Edutopia published my seventh article today:
How to Build a Strong Foundation for the Year
belonging
Cultivating Genius: Joy
A Focus on Belonging
Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson writes and speaks about a road map to guide work towards educational equity. Road maps guide us to our destination, and are important in times of uncertainty and learning/unlearning. If we know where we are going, we can prioritize and intentionally design the steps. In this post, I want to examine Amante-Jackson’s road map in order to deepen my understanding. I know that the work ahead will take time, many years, and that it begins with building a sense of belonging.
Belonging and Dignity
Always, especially now, people need to examine and learn more about their identity in order to understand the identities of other people. This nurtures an understanding of other people, an understanding of their story, and helps surface the ways in which we are alike and difference. It is critical that we do this work in order to nurture a sense of belonging and dignity and humanity for all people. When engaging in identity exploration, people may start feeling uncomfortable with some of their thoughts and feelings. This is okay… it is part of our process that people go through as they grow in our identity. Meaningful learning often puts people outside their comfort zone. In this post, I want to explore some strategies to develop a sense of belonging.