Hi everyone! I joined Cohort 21 to be part of a supportive and innovative community of educators who are committed to growing professionally, tackling challenges collaboratively, and driving change in their schools. So far it has been such an engaging experience. I value the opportunity to learn from others, gain new perspectives, and work on purposeful goals that align with my passion for equity, inclusion, and student-centered learning.
My goal for this year is one that I think has been a lifelong goal as an educator:
- Building a school-wide culture of inclusivity and belonging by addressing systemic inequities and empowering student voices.
This goal stems from my experiences with students expressing feelings of marginalization and a lack of trust in my current school community. I want to create opportunities for students, especially those from underrepresented groups, to feel seen, heard, and valued.
My experience in Cohort 21 will hopefully give me the opportunity to learn from others who have successfully implemented inclusive practices or addressed systemic inequities in their schools.I look forward to using the Cohort 21 network to refine my ideas and hold myself accountable for making tangible progress. And I look forward to exploring strategies to center student voices in addressing issues like racism, bias, and exclusion within the school culture.
This work is deeply important because it goes beyond immediate tasks to shape the long-term experiences and outcomes of the students I teach. It is probably clear that it is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice strand that resonates most with me. This school year has had many challenges, thus far which has revealed to me significant gaps in how the school communicates, supports, and fosters trust among students, staff, and administration in addressing issues of equity and justice.
Questions I continue to have:
How can we embed the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into our school culture rather than reacting to incidents as they arise?
How do we ensure that the responsibility for addressing equity concerns is shared across all staff and administration, rather than falling on a few individuals or groups?
What opportunities can we create for students to lead or co-create initiatives that address these challenges and promote systemic change?
So glad you joined Cohort 21! Looking forward to your reflections on teaching and your Action Plan.
@sfleming
Thank you for sharing your ideas early.! Your commitment to building a culture of inclusivity and belonging resonates deeply, and I admire how you’re anchoring your work in systemic change rather than reacting to individual incidents. This proactive approach has the potential to create lasting impact in your school community.
Your focus on empowering student voices and addressing systemic inequities is powerful. I appreciate how you’re framing this work as not just addressing challenges but shaping the long-term experiences and outcomes for your students. It’s clear that you’re tackling some deeply important questions, and your reflection shows a strong understanding of the complexity of this work.
Your guiding questions are spot-on. I particularly love the focus on embedding DEIJ principles into daily practices. It’s critical for these principles to become part of the fabric of school culture. One idea might be to start small by identifying areas where daily practices (like advisory groups, classroom discussions, or student leadership opportunities) could naturally integrate DEIJ values. Sometimes these small shifts create the momentum needed for larger systemic change.
On distributing responsibility, your goal to ensure that equity work is shared across staff is key. You might explore ways to make DEIJ goals a part of professional development and performance conversations, ensuring everyone has ownership of the work. Sharing the responsibility could also help prevent burnout among the few who often take on these initiatives.
Lastly, your emphasis on student voice is essential. Creating spaces where students can safely share their experiences, and even lead initiatives, is incredibly empowering. If you haven’t already, you could survey students to better understand their perspectives and needs, ensuring their input directly informs your action plan.
Cohort 21 is the perfect space to share ideas, seek feedback, and collaborate with like-minded educators. I can’t wait to see how your goals evolve over the year.
Justin
Hey Sam – I love the questions you are pondering to make DEIJ/pluralism work an ongoing reality in our schools.
Based on your questions, I can share some of our school’s approach to making this work a regular part of school routines and life:
How can we embed the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into our school culture rather than reacting to incidents as they arise?
I think policy development is key. Our pluralism team have been working with Assistant Heads in particular to update the family handbook. We have been looking at areas like uniform and school behaviour, for example, to make sure our policies are inclusive. We also worked with an outside consultant to help us as we look to revisit some of our school procedures and policies to promote positive change.
How do we ensure that the responsibility for addressing equity concerns is shared across all staff and administration, rather than falling on a few individuals or groups?
Great question. Each of our Senior Leadership team members has pluralism as a part of their responsibility. That way, we have many voices who try to carry the work forward. It is great to have ongoing leadership support for professional development and championing yearly objectives. We also have evaluation tools in place to help us meet our yearly goals.
What opportunities can we create for students to lead or co-create initiatives that address these challenges and promote systemic change?
I think getting student leadership involved in pluralism is key. Two years ago, we created a new prefect position focused on pluralism which brought more energy and focus to the school living our pluralism value. This person also chairs a pluralism student council and they raise a number of issues and write proposals to share with decision makers in the school.
Look forward to connecting in person on the 31st!
@sfleming
To ensure you receive personalized feedback on your Action Plan process, we invite you to post the following to your cohort blog before the 3rd face-to-face, by Monday, January 27th.
Please include the following in your blog post:
1) Your HOW MIGHT WE QUESTION…. (this should be the subject of your blog post)
2) A reflection on how your thinking evolved and shifted during the 2nd face-to-face session
3) Insights into your Action Plan and the steps you will take between now and June
4) What support you need, and what questions you still have?
5) Optional – Need further help? Click here for your AI Coach and post the conversation to your blog – https://app.flintk12.com/activity/design-thinking-9134f3/session/new