Evidence of Skillful Engagement - Fall 2024

Back to Dispositions

There are two student interactions that I had this quarter that reminded me that learning is connection-based, and that our classroom is part of the larger community web of systems. The first student asked me about age-gaps in dating among students. Many teachers in my department were put off by this question, but I engaged with the student in an age-appropriate way, and then referred them to one of the school counselors. It’s tricky to engage in these types of conversations as an educator if one isn’t familiar with rules, policies, and laws that have been put into place as safeguards. When another teacher asked why I entertained the conversation, my response was that I want students to feel comfortable with sharing things, because we might be the only adults they confide in. Also, as a mandatory reporter, I want to know if my students are contemplating even more serious issues so I can connect them to resources and make a report if necessary. Fostering “safety to share” also fosters a 

safe learning environment overall.

The second interaction involved us (my Mentor Teacher and I) as teachers accidentally stopping a student from expressing their opinions after the 2024 election. I felt like there was a misunderstanding, so I reread the principal’s letter to all the teachers that morning. I realized that we had made a mistake and apologized to the student on their way out at the end of class. In order to express my thoughts about what happened, I had to be respectful of the MT and his classroom, but balance it out with the federal and state laws of free speech, AND what the principal’s instructions were. Skillful engagement almost feels like social and professional juggling at times.

Moving forward, I will be even more alert/aware of federal, state, district, school, department, and classroom policies, and do my best to operate within their intersections. 

I created the graphic below, not to post up anywhere, but to remind myself of the systems I must learn to interact with in a skillful way if I am to be an effective 

teacher-activist for positive social change.