Core values

I believe children deserve an opportunity to discuss the big, difficult questions about bias, inequality, and the mysteries of life in a safe environment.  Kids can handle the big stuff if they are questioning it.  As a teacher, part of my responsibility is to create an environment where students feel comfortable asking the difficult questions.  This environment is one where they can take risks, express opinions, and not be afraid of their peers or their instructor. The coming decades will bring more and more access to content considered “inappropriate” for kids.  There will be education reforms, reforms to our health care system, and hopefully, a focus on social justice.  Students are going to have questions about the world they see and their place in it.  They deserve to have their questions respectfully addressed, not only by me, but by each other.  They also have the tools to find the answers.  As Louise Derman-Sparks states in her essay “Why an Anti-Bias Curriculum?”:

“[children] have lots of experience with the day-to-day problems and conflicts generated by their own differences.  They have lots of experience with problem solving “fair” or “not fair.”  They have the capacity for expressing hurt and enjoying empathy and fairness.” (11)

I believe that students have the capacity to work through difficult issues and that part of my responsibility is to provide a place to do so.

In her book Finding Freedom in the Classroom, Patricia Hinchey discusses the reasons for students acting out. Her thesis is that students rebel and drop out because they understand that no matter what they do, the educational system is just going to spit them out again right where they started without valuing their humanity.  In her view, the only way to succeed in the current educational model is to emulate the culture of the white, male, middle-class, standard English world. 

I believe that my classroom is a place where all students’ humanity can be honored.  In a word, respect.  My concept of humanity includes but is not limited to: gender, racial and ethnic background, language, religion, choice of clothing, choice of hygiene, sexual preference, economic background, and neighborhood.  In my classroom, a student who performs well on tests and reads above her grade level will be valued just as much as someone who is struggling with language and culture clashes.  In my classroom, we will celebrate our differences instead of ignoring them.  And we will be honest about our differences, because they are real, and they are what make us human.  

My classroom will function as a sanctuary; for ideas, questions, inquiries, emotions, and our physical selves. We have learned from our readings that creating a beautiful, orderly environment can be conducive to learning.  I would take that further: creating an orderly and beautiful emotional environment is just as important.  Elements of this sanctuary include the physical environment- good lighting, decent colors, living breathing plants, music, and space.  There are other elements as well.  Knowing what to expect and what is expected of one in an environment can reduce stress and create a space where people can just be themselves without being on guard.  Having a space where you can speak your mind or ask difficult questions without being ridiculed is equally important.  Knowing the consequences (and for me as the teacher, upholding the standards equally and without bias) of inappropriate behavior is also part of this sanctuary concept.    When all these pieces come together, a community of learners can be encouraged to grow deeper and think harder about their world.