I had the privilege of reading Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success, by Christopher Emdin, over winter break. I highly recommend the book for any educator! As people who work with, and care passionately about the young geniuses with whom we work, it is imperative to learn about ourselves and about how we show up in the classroom. Our students know best what will work for them, and we start with honoring who they are from the moment we begin building relationships with them.

“Being an educator is as much about learning as it is about teaching. Those who teach, especially those who teach with a full understanding of the privilege of teaching – and what it means for who they will become in the world – end up transforming our society and empowering the next generation.” ~ Christopher Emdin

 

In this post, I want to summarize one of the last points that Emdin makes in this powerful text: the seven rights that are “at the essence of teaching and learning.”

The seven rights include: to be here, to feel, to act, to love, to speak, to see, and to know. These come from “the rights of the body” in Buddhist tradition. As educators, we need to ensure these rights are how we anchor our practice with students. Below I will give a very brief summary of the rights.

1. The right to be here as you are. Students are explicitly welcomed and given this message: “This is your classroom and I work for you.” This fundamental right is especially important for Black students, many of whom have not felt welcomed in schools.
2. The right to feel. We give students vocabulary and space to name and express the whole range of emotions. There is no judgment and emotions are welcomed, as they are a part of who we are, our humanity. The teacher values and models how to work with emotions.
3. The right to act on how you feel as long as it doesn’t violate the rights of another. When a person acts on emotions, they feel affirmed and free.
4. The right to be loved and to love. This includes all of the things a student can love: people, music, objects, sports, etc. When a teacher build a relationship with every student and sees their genius, the teacher can make relevant connections between what students love and the learning experiences/content.
5. The right to speak in one’s own tongue, dialect, accent. We provide opportunities to speak truth to power and are intentional about amplifying and centering all student voices. We empower students and provide ways to “speak” about issues to wide audiences. “Speaking” can be through written word, oracy, video, cypher, music, etc. Because every genius has their own “linguistic magic,” we give them choices in how they want to express themselves.
6. The right to see different perspectives/visions of the world. When we reflect on our own selves and learn about others, we are able to envision a new way of being in schools. Imagination and collaboration lead to transformation.
7. The right to know. Students, especially Black students, have the right to know “themselves, their history, their legacy, and the causes for the inequities they live under.” We equity students with the resources and support to understand what systems have been intentionally put in place to create schools the way they are now. We believe and communicate that we have high expectations and that every student has many academic strengths and genius. 

 

Again, this is a very brief summary of a book that is full of wisdom. I urge people to read the book and look forward to comments about what you learn.

“Any young person will adjust their investment in academic tasks to the connection they have to the teacher and to the amount of love the teacher expresses for them and their culture in the classroom.” ~ Christopher Emdin

 

Resources:
Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success, by Christopher Emdin