for the better?
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My goal for this year is to prioritize formative reflections. I would like to offer my students time to reflect on their education both as we already do with their personal growth and the classroom practices. I want them to think about why these texts were selected as exit slips or, even better, conversation starters. I want them to think about how there is no such thing as an apolitical classroom as we read what we must read or have always read. How did you know my year starts with Beowulf? Why does it? Should it? I may not like some of the reflections but I hope I learn from them.


Isabella  Droginske graduated from Point Park University in 2013 with a major in English and a minor in Psychology.  She began her career as TESOL teacher in Greece and, later, Russia. Isabella then pursued her MA in Secondary Education, English at West Virginia University graduating in 2017. She currently teaches English, Speech, and Theatre at Wheeling Park High  School. Isabella is an assistant coach for the Speech and Debate team and currently is a member Cohort 3 of The Data and Technology Fluency Project with West Liberty University and the CREATE Lab (situated in Carnegie Mellon University). Isabella’s special interests include running to podcasts and after her one year old son.