Unlocking Potential: What Lies Beyond Open Doors for Students?
Summary
The crux of our 100th episode revolves around the pivotal inquiry: once the doors of opportunity are flung open, what awaits the students who traverse them? As we culminate this season's exploration of "Open Doors and Unlimited Possibilities for Each Student," we engage in a profound discourse with an ensemble of distinguished educators and leaders. They elucidate that equity transcends mere ideology, with language serving as a gateway, while transformational leadership acts as the essential hinge that sustains the accessibility of these doors. In this concluding segment, we pivot our attention toward the imperative task of constructing environments that resonate with students' identities—environments imbued with belonging, humanity, and love. This dialogue not only encapsulates the essence of our season but also serves as a clarion call for the ongoing commitment to nurture every learner's potential.
This conversation features all seven of our amazing guests from Season 10: Dr. Dwayne Chism, Rich, Ognibene, Dr. Gretchen Oliver, Dr. Shervita West, Dr. Opal Davis Dawson, Terri Perez, and Dr. Keisha Chandler, along with The Wheelhouse Team: Kathy Mohney, Michael Pipa, and Dr. Alicia Monroe.
Additional Notes
The 100th episode of The Wheelhouse serves as a poignant culmination of a season dedicated to the theme of "Open Doors and Unlimited Possibilities for Each Student." As we reflect on the compelling narratives shared by our esteemed guests—educators and leaders alike—we are compelled to confront a pivotal question: once those doors of opportunity swing open, what awaits our students on the other side? The discourse traverses the essential principles of equity as a mindset, the role of language as a gateway to understanding, and the significance of transformational leadership as the mechanism that sustains these open doors. It becomes evident that the journey does not culminate with mere access; rather, it necessitates the creation of nurturing environments that affirm each student's identity—spaces imbued with belonging, empathy, and love. This episode invites listeners to engage deeply with the pressing matter of what it truly means to cultivate an inclusive educational landscape where every student feels valued and empowered to thrive, fostering a genuine commitment to transformative change within our educational institutions.
Takeaways:
- The 100th episode of The Wheelhouse emphasizes that opening doors leads to genuine opportunities for each student, extending beyond mere metaphor into meaningful practice.
- In creating affirming spaces for students, it is essential to nurture their identities with love, humanity, and an unmistakable sense of belonging and mattering.
- Educators are challenged to reflect on their heart posture and authenticity to ensure that each student feels safe and welcomed in their classrooms.
- The significance of representation within teaching staff cannot be overstated, as students thrive when they see themselves reflected in the educators around them.
- A critical aspect of fostering inclusivity involves recognizing and dismantling the barriers that may inadvertently exclude students from feeling they belong.
- The conversation around open doors and unlimited possibilities necessitates an ongoing commitment to support teachers and leaders, ensuring they have the resources and networks to thrive.
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Transcript
As we wrap up this season's theme of open doors and unlimited possibilities, we have to ask ourselves, once those doors swing open, what do students find on the other side?
Speaker A:Let's find out.
Speaker A:The 100th episode of the Wheelhouse begins right now.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to give us a listen.
Speaker A:Season 10 has featured a team of four like minded friends and colleagues, Kathy Mone, Michael Pipa and Dr. Alicia Munro.
Speaker A:Along with yours truly.
Speaker A:We've opened the conversation this season to think about empowering educators to cultivate open doors and unlimited possibilities.
Speaker A:The Wheelhouse exists to create an inclusive community of empowered educators who believe that together we can disrupt the transaction herding nature of schooling to create districts, schools and classrooms where each student feels confident, optimistic, capable, well supported and emboldened to be and to become who they're meant to be.
Speaker A:Episodes of the Wheelhouse will explore bodies of knowledge and expertise that align to this vision and our guiding principles.
Speaker A:Our team and our guests are committed to this fundamental challenge to realize just exactly what we want for each student to experience experience in school.
Speaker A:In Today's episode, our 100th episode, we welcome all seven of our fabulous guests from season 10.
Speaker A: Duane Chisholm, author of the: Speaker A:This is the second of our two part season 10 finale.
Speaker A:Our theme this season has been open doors and unlimited possibilities for each student.
Speaker A:And in these final episodes, we pulled together each of these powerful voices we've heard this season.
Speaker A:Leaders and educators who remind us that opening doors isn't just a metaphor, it's a daily practice.
Speaker A:In the first part of the conversation, we heard that equity is a mindset, language is a doorway, and transformational leadership is the hinge that holds the door open.
Speaker A:But here's the real question.
Speaker A:Once those doors swing open, what do students find on the other side?
Speaker A:And that is exactly where we're headed in part two where we'll talk about creating spaces that affirm their identity.
Speaker A:Spaces filled with belonging, humanity and love.
Speaker A:And now, episode 12.
Speaker A:You're not gonna wanna miss one single word.
Speaker A:Take a listen.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the wheelhouse.
Speaker A:I am Dr. Grant Chandler, and this is the second part of season 10, our finale.
Speaker A:You know, last time we asked, what does it take to open the doors of possibility for every student?
Speaker A:Today we asked the next question.
Speaker A:Once those doors are open, what do we build inside?
Speaker A:First, I'd like to welcome the Wheelhouse team.
Speaker A:Michael Pipa, Kathy Mone and Dr. Alicia Monroe.
Speaker A:Good morning.
Speaker B:Good morning.
Speaker C:Good to see you again.
Speaker A:It's great to see you all again.
Speaker A:It seems like we just saw you just a moment ago.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I also want to welcome my amazing, my amazing guest tonight.
Speaker A:Dr. Duane Chisholm, national hall of Fame inductee, rich Anya Mehdi, Dr. Gretchen Oliver, Dr. Shavita West, Dr. Opal Davis Dawson, Dr. Kesha Chandler, and the inaugural ISTE ASCD Transformational Award winner, Terry Perez.
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker D:Good morning, good morning, good morning.
Speaker A:It's great to see you all again.
Speaker A:Thank you for taking time again out of your busy schedules to join us here in the Wheelhouse as we think about open doors and unlimited possibilities for each student.
Speaker A:This is the very last episode of season 10.
Speaker A:It's like, wow, you know.
Speaker A:Unlimited possibilities don't come from systems alone.
Speaker A:They're born in classrooms that affirm humanity in spaces that nurture students, in teachers who could carry forward a tradition of resilience and leaders who lead with love.
Speaker A:And I think it was Rich Anya Beni who said he used the term an all out assault on love.
Speaker A:That's how he began the school year.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Did I quote you right, sir?
Speaker E:Yes, you did good, sir.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:How do we signal as we look inside classrooms, how do we signal to students that they've entered a space that is a place for each of them that is a stark difference to the reality that's out there in the world today.
Speaker A:But how do we do that?
Speaker A:How do we tell them?
Speaker A:How do we signal to them that they are in a space that is a place for each of them?
Speaker F:How do we weave their names, their stories, their cultures into daily practice?
Speaker F:How do we allow them to be, as is often said, authentically themselves?
Speaker F:How do we not allow them to shrink so that they fit in?
Speaker F:What does fit in really mean?
Speaker F:And so the ideal work that happens on the other side of that door is being able to stretch and embrace those individuals that are coming through them and not just students.
Speaker F:You can say the same thing for the teachers and those other individuals that serve them as well.
Speaker G:I would build on that and Say, students, I think, often feel like they're guests in our classrooms.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker G:And we want to maybe shift away from that.
Speaker G:We want to do things that show them that we want to know who they are as people, where they came from, what their stories are, who they want to become, and then design our lessons around what we've learned about our students and their experiences, make connections between our curriculum and their lived experiences and not put that lift on them.
Speaker G:We want to bring in materials and resources that they can relate to, that represent them and affirm their identities, and then use instructional strategies that adapt to their diverse learning styles.
Speaker D:Authenticity matters.
Speaker D:Piggybacking off of what you said, Gretchen.
Speaker D:I remember having my sixth grade students literally help me plan.
Speaker D:What do you want to see here?
Speaker D:How would you switch this up?
Speaker D:You know, and I remember I'm going to say your name.
Speaker D:Sean Wynn.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker D:He's a whole grown adult now, so he can, he can get me later.
Speaker D:But Sean literally said, Ms. Chandler, why don't you try this?
Speaker D:Like, why don't we switch it up by doing it this way and for this rubric, engage our students.
Speaker D:Authenticity matters.
Speaker D:Representation matters.
Speaker D:Seeing themselves through you, having those conversations and letting them learn a little bit about yourself.
Speaker D:Those authentic conversations go a long way when they can learn about you as well.
Speaker D:Don't be so close minded where you can't share.
Speaker D:If you're having a rough day, share why your coffee wasn't right, your oatmeal wasn't right.
Speaker D:But no, it didn't go right.
Speaker D:This morning.
Speaker C:What I hear Kesha saying, combination between student voice and choice in the classroom.
Speaker C:Creating a shared ownership in the classroom, but also about curating a space for them to be risk takers so that they are empowered to have those transparent conversations with the teacher, knowing they're not going to be penalized on the back end.
Speaker H:No, no.
Speaker H:I was going to say, I totally agree that it's a hard posture.
Speaker H:And I also think we have to get beyond thinking inclusion is enough.
Speaker H:Simply because of kids in an environment doesn't mean they belong.
Speaker H:And so we celebrate inclusion all the time.
Speaker H:But I think it's really inclusion.
Speaker H:And because not only do we want them in the space, we want the space to feel like it's theirs.
Speaker H:So we have to really become intentional with that authenticity and that heart posture.
Speaker H:And kids can see a fake from a phony.
Speaker H:Right?
Speaker H:Kids know who's real and who isn't.
Speaker H:So we have to understand that we have to come from a deep place that really sees the soul, that.
Speaker C:That maps Back to Dwayne, what you talk about in your book, the Belief Gap, right?
Speaker C:What we think we're doing and what we're actually doing.
Speaker C:And we really need to hold ourselves accountable for measuring that success.
Speaker C:And that success should be measured through the eyes of all who occupy that space.
Speaker A:Rich, what were you going to say, sir?
Speaker E:Oh, I was asking some of the strategies I've seen teachers use that I've used, that I've stolen from others.
Speaker E:Getting to know your students is a common theme that first week of doing Icebreakers and interviews.
Speaker E:So we get to know about them and they get to, as Kesha said, they get to know about us with cell phones now, it's really easy to take pictures in class.
Speaker E:So I would take pictures of groups of three or four kids, print them up, put them on the wall.
Speaker E:Takes a classroom, and now it's not a sterile room, it's like their home.
Speaker E:Take students artwork, put it up on the wall so it feels like it's their place.
Speaker E:Call students, parents, introduce yourself.
Speaker E:Columbus a weekend.
Speaker E:I make 125 calls just to say hello and say nice things.
Speaker E:There's a million different little ways that we can let them know that the room is theirs.
Speaker E:Even on tests and quizzes, I will work kids names into problems in a funny way, and they'll laugh at it in the middle of the quiz.
Speaker E:And it again makes them feel recognized.
Speaker E:So there's a lot of small things that we can do that symbolically say, I love you, this is your place, you belong here, that make the rest of the year just go much better.
Speaker F:And I like what you just said, Rich, about the idea of doing kind of those interest surveys or getting to know them when school starts that first week.
Speaker F:One thing we always did was prior to school beginning, we did meetings with parents.
Speaker F:And of course they were optional, but they would come in and we recognize those parents as being that child's first teacher.
Speaker F:And then that helped to begin that rapport and relationship building with those families.
Speaker F:So when the students came, they knew that we were working in partnership with their family.
Speaker F:And that also enhanced their sense of belonging because it wasn't just, my family's over here, I'm here, this teacher's here, nobody knows me.
Speaker F:It was intentional on our part to actually get to know them.
Speaker C:I think that layers too, with the where I'm from activities that I've seen some schools do, which I think is very important.
Speaker C:Again, going back to that student voice, for students to be able to articulate who they are and kind of what makes Them who they are in terms of the learning environment.
Speaker C:Not only the.
Speaker C:And you've heard me say this before, the things that's posted on the wall, but the climate in the classroom itself.
Speaker C:Are we creating conditions for students to be able to learn?
Speaker C:And it's not just about what's on the wall.
Speaker C:It's about the whole environment.
Speaker C:Am I making this a space that's truly inclusive for every student to be able to learn in?
Speaker C:And so not only do I recognize and see myself, and a lot of times we go to race for that, but what about kids who identify as other genders or kids who have, you know, things that they bring into the classroom that are non traditional?
Speaker C:I'm doing air quotes.
Speaker C:Are we truly making them feel inclusive as well?
Speaker H:I would also say to teachers and educators that your body language is a message.
Speaker H:And so simple things like smiling, simple things like how we.
Speaker H:Our body, you know, positions when certain kids come into a space, maybe that we're frustrated with.
Speaker H:But I think we have to understand that our physical is also a communication, whether or not someone is welcome.
Speaker H:And so sometimes we will twitch, we will do something that we're not even aware of that sends a stronger message than anything that we say.
Speaker H:So we have to understand that.
Speaker A:So I do want to piggyback.
Speaker A:Before I start to talk about adults, in a few minutes, I want to piggyback a little bit onto what Dwayne said.
Speaker A: that, you know, we are in the: Speaker A: And in: Speaker A:So, you know, to quote Duane, it's a little bit above and beyond inclusion.
Speaker A:How do we send the message that we're really.
Speaker A:That what we say, either verbally or non verbally, is actually true?
Speaker A:How do they come to believe, especially now, that that space is for them?
Speaker B:I want to just go back to a phrase, Duane, that you used moments ago.
Speaker B:Heart posture.
Speaker B:And I want to link that up with Kesha's comment about authenticity.
Speaker B:And there are several ideas swimming through my head right now, because these are starting points, but they need us to daily practice these ways of being.
Speaker B:And, you know, kids know when they're safe with you, and they know when they're not.
Speaker B:And it's rarely things we say with words.
Speaker B:So, you know, I. I just want us to think a little bit and comment a little bit about, you know, what.
Speaker B:What does that heart posture mean to you in, you know, kind of a societal space that often rings with rejection and judgment?
Speaker A:What is.
Speaker B:What is the difference that.
Speaker B:That heart posture and authenticity make?
Speaker C:I think, for one, it means I have to be reflective.
Speaker C:I have to be willing to confront my own biases, that if I am not aware of where my true biases lie, I can say all day long that I accept you for who you are.
Speaker C:And, Dwayne, you're right.
Speaker C:You know, your body, your posturing of your body, your face card, your face doesn't lie, and kids can read that.
Speaker C:And so if I am entering this space and I haven't let go of some of the ideologies about who and what I think you are, it is hard for me to get to a point of being authentic with you.
Speaker C:I gotta take the mask off and do some reflective work on me first in order to create a space that's really safe for every child to show up as they truly are.
Speaker D:There are so many adults who aren't even safe with themselves.
Speaker C:That's the problem.
Speaker D:You can't even sit with yourself.
Speaker D:And that's what's wrong.
Speaker D:There are so many broken hearts out here, right?
Speaker D:And kids are the true thermometer of that.
Speaker D:Kids and animals.
Speaker D:If you.
Speaker D:There are some adults, literally, who kids run to and animals run to, and those same adults, kids run away from and animals run away from, that's heart posture.
Speaker D:They're thermometers.
Speaker D:So pay attention to that adult.
Speaker D:That's my definition.
Speaker D:Dwayne, I don't know what you're.
Speaker D:You know, I can pull your book off the shelf and read it.
Speaker H:I'm a post that I'm circling back.
Speaker E:To Grant's question about LGBTQ kids, kids of color, kids that are New Language learners.
Speaker E:I think representation matters.
Speaker E:And I can say, as an openly gay teacher, most kids in America can go from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Speaker E:They would certainly have a teacher who was part of lgbtqia, but they might not know.
Speaker E:I think most kids can go K to 12 and never have anyone that openly identifies.
Speaker E:I can tell you, in Monroe county, of the 18 school districts, most of the high schools have zero or one black teacher.
Speaker E:Zero or one we had.
Speaker E:@ Fairport, my friend Kyle was the teacher of color.
Speaker E:He gave up his lunch period so that kids, mostly kids of color, could just come and hang out and have lunch with him.
Speaker E:Because it's tough being the only kid of your race in a class full of 25 people.
Speaker E:Sometimes there's a million different ways that we can work to let the kids see themselves.
Speaker E:I can tell you from the lgbtq, you gotta create a community where the gay teachers can be out.
Speaker E:If the kids see with their eyes that it's not safe to be openly gay or bi or transgender or non binary, you can have all the policies and rules in the world.
Speaker E:They're gonna take the message, this is not a safe place for me to be authentic.
Speaker E:If the kids see the entire teaching staff as white and there's not a single teacher of color, they're going to say, hmm, maybe I don't fit in here.
Speaker E:So those are visibility, representation.
Speaker E:Finding ways to build a pipeline where we're actually actively recruiting teachers from underrepresented groups, I think is a really important part of making kids feel safe and welcome.
Speaker C:I'm going to interject something that may be just a little bit different to that.
Speaker C:What about the kid who shuts the classroom down, the kid who has mental health things going on, but we just don't know what that is.
Speaker C:And they can't verbalize it or identify it because they're too young to.
Speaker C:And then we stick a label on them and we call them bd, or we say that they're, you know, ADHD and everything else in between those kids.
Speaker C:Those kids have somehow become voiceless in the classroom, and all we recognize is behavior, which is a language.
Speaker C:But we don't take the time to dig further to really see where this may be coming from and making that child feel safe in the classroom, too.
Speaker G:A little bit from the multilingual learner perspective.
Speaker G:Oftentimes their English language development classroom is their safe space.
Speaker G:So here in New York State, we call that standalone.
Speaker G:And one of the things my colleague and I have been doing all summer is working with groups of teachers in developing curriculum for standalone that is academic in nature.
Speaker G:And most of the teachers that we've worked with have chosen the theme of personal narratives for that first unit of study to work with their students and making it academic.
Speaker G:So it's not just, let's learn about school or here's the grammar topic, and sending the message to these students, students that your stories are valued.
Speaker G:And we're.
Speaker G:We're going to help you develop your.
Speaker G:Your language, and we're going to listen to your stories, and you.
Speaker G:You have the ability to tell stories.
Speaker G:We want to hear you, and this is a safe space to tell your story, and you're going to develop all of your skills in an integrated way here.
Speaker G:And and again, this is a safe space to do it, and we're going to develop those relationships.
Speaker G:I think that for that group of students, that classroom and that class, that's important.
Speaker G:All while, you know, thinking about those culturally responsive principles of welcoming an affirming environment, inclusive curriculum and assessment, and high expectations and rigorous instruction.
Speaker B:Thank you for saying that, Gretchen.
Speaker B:And Rich.
Speaker B:You know, your comment about the demands that teachers are facing depending on their assignment and placement every single year in a system that is overwhelming for folks in the instructional classroom setting.
Speaker B:I haven't let go of that, and it's still swimming around my brain, because ultimately, unless we're doing as Shurvita is exhorting us to, to dig in, unless we're doing that, and I know this from your practice as a teacher, directly, Rich, the content is unattainable.
Speaker B:And so if all we do is work on relationships, we fail again.
Speaker B:And before we can get to content, maybe our focus needs to be about these competencies that happen and emerge once relationships are in place, competencies that build cognitive strength so that the challenge of deep learning and the curriculum and of content now are within reach.
Speaker B:I keep looking in my brain for this sequence of things because there's a kind of justice that we want for our learners that has to include all of this.
Speaker B:It has to include culture.
Speaker B:It has to include relationships.
Speaker B:But it can't stop at any of these places.
Speaker B:And we have to have, like, this.
Speaker F:This.
Speaker B:This clear destination in mind that speaks to equity and justice for each learner, no matter where their starting point is.
Speaker B:And I. I'm listening to all of our voices, and I'm trying to find that.
Speaker B:That thread that weaves through everything.
Speaker B:And I feel like I'm hearing it.
Speaker A:And we're not going to find that in a textbook or a program, my friends.
Speaker A:That's about how we do our work as educators, right?
Speaker A:It's how we do our work.
Speaker A:It's why we can never be replaced by anything else, because this is a human profession.
Speaker C:So I think as I listen in depth to the conversation, we really have to be brave and courageous to push through every population of students that we just mentioned.
Speaker C:LGBTQI and educator, LGBTQIA of color, neurodiverse, eld, International society defines as and classifies as historically marginalized understanding that we are.
Speaker C:And I'm going to go Right back to Dr. West's word, which is one of my favorite words, we are competing with embedded ideologies within the Westernized system of education.
Speaker C:How do we stay courageous, brave and strong to move those thoughts to the center where inclusion is activated.
Speaker E:I think one strategy tying back to what I said about finding what good teachers are doing and scaling it up.
Speaker E:One strategy is humility on our part to say that for my 125 students, I might be the best teacher for 25, and I might be a perfectly satisfactory teacher for 75, and I might be the worst teacher for 25 for those kids that I'm struggling with, I need to knock on some doors and go, you know, hey, Mrs. Smith, down the hall, you seem to be doing a really nice job with this student.
Speaker E:Can I watch?
Speaker E:Can you give me a secret?
Speaker E:And she might come back and say, and, rich, you do with this student.
Speaker E:He's doing better in your class than mine.
Speaker E:I think we all connect with certain constituencies and certain groups and certain backgrounds and cognitive gifts and emotional gifts.
Speaker E:There are other kids that we struggle with, all of us, and being okay to say to my principal, God, I got this kid 9th period.
Speaker E:I've tried everything.
Speaker E:And the principal can say to me as he has, go talk to Kyle Hargrave.
Speaker E:He's got this kid, and the kid's doing good stuff.
Speaker E:We have to be more open to that, to sharing what we do well, but also learning from our colleagues, all of whom do some things better than we do.
Speaker E:And that's a big culture shift.
Speaker E:To ask for help is a huge culture shift in our profession, because that's.
Speaker A:Leaning into discomfort, is it not, Dr. Chandler?
Speaker D:Absolutely.
Speaker D:Something you just said and what triggered my.
Speaker D:I don't know who said what at this point, but what has my mind racing?
Speaker D:What are we educating for today?
Speaker D:In the past, there was always, you know, America was on top of everything.
Speaker D:And right now, we are gracefully sliding downhill, and it's not even graceful anymore.
Speaker D:What is the end goal?
Speaker D:What is the global competition?
Speaker D:Where are we racing to?
Speaker D:We used to race to the top, but right now we are racing to the bottom.
Speaker D:So we have to ask students, which we're no longer doing, where do you want to go?
Speaker D:And some students, some don't have a clear definition because we are not asking them.
Speaker D:We're looking at this number because we all have numbers.
Speaker D:To achieve that a system has set.
Speaker D:We have to get back to asking students where do they want to go.
Speaker A:And proving to students that they can go wherever it is they want to go.
Speaker D:Correct.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:And it's a combination.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:But we don't.
Speaker D:The.
Speaker D:The ecosystem is so fractured, and we're racing to this number.
Speaker D:We don't have a final destination.
Speaker A:And so this transformation that we Talk about is.
Speaker A:Is about first, before we can transform anything.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Before we can do that great work with students, we.
Speaker A:We have to prove to them.
Speaker A:We have to prove to them that this space, this process is for them.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That is why it all occurs centered all around them.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:But in doing so, I don't want us to lose sight of.
Speaker A:And I usually never go here.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I don't want us to lose sight of the adults who are working in.
Speaker A:Who do the work.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:This doesn't happen.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It doesn't happen without the adults who are in the space.
Speaker A:And I know that in last week, two weeks ago, we listened to Dr. Chandler, the other Dr. Chandler, talk about her work with the experiences of novice black teachers in thinking about.
Speaker A:And we had lots of conversation about retention.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Not only how do we attract them, but how do we keep them.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And we know that we've surfaced such a shortage.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Of those students or those teachers.
Speaker A:So I want to think about how do we open doors?
Speaker A:How do we open doors and what's on the other side for our adult colleagues?
Speaker A:Our adult colleagues who are black and brown and lgbtqia, and we know that they are just like students, that they are even more vulnerable than they have ever been.
Speaker A:What do we do so that they, too, have open doors and unlimited possibilities?
Speaker A:Because until they do, our students will never have open doors and unlimited possibilities themselves.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Rich, thank you for sharing about your friend Kyle, because I'm thinking about him.
Speaker D:I'm thinking about the lunch that he gives up to create this space for his students.
Speaker D:Because imagine if Kyle leaves, where do those other students go?
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:So there's a Kyle in every single district across the United States.
Speaker D:And imagine coming into a district because the recruitment happens heavily, but what happens is the support falls off after year one, after year two, after year three.
Speaker D:And so what happens?
Speaker D:In my research, I did a study for novice black teachers from years one to five.
Speaker D:And what typically happens is the support falls off after year three.
Speaker D:And those teachers tend to leave because they just don't feel supported, especially by leaders, unfortunately.
Speaker D:So they try to find space among colleagues.
Speaker D:But if you're already in a district where there's only 1 to 2% or sometimes less than that, what does that look like?
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:So shout out to brother Kyle who can maintain that.
Speaker D:And he feels safe because he has his colleagues that don't look like him, that make him feel supported.
Speaker D:But when you're young and in a space where you don't have that support, you know, he finds value in his Students.
Speaker D:So that's where he draws his strength, that safe space.
Speaker D:We need the support from everyone else to realize that our staff, students need that representation that we talked about those conversations.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And that was your question, Grant around creating those open doors and spaces and that love, centering around love.
Speaker D:We need the leaders to show the importance of that.
Speaker D:They matter.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And the leaders then need the ecosystem to pour in with resources.
Speaker D:And by resources, I do mean the finance to create that safety network.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And then there are existing networks, and I'm not going to say the network name, because my daughter did get on me about what I shared two weeks ago.
Speaker D:So I will not share the network that exists, but there are networks out there of support, virtual networks.
Speaker D:So if you listen to the episode from two weeks ago, I shared that.
Speaker D:But nonetheless, there are resources out there to support teachers of color that.
Speaker D:That I do suggest you.
Speaker D:You.
Speaker D:You find.
Speaker D:But we need more teachers of color, full stop.
Speaker A:And we need.
Speaker A:And we need our LGBTQIA plus teachers to know that they are safe to identify themselves.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker D:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:I want to.
Speaker C:I want to piggyback on Kesha and what she said about creating the level of mentoring and support that oftentimes when new teachers come in, you know, we put them with someone for about a year, if it lasts a year, and then it wanes off, and then they're just kind of out there floundering, shifting into a role now.
Speaker C:And this is from a leadership perspective, where I get to coach new leaders in years one to three.
Speaker C:The investment that's made in giving them a mentor or a coach for a period of three years is, in my opinion, a great way to invest dollars.
Speaker C:And, you know, ideally, it would be the same thing at the classroom level.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Because then you have someone that's a thought partner with you, someone that can help you to problem solve when you run into those things that seem insurmountable as a first, second, third year, because you don't have the experience, the lived experience, to be able to change the dynamic.
Speaker C:And I think that that's so key that we keep reiterating that we recruit them to get them in the door, but the retention happens when we're able to give them the right supports to be successful in their job.
Speaker H:I don't want to oversimplify this, but part of what I'm thinking about, too, is part of opening doors is recognizing that we have a moral imperative to open the doors.
Speaker H:I think sometimes people like.
Speaker H:Whenever I moved up in organizations, I knew that I wasn't just representing Myself.
Speaker H:So I was constantly trying to invite people into spaces where I was at.
Speaker H:And so I think as people that are in positions where we have the power to physically open the door, we have to understand we have a moral imperative to do so, because everybody doesn't choose to always do that.
Speaker H:And sometimes we create spaces where it's, quote, competitive and we're actually keeping people out based upon trying to keep our own.
Speaker H:So I think we have to understand also that it does take a village, and everybody has to understand that.
Speaker H:Part of making sure that doors open and stay open is understanding.
Speaker H:It is my job to make sure that that takes place.
Speaker F:Thinking about what all of you have said this round, who is it that is that voice if these things aren't happening?
Speaker F:I was speaking with my niece who's on the trip with me, and she's a very proficient teacher.
Speaker F:And what we talked about was the fact that there are times where these.
Speaker F:Everything you've said isn't happening in a building, in a district.
Speaker F:So who's having that tough conversation?
Speaker F:Who's comfortable enough to even breach the topic?
Speaker F:So as proficient as she is, as I listened to her, I realized is having a tough conversation with people about what you're seeing.
Speaker F:And when we were in high school, we used to say, okay, calling it out.
Speaker F:And so who is brave enough and who has that heart of risk taking, if you will, to say, you know what?
Speaker F:This is what I'm seeing.
Speaker F:And because it is hard, it stretches you.
Speaker F:It's not how you may normally communicate.
Speaker F:And it's not being combative, it's being honest, if you will.
Speaker F:And so how do we help others to be free enough to say when something isn't right and not feel like they don't belong enough to have that voice to say that something isn't right?
Speaker F:And it starts, of course, I think with leadership, we set the tone for what happens in those schools.
Speaker F:And if it's wrong, it needs to be.
Speaker F:You need to say it's wrong.
Speaker F:I mean, we're not there to make friends.
Speaker F:I don't need to go have a glass of wine with you.
Speaker F:I need you to be good for kids, period, and their families.
Speaker F:So who's going to be that voice?
Speaker F:And because some aren't accustomed to it or maybe culturally, they think it's disrespectful, we have to be able to coach through those tough conversations.
Speaker F:Here's a way you can reframe that.
Speaker F:Here's some things you may want to consider.
Speaker F:And I always say, now use your words, but this is the gist of it.
Speaker C:Which then takes me back to what you said, really, at the beginning of this conversation, Opal was around not allowing students to shrink.
Speaker C:It goes for the adults.
Speaker C:You know, that just.
Speaker C:That line has just stuck with me and thinking about what do we do?
Speaker C:Because I think sometimes it's not about what we can do, it's what we need to stop doing.
Speaker C:So what are those things that we're looking at and looking in the mirror because somebody did have the courage to give me that feedback?
Speaker C:And what is my responsibility, my moral imperative?
Speaker C:Dwayne, that it's.
Speaker C:I'm not doing things that make the adults shrink.
Speaker C:I think that, again, is an intentional process, Kathy, where a cultural feedback is our norm, that if we're not cultivating or creating cultures where feedback is the norm, then what we get is adults who shrink or who never feel empowered enough to give us feedback on our leadership, on systems in the school.
Speaker C:Things that they think may be more impactful, they lose their voice.
Speaker C:And that's the thing that I think as leaders, we have to be very cautious about, is am I creating space for teachers to truly use their voices and teachers being the same way?
Speaker C:Am I creating a classroom culture where students are comfortable with using their voice and giving me feedback and going higher, saying, so what is that?
Speaker C:To ensure that the leaders aren't shrinking?
Speaker C:What are we doing, you know, throughout the organization to ensure that every layer is supported?
Speaker E:One of the things Kesha said that stuck there, mentoring novices.
Speaker E:And I remember being at a workshop and the presenter said, you know, Serena Williams is one of the best tennis players in the world.
Speaker E:She still has a coach.
Speaker E:She's 15 years into a career.
Speaker E:And I think sometimes we feel like, okay, I got my master's degree, I got my tenure.
Speaker E:I've learned all I need to do when I'm done.
Speaker E:And again, all of us saying, I could still learn more as I get older.
Speaker E:I have skills that I didn't have when I was younger.
Speaker E:But maybe some of the younger teachers are better with this technology stuff or some other aspect of it that we can all learn from each other and that coaching and mentoring can be multidirectional and should be lifelong.
Speaker E:I think that would help retention a lot.
Speaker E:I think teaching is very isolating.
Speaker E:I think sometimes when we struggle, we feel embarrassed in a sense of failure.
Speaker E:And that coaching and that connection is important.
Speaker E:And on top, what Dwayne said about doors being open, I think part of it, I'm channeling my mom, a brilliant second wave feminist, part of it is recognizing that the door is closed.
Speaker E:And if you look at your administrative team and they're all men and they've been all men for 20 years, you have to think, why?
Speaker E:Is it because there are no qualified women?
Speaker E:Or have we put like doorstops in to keep that door from opening?
Speaker E:We have to be open to that conversation about who's missing.
Speaker E:And sometimes it's not sins of commission like we're twirling our mustaches, planning to keep people out.
Speaker E:It's more sins of omission of I just hire people that make me feel comfortable.
Speaker E:I want someone that kind of thinks like me and looks like me.
Speaker E:And over time it builds very homogeneous groups of people when what schools need to be is more heterogeneous, you know.
Speaker G:To build on this idea of growing in your profession and professional learning.
Speaker G:One of the things that we have here at Siena University is a certificate of advanced study in tesol.
Speaker G:And so we have a lot of teachers who are 10, 15, even 20 years into their teaching profession who come back and get an additional certification in tesol.
Speaker G:And it's really great because we have these, these groups of pre service teachers learning alongside of these veteran teachers and working together in this online space.
Speaker G:And so the, the pre service teachers get this benefit of working with experienced teachers and the veteran teachers get the benefit of working with these new to the profession, younger, very enthusiastic, you know, with just energized, brand new to the profession kind of groups and then with all kinds of theory and ready to get together and they learn from and with one another.
Speaker G:And this new learning really energizes, I think these veteran teachers and they, they have so much to attach the new learning to so that when they're learning about second language acquisition theory and methods for, for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students, they have something to attach it to.
Speaker G:So I definitely encourage veteran teachers to seek out these other learning opportunities because the students that you have in your classroom today might not be the students that you were trained to, you know, you were prepared for 15, 20 years ago.
Speaker G:So seek out those opportunities and do so in conjunction with others from your schools, come together and you know, with a cohort and learn from and with, with one another.
Speaker I:I'd like to piggyback on that, Gretchen, just like you said, mid level to late stage career teachers and learn something.
Speaker I:The same thing with Dr. West's point of the mentoring piece, that that investment into leaders of mentoring is, is phenomenal because not only is the novice getting something out of it, your 10, 15 year veteran is Going to pick up their game, right.
Speaker I:Know that they're a role model and learn new things about their own job that they've been doing for 10 years.
Speaker I:And it's a whole other skill set to be a peer mentor than it is to be, you know, the leader of your campus or whatnot.
Speaker I:Right.
Speaker I:It's also one of the things that I find super important is that as leaders of a campus, it gets lonelier and lonelier.
Speaker I:But if you can have either a formal or informal mentoring program now, you've got people who are in the same boat and walk in the same experience with you that you can then use as thought partners or as a whole nother small network within network.
Speaker I:Right.
Speaker I:This group of colleagues that you can learn from and that you can teach.
Speaker I:Because if you know that you have something to bring to the table, then, you know, it's.
Speaker I:It's Thanksgiving, everybody's bringing the potluck, right.
Speaker I:And you're going to have a nice buffet of different things to eat, but you're not going to go hungry.
Speaker I:And so I think that along that line, the mentoring piece is really a crucial investment.
Speaker I:To Kesha's point, we can't just do it for year one.
Speaker I:It has to be planned out, has to be intentional more than one year, because there's always more to learn from each other as well as the job.
Speaker A:As we wrap up this episode, what I've heard from this genius group of educators around this idea of open doors and unlimited possibilities, I think can be brought down into just a couple of words, right?
Speaker A:We have to be super intentional about doing this work for each and every student.
Speaker A:Each student with a name, a face, a story and a dream.
Speaker A:And we have to be honest with ourselves and with our colleagues.
Speaker A:And that requires often heading into an area that may cause us some discomfort.
Speaker A:But discomfort and honesty is how we get there.
Speaker A:And in reality, this isn't about test scores and all out assault on love.
Speaker A:We'll see you next time in the wheelhouse.
Speaker A:Unlimited possibilities don't come from systems alone.
Speaker A:They're born in classrooms that affirm humanity, in spaces that nurture students, in teachers who carry forward a tradition of resilience, and in leaders who lead with love.
Speaker A:And that brings us to the close of season 10.
Speaker A:A special thank you to each of my incredible guests.
Speaker A:Dr. Duane Chisholm, Rich, Anya Bene, Dr. Gretchen Oliver, Dr. Shavita West, Dr. Opal Davis Dawson, Terry Perez, and Dr. Keisha Chandler, along with the amazing wheelhouse team of Kathy Mone, Michael Pipa, and Dr. Alicia Munro.
Speaker A:We began with doors and we end with possibility.
Speaker A:We've heard that when educators shift their mindset, when leaders transform systems, when classrooms are humanized, and when love becomes the guiding practice, every student can walk through open doors into a future full of unlimited opportunities.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for joining us in this season.
Speaker A:Stay tuned for season 11, future ready innovation rooted in Humanity, where we'll continue this journey of reimagining what school can be.
Speaker A:We'll be back with new episodes on October 28, and in the meantime, each week we'll explore some of our favorite episodes that need another listen.
Speaker A:We also hope you'll join us in the Wheelhouse Company.
Speaker A:Are you a like minded educator who's committed to open doors and unlimited possibilities for each student?
Speaker A:Follow Students Matter, LLC on Instagram or LinkedIn, or any of the four of us on the Wheelhouse team who are also individually on LinkedIn.
Speaker A:Subscribe to the Wheelhouse Chronicle on Substack.
Speaker A:Michael's waiting to hear your comments and we're all excited to continue this conversation with you.
Speaker A:That's the wheelhouse.substack.com or join the free curated community the Wheelhouse Forum, only available at Students Matter's very own Learn Harbor.
Speaker A:That's learnharbor.thinkific.com the Wheelhouse is a production of Students Matter LLC.
Speaker A:Our show's theme music, Off We Go, was written and performed by Cody Martin and and obtained through soundstripe.com stop by our website and check out who we are and what matters to us and how we can help you at www.ourstudentsmatter.org.
Speaker A:together, our goal is simply to prove to each student and to each teacher that they are both distinctive and irreplaceable.
Speaker A:Until next time.
Speaker A:Remember, keep your doors open and your heart's even wider.
