Elevate the Discourse: MCPS Guide to Facilitating Conversations About Race & Other Challenging Issues
"The mistake that can be made during these challenging times is to think that these critical conversations will add to the stress that people are living with, when in fact these serve as the opposite. The impact and benefits of having these discussions at all times are these -- it allows a community of partners to develop the tools to listen, learn from one another, and understand the meaning of empathy."
Mr. Craig Staton, Principal, Julius West Middle School
Dear colleagues,
Between creating dynamic lessons in virtual learning and just dealing with the distance of not engaging one another face to face has many of us overwhelmed. We are anxious about the current state of our country and school district. These feelings can not be minimized.
At the same time, we can't ignore that the socio-political context in our country is impacting how our students, families, and colleagues show up and navigate school and work every day. Ignoring these realities undermines the relevance of the curriculum for all students and diminishes our ability to meaningfully support families and colleagues.
While these conversations may feel scary to initiate, discussions about current events and race do not have to be contentious or out of control. The fact is that many MCPS staff have been leading powerful and productive conversations with staff, students, and families as part of their everyday practice. The good news is that there are many resources to help you create the conditions for productive dialogue. Below are some of the resources and best practices, organized in four sections:
- Why is this important?
- How do you create the conditions for safe and productive conversations?
- How does this look in our virtural classrooms and offices?
- How are you creating hope for your students and colleagues?
Please reach out to us with any questions or to tell us about the great work you are doing.
With Gratitude,
Troy, Deanna, Daryl, Edvin, Ericka, Joan, Maniya, Marya, and John
Why Is This Important?
We asked a few MCPS colleagues, a middle school student and a PTA president the following question:
How would you explain why it's necessary to engage students and staff in conversations about the impact of race, ethnicity, and culture in our current socio-political context?
Please listen to their powerful responses.
After listening to the videos, read Do You Consider Yourself a Culturally Responsive Educator by our colleague, Dr. Daryl Howard, instructional specialist, Equity Initiatives Unit.
How Do You Create the Conditions?
To achieve sustainable outcomes, talking about race and current events should not stop after the election. These conversations need to be part of the culture of your office, school, or classroom. The resources below are focused around the following ideas:
Understand your own emotions and trigger points
Help students and staff learn the difference between dialogue and debate. Make your goal clear to all participants.
Develop a few structures that help ensure a productive dialogue
Keep Tips for Handling Challenging Conversations nearbye for support
Learn How To Deepen a Conversation Instead of Having it Get Out of Control or Miss a Learning Opportunity.
Online self-paced module to develop skills and structures to lead challenging conversations
How Does This Look Within Your Classroom or Office?
It's one thing for us to give you tools, it's quite another to translate these tools into the classroom or office meeting. Start with Dr. Joan's Gems to learn what Civil Discourse means and how to make it work in your context. Next, open the Social Studies link for an amazing list of resources for staff from any discipline or area of MCPS. Our next two links provide specific examples of how to embed this work into your every day practice. Whether or not you teach English or math, please make sure to read Developing a Social Justice Unit in English Language Arts by our colleague Charles Alexander and look over the ideas on Make Math What It Already is: Relevant.
Dr. Joan's Gems
Each month, Dr. Joan Mory, instructional specialist, Equity Initiatives Unit, provides new and specific resources. The focus this month is instructional strategies and “think abouts” that address engaging in civil discourse and deeper discussion.
Resources From the MCPS Social Studies Team
Our friends in the Office of Curriculum developed an amazing and thorough list of resources appropriate for staff from any discpline or area of MCPS.
Developing A Social Justice Unit in English Language Arts
This article is written by Charles Alexander, learning achievement specialist, Office of Teaching, Learning and Schools. Charles is a former high school English teacher. "This rigorous, standards-aligned narrative unit combines classic literature and contemporary social issues."
Click Here
Make Math What it Already is: Relevant.
Skew The Script offers free curriculum that makes math what it already is: relevant. What is the relationship between police use of force and race? What was Kobe’s probability of scoring 81 points in a game? What is the most effective way to prevent strokes? These are all questions our curriculum tackles through statistics, mathematics, and critical thinking.
Click Here
How Are You Creating Hope For Your Students and Colleagues?
We are living in turbulent times where there are no easy answers. Many of us rely on the hope of a better tomorrow. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines hope as "desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true." This module will examine the role hope can play to support adults and students navigate these turbulent times.
In this module, you will:
Examine the neuroscience of hope
Discover why hope is critical during these times
Identify to whom you communicate hope
Reflect on the different types of hope
Reflect on your next steps
Crowdsourcing! Share what you are doing.
We want to see what you are doing. Please share your resources and ideas with us. Click here for a Crowdsourcing Padlet. Please use the links below to see the resources and support that the Equity Initatives Unit provides schools and offices every day.
EquityMatters! is a newsletter by the MCPS Equity Initiatives Unit.
EquityMatters! is a publication of the MCPS Equity Initiatives Unit -- http://bit.ly/mcpsEQUITY