Over the next weeks I will be sharing my reflections on the sessions I attended at 2023 ASCD Conference held in Denver, Colorado. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time learning with educators from across the United States and US territories…and the chance to look at the beautiful Rocky Mountains. In a convention center space filled with the voices of educators, and education leaders, four voices stood out for me. The session was titled What Students Want And Need From School. The panel moderator was Jordan Puch, a senior in elementary education and a student in the Call Me Mister program at South Carolina University. The other three voices were Jaden, Tyree, and Anesa, students at 3 Denver area high schools who shared their stories and perspectives. This was a powerful session. The students spoke their truth to a room full of teachers and administrators. There were common threads in what they shared. First, safety needs to be less reactive and more proactive. All of the students talked about the value in consistent, accessible counselors and mental health resources, and that there aren’t enough. Tyree shared that it was important to not wait until something happens to ramp up the support in the school, and the need to support the good that is going on in schools that may be surrounded by neighborhoods with elevated crime or violence. This was particularly impactful given that Tyree is a student at East High School in Denver, the site of recent gun violence. The second thread is visibility. All three students and the moderator shared stories about why it is important to see positive role models who look like them. Jaden made the statement, “Learn about me before you start to teach me content”. Anesa shared “I want to be more than seen, I want to see evidence that I have been heard”. They all talked about how they have been impacted by micro-agressions. Jaden shared about a time when he was excited that the story they were going to be reading featured an Indian boy, just like him. Until the teacher clarified that no, this wasn’t a story about people who put dots on their forehead, it is about a Native American. Listening to their stories, I wrote down the word “Individual - eyesd” How, as educators, can we focus on really seeing the individuals in our classrooms, and work to build relationships with them, taking the time to learn about them and their life outside of school. Tyree’s statement, “Be there for us, even on our bad days” emphasized the importance of building consistent, stable relationships.
The students also gave their insights on the academic side of their experience. The most impactful statement was made by Jaden. As a senior, he has multiple AP and upper level classes. He shared that his worst days are those that feel like class is just about knowledge packing to prepare for a test. And then he added this, “I don’t want to be packed full of knowledge while I am still learning how to learn. I don’t have enough time to reflect on what I am learning or practice or apply it.” Wow. Think about that. As technology, like generative AI tools, continues to become more accessible and integrated, how will it change classrooms and allow more space for students to learn how to learn, and reflect on their learning? How can we be mindful of lessons that tip so far toward knowledge packing that they reach a point when they become ineffective? The other common thread in their academic conversations was their awareness of whose voice is reflected in the lessons and materials, whose voice is missing, and…their ask that wef stop tiptoeing around difficult topics. They want more than a surface level lesson. They want to see different points of view, and understand what led up to the events vs. just memorizing the dates and facts of the event.
These students were candid. They had important stories to share around the importance of relationships, representation, and identity. The session was only an hour long, yet they were able to share ideas and perspectives that would be useful to any district or building leadership team. How do student voices authentically show up in the work of your own district? And, where do students see that their voice was heard and action was taken? Do they have a full seat at the table when important district culture and strategy decisions are made? Where do students see themselves reflected in the classrooms and in the instructional materials they work with? If they aren’t, what is the plan to continue to work toward representation? What opportunities do we build into the day to allow for meta-cognition and reflection on their learning, or time to build relationships or connect to mentors? The first theme of my ASCD experience is “Individual - eyesd” learning. I will continue to explore this in future posts about a new set of tools being developed to help to teach, provide feedback on, and assess life skills, and the contagious power of shared optimism.
Resources To Spark Your Thinking
Library of Congress - Teaching With Primary Sources
Institute of Educational Sciences - Including Student and Family Voice In Classroom Learning
Building Positive Relationships With Students - What Brain Science Says
Recorded Ohio Middle Level Education Session - Missy McClain and Trauma Informed Care in Classrooms - Missy McClain is an excellent resource from the Akron Children’s Hospital.