The very nature of the action is to lead one out of ignorance into the ownership of new information. It is disruptive to learn something new. This quality is what makes education so rapturous and difficult. Educators have to choose, daily, how they will respond to the disruptive impact of their work:
"How will my students react to this grade-level text that I am about to put in front of them if they are reading several grade levels below?"
"I have an observation today - what is the best lesson I can prepare that is easy enough for students to follow, but just tough enough to pass muster?"
"The students almost had a mutiny when I tried teaching this concept - they simply don't have the background knowledge for the assignment - I will just have to break it up."
Too many times, I have chosen the path of least resistance. I have leveled down my instruction to my students' comfort zone; and then neglected to level up. I have witnessed sub-par instruction over the course of weeks and months and have tried to coach instead of come along side. I have presided over successful inductions, graduations, orientations and suspensions all in the effort of smooth transitions and an orderly school environment. Safe and orderly have their place; but when students are consistently under-achieving, disruption is essential.
***
As I begin to gear up for a thirteenth year in education - my focus is different. Forging relationships with children, parents and the school community, developing Black males with life-changing literacy experiences and improving teacher quality through coaching will still comprise the heart of my work.
But now, I am on a mission for every single child to achieve at their highest level without regard to how the process may look, how I may appear or how far (within boundaries of course) I need to go. I do not want to see another June where I can look back and see how I have contributed in any way to the under-performance of any teacher or student.
As teachers, our mission is to ensure that every single child has the access and opportunity to reach their God-given potential over the course of a school year in all academic subjects. We are called to be disruptive for the benefit of our children. This disruption starts in the classroom, but extends into dismantling institutionalized racism wherever it is found, whether it is in the text-books or in the hiring process. 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' Below are some principles to consider when approaching our work from a perspective of achievement for ALL students:
1. Capacity is built from the inside-out. Unless you explore your own biases and skill-level, it will be difficult to effect change anywhere else. Attend a conference; listen to a lecture; converse with allies in the fight for educational equity. Listen to a student. You cannot give what you do not have.
2. Change begins when you stop looking the other way. An early struggle I had as a teacher was correcting students I did not know. Whether these students were cussin', tusslin' or fussin', I would leave the responsibility to their teachers to address it. As my teacher leadership grew, I realized that I cannot look the other way. As a man, I cannot miss the opportunity to raise boys, or protect girls. Going forward, I must no longer allow students to receive a sub-standard education. At any time.
How many times have we as teachers simply looked the other way when it comes to student misbehavior or misunderstanding? How many times have principals looked the other way when it comes to teacher quality? How many times have system leaders looked the other way in regards to personnel decisions? A culture of equity in the schools of a system can only rest on the attitude of the system's leadership towards injustice.
3. Smooth and efficient failure is still failure. When you can simultaneously look at the end of a class and remark on how smooth the learning went while also noting that most of the students did not attempt standards-aligned work; what have you really accomplished? All is not well if most of the teachers are not teaching high-impact and grade-level work, even if the students are sitting in their seats and well-behaved. Efficiency happens when equity is delivered, whether it is clean and smooth or through the fire.
4. This type of work requires courage and community. A few weeks ago, I heard a message by Mark Batterson where he explained the idea of 'kedging.' Kedging is a boating action; you throw an anchor ahead of the boat and use the line attached to it to navigate through what may be a difficult pass. I thought of many applications to education. With this principle, the anchor is courage and the people pulling with you is your community. We cannot do this work without courage. Courage could be defined as a commitment to practicing truth regardless of the consequences. Your community are the teachers and leaders who are on the boat with you. Those teacher leaders who are committed to absolutely giving students the best education they could ever get. Courage anchors you, while community pulls you.
5. The work is bigger than you - but it cannot survive without you. Giving all of our students, but especially our Black and Brown children, a free and high-quality education has been as big and complicated as the current state of our country. It existed before you and it will outlive you. It will outlive all of us. However, when the history is recited - where will your name be? If the next 20 years of your educational career were put in a time capsule and unearthed in the year 3017, what impact would it have had? You are the most important person to this work. And me. All of us need to be rowing, pushing, striving, trying, struggling, moving, crying and at last pulling in the same direction for any lasting change to happen. What an indictment upon myself and the profession it would be if my time capsule were pulled as evidence of why the fight for equity has not definitively changed.
***
It is just past noon on July 10th at the time of this writing. Summer is in full swing and hope springs eternal for all NFL fans (even Buffalo Bills fans). Educators and leaders are making preparations for the new year, or finishing their last significant vacation. These are the very necessary times where the educational community gets recharged. In this sense, I have been reflecting on my future.
I hope I still have the conviction to stay true to the ethic of care that is present in the words I have written today. In fact, when I become an administrator or school system leader, I hope to still have this fire for children. Beyond any hopes I have for my own career, I sincerely hope that superintendents, stakeholders, school leaders, teachers, students and parents are committed to disrupting any cycle of under achievement and under service for our precious children. The state of our union rests on it.
Enough is enough.
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