“Your name is hard to pronounce.”

“You speak English surprisingly well.”

“You’ve done so well despite your background.”

“You don’t act like a girl.”

“You don’t dress like a boy.”

If you’ve ever heard something like these or similar statements said to someone who is from an underrepresented group (such as Black, Latine, Indigenous or Asian) or as LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and other gender/sexual minorities), then you may have witnessed a microaggression.

What are microaggressions?

Microaggressions are defined as every day, subtle, intentional or unintentional interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups. These can be comments, interactions, body language or other behaviors that make a person or group of people feel less than another person or group.

Are microaggressions harmful?

Most people don’t mean for microaggressions to be offensive. In fact, many people who make such statements often believe they’re complimenting the person. On the other hand, microaggressions can sometimes be intentionally hurtful.

Microagressions can have a negative impact:

• They can make someone feel bad about themselves and send the message they don’t belong or are less-than. Like other forms of discrimination, microaggressions are based on systems and institutions that have historically privileged certain groups and disadvantaged or oppressed others.
• Repeated exposure to microaggressions in the form of insensitive comments, a backhanded compliment and actions that exclude may increase stress, anxiety or depression among people who identify as immigrants, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ or other marginalized groups.

Microaggressions take place in everyday situations, such as conversations with friends or in the workplace.

How can I as a parent or educator teach about microaggressions?

We know kids learn habits and opinions from the adults in their lives. If you’d like to teach your children to be open-minded and respectful as well as more informed on microaggressions, try these ideas:

If you’re a parent:

• Rethink some of what you were brought up to believe and statements you’ve made in the past. Try viewing situations from the perspective of others, to become an empathetic ally and practice humility.
• Teach your child, in an age-appropriate way, about the racial injustices that have existed throughout American history. Let them know your family may benefit from privileges other families don’t have because of characteristics, such as the color of your skin, or identities. Take a look at these books on race and ethnicity that may help get this conversation started.
• Help your child understand they may not feel good if people assumed things about them because of the way they looked or made jokes about them or their background because they belonged to a certain group. By being aware of this issue, they may be less likely to make comments.
• Model appropriate and inclusive ways of asking questions about the differences of others framed in a genuine interest to learn and do not make others feel like an outsider. Phrase questions in a way that show people you are interested in learning and not making others feel like outsiders. Tell your child you are also open to try to help answer questions about differences and learn more about others.
• If you have committed a microaggression and become aware of it, demonstrate a response for your child that models compassion, humility and respect for the person or group. Avoid jumping to a defensive or emotional response, even if it might feel embarrassing.
• It’s important to recognize and teach your child intent does not negate the fact that microaggressions are hurtful statements or actions.

If you’re an educator:

• Set the expectation that everyone’s personal identity will be respected in the classroom. Recognize the classroom may not feel inclusive for all students, so create clear expectations upfront about mutual respect and tolerance.
• Feature a variety of historical events and figures in lessons that might not always be featured in textbooks.
• Teach your students how powerful words can be. Ask students to mention times others hurt their feelings, gradually crumpling a piece of paper in response to the comments until it’s balled up. Then smooth out the paper while the students share compliments they’ve received – but show the paper now has permanent wrinkles. Explain that microaggressions can make a permanent impression on someone, just liked a balled-up piece of paper.
• Build a classroom culture where both teachers and students model and regularly practice lifting each other up through positive affirmations and statements about one another.
• Read books aloud featuring characters who experience microaggressions (like Don’t Touch My Hair or The Name Jar), for insight from a child’s viewpoint. Explain classmates can stick up for each other when someone says something inappropriate.
• When you identify microaggressions in your classroom, discuss them in a way that is not shameful or embarrassing to individuals or groups. Ask questions to clarify what was meant and figure out strategies to help challenge preconceived notions, so the class can feel more comfortable and respected.
• Provide opportunities for all students to have their voice heard in the classroom through strategies like providing alternative ways for students to comment/share and random selection of students.
• Help students express their feelings in an assertive manner, such as through “I” statements, that include the person’s feelings and impact of the action/statement on the person. Reference: https://www.onoursleeves.org/mental-health-resources/minority-mental-health/how-to-teach-kids-about-microaggressions?fbclid=IwAR1ioxWVkdUehW6ynMCUd5XUXng0x4SldHiwouhwC5lbO0DBxsf2DZd9Omk

Fostering a positive learning environment in the first weeks of the school year can set elementary students up for success in math all year.

How do you feel when watching this math diagram? Are you afraid of math? I have to admit that I am. Therefore, here are some tips for engaging elementary kids in math class.

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ALTERNATIVE MATH LESSONS

Avoid: Giving timed tests during the first few days.

Why? Time shouldn’t be a factor when assessing student knowledge. Time has nothing to do with fluency. Math isn’t supposed to be about timed fact tests—rather, it’s about making connections, seeing patterns, and exploring numbers.

Instead: Play math games that incorporate the skills you want to assess. Students will enjoy games or activities that incorporate math skills. You can observe the skills a student possesses and what assistance they may need. Depending on the game, you may want to have students write down their calculations on paper for you to look at later.

Avoid: Spending days drilling and killing.

Why? Drilling and killing are not engaging for students. Worksheets are tiring and don’t require rigorous thinking. They’re an outdated practice; they expect students to rely on rote memorization and don’t tap into their thought processes.

Instead: Try using a performance assessment task to understand students’ thought processes. How are they reading the problem? What will they do first? What methods will they use to solve the problem? You may find out more about a student by how they solve a problem than you would with a variety of worksheets. Find an activity where the students get hands-on experience with manipulatives.

Avoid: Diving straight into your curriculum or textbook.

Why? Math is not about turning pages from lesson to lesson in a textbook. Diving straight into a textbook dulls the joy and beauty of math. Math lives all around us, so show students how math is about sense-making, connecting, proving, and reasoning.

Instead: Have a conversation about math. Try using routines such as “Which One Doesn’t Belong?” or “Would You Rather” to get students talking about what they see. Throw in a number talk image and ask students to count “How many?” Three Act Tasks are invigorating, especially during the first weeks of school. And students love the imagery depicted in Three Act lessons.

Avoid: Completing a diagnostic test that’s computer-generated during the first week.

Why? The start of the school year is a time for teachers to get to know their students and their needs. Students staring at a computer screen and taking a third-party test is not the best way to do that. By no means should any teacher go against a principal’s or district’s directive? But if there’s flexibility in planning when to complete this task, try holding off until the second week of school. Another alternative is to complete the diagnostic a little bit at a time so as to not overwhelm students.

Instead: Create a positive math environment. Create a dialogue with students by asking about their personal experiences with math learning. Ask questions like “What makes a math person?” or “What are your feelings about math?” Have a conversation about your expectations regarding making mistakes, telling students that it’s OK to make mistakes because we expect them, respect them, and will correct them. Teach students about growth mindset and tell them that their brain grows every time they make a mistake.

By the third week of school, go ahead and start diving into your curriculum, once your students are open to math possibilities. They’ll be willing to put effort into their math work because they know that their brains are growing. As teachers, we need to show them that we value their work and their efforts. The practices we try to avoid giving negative connotations to mathematics. We should create a positive learning environment that welcomes mistakes as well as honors them.

Reference: https://www.edutopia.org/article/dos-and-donts-first-2-weeks-elementary-math-classes?fbclid=IwAR3d8ML-weMJ3XbvGbY2v14uccsq_QBUWuaKPJ64PNCPjJzC59T-JWjRu9M

What do you think about teachers have tattoo? It seems this is still a fervid debate among educators and parents in the society. Here in Taiwan, traditional Confucius concept is that hair and body are parts of property inherent from parents, so we have responsibility to keep in entirely safe and sound. Thus, host country teachers are almost NOT allowed to have tattoo. Especially, teachers are professionals with highly respect, so we keep a very conservative view on teachers have tattoo. On the contrary, we are more open-minded on oversea teachers who with tattoos. Some of my international colleagues have tattoos on their arms and legs. The school and parents accepts it.

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For years, teachers have refrained from having tattoos or kept them covered during work hours because they are perceived by many to be unprofessional.

In reality, tattooing has been practised since Neolithic times as a spiritual and religious act. Today, many people still choose their tattoos for sentimental, symbolic, spiritual or religious reasons.

So why is a teacher with visible tattoos so offensive to some people? And can teachers have tattoos on display, or are school leaders legally allowed to demand their staff cover up?

Teachers with Tattoos: What’s the Problem?

From fellow teaching staff and school leaders, to parents and carers of school children, visible tattoos on a teacher can cause significant upset and judgement.

In a recent Teacher Tapp survey, 18% of primary school teachers polled admitted to having tattoos but only 4% said they had a tattoo which is visible when they wear normal clothing.

So why is body art such a contentious issue?

For some, it may simply be a case of snobbery and an assumption that tattoos signify a person of a lower class and culture. Other people may have a more justifiable objection to body art — perhaps the tattoo in question is explicit and not appropriate for young people to see. There also may well be a generational factor at play. Tattoos are now commonplace, with many celebrities, such as David Beckham, openly sporting extravagant designs. Students are used to seeing tattoos on people they respect and admire and may be less likely to make negative judgements about an individual based on their body art. However, for parents who grew up when tattoos were less commonplace, body art on professionals is a newer concept and possibly harder to understand and accept.

Amongst teaching staff, there seems to be little difference in attitudes to visible tattoos between the age groups. A Teacher Tapp survey showed only 2% fewer teachers in their 40s felt that an individual with a visible tattoo on their hand should be allowed to become a teacher, than teachers in their 20s.

What Does the Law Say?

Under the Equality Act 2010, employers are not allowed to discriminate against staff based on certain protected characteristics, which include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Apart from religious markings, body art is not a protected characteristic under the act.

This means that school leaders — and all employers — are allowed to make hiring decisions based on the presence of visible tattoos. They are also perfectly within their rights to implement a dress code that stipulates that tattoos must be covered up on school premises. In certain circumstances, employers could legally dismiss a member of staff for not covering visible tattoos, especially if they are deemed to be upsetting students and their families. However, these decisions should be based on the law and the needs of the organisation, not the personal preferences or beliefs of senior staff.

A dress code policy should be clearly communicated to staff — how can you abide by rules you don’t know exist? Our recent survey revealed that few teachers outside the senior leadership team had any idea if tattoos were mentioned in the school’s dress code. 27% of classroom teachers responded, “I don’t know”when asked, “Does your staff dress code include guidance on staff tattoos?” — in contrast to 0% of head teachers and only 12% of the SLT responding likewise.

Could Tattoos on Teachers Lead to Positive Learning Experiences?

In today’s world of gang violence, terrorist acts and fighting between cultures, it is more important than ever that schools teach children to understand and value differences as much as how to read or add numbers together. Young people spend a significant part of their lives at school. It is where they are educated in all aspects of life — and academic studies are just one part of their learning experience. If teachers are told to cover up tattoos and conform to a certain stereotype of what a teacher should look like, what message are we sending to students — that everybody must look the same?

Children must also learn to behave differently in certain settings. For most adults, how we behave at home is different from how we behave at work. This is an essential social skill — one that we must consistently practice to succeed in life. Part of a teacher’s role is encouraging their pupils to respect differences and cultivate that ability to react appropriately in different circumstances.

When it comes to teacher’s opinions about whether tattoos should be hidden at work, opinion is divided — and there is no right answer. That being said, there are other potential positives of allowing teaching staff to display their tattoos with pride. Body art often has a meaning and can be a great discussion starter. A religious tattoo could trigger a debate on a topic that may otherwise be hard to broach. The simple fact that teachers have tattoos is a topic for debate in itself — as this blog demonstrates!

The law is clear that employers can make decisions about staffing based on tattoos and they are perfectly within their rights to ask teachers to keep body art covered at work. In reality, many schools and school leaders will adopt a flexible, common-sense approach that takes into consideration the needs of its staff, pupils and their families. If a teacher has an explicit tattoo that is not appropriate for a school setting, they will likely be asked to cover it, while a visible yet discreet and “inoffensive” tattoo may be allowed. Likewise, most teachers will make their own judgements about what is professional and appropriate for their workplace. Can teachers have tattoos? Absolutely. Do they need to keep them covered at school? The law says that’s entirely up to the school leaders.

Reference: https://adviseredu.com/2020/10/02/can-teachers-have-tattoos-what-does-the-law-say/?fbclid=IwAR0hsTM1ehra0DEHWzJ4uC7HrR95_BH6e_54S-tfGLUhGIPgUsF6w5fRaxw

There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world — and they all have different sounds, vocabularies and structures. But do they shape the way we think? Lera Boroditsky shares examples of language that suggest the answer is a resounding yes.

In times of crisis, taking care of their team should be of utmost priority for school administrators. With the impending staff shortages this coming school year, schools will undoubtedly be in crisis mode for an unknown period of time. Results from a new survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center are bleak and tell us the following:

• More than 40 percent of the teachers surveyed reported they were “likely to leave the profession in the next 2 years.”
• Only 44 percent reported they were “treated like professionals by the public.”
• Less than 15 percent reported they were “very satisfied with [their] jobs.”

It’s difficult for school leaders to support their staff through crises if they’ve never learned how to do so effectively and are unaware of the pain points of those under their charge. A Harvard Business Review article tells us that the best leaders take personal ownership in a crisis despite meeting challenges not of their doing and outside their control. Moreover, school leaders will need to listen to what teachers say they need from them to feel better supported.

For example, continuing to drill down relentless mandates and new initiatives when teachers are overworked, underpaid, and exhausted will further erode morale. Also, presenting emotional regulation techniques as a panacea for crises is harmful and doesn’t get to the heart of the issues that require action for improving their workflow. 

Administrators, therefore, need to rally teachers in ways that don’t seem disingenuous or with an agenda to have them comply. That said, school leaders must consider the best ways of supporting their teachers who are staying in the profession by choice and new colleagues entering a potentially tricky new job situation.

3 WAYS TO SUPPORT ALL TEACHERS DURING A CRISIS

1. Align and communicate school focus. While many school leaders want to establish some normalcy in the instructional day, a combination of Covid, staff shortages, and other unforeseen challenges may continue to decimate instruction in many districts for the time being. One superintendent told me recently, “This school year, we were just trying to survive and couldn’t always tend solely on instruction!” Colleagues also express similar sentiments in many schools I visit and on social media.

Therefore, in some places, we must accept that we are living in an extended time of having to be flexible and shift focus—sometimes a lot. At times, items unrelated to instruction may need more priority momentarily, and the teaching staff will need your trust and guidance when having to change priorities.

Not having the school’s focus aligned and articulated to staff as needed will confuse and frustrate them, especially if they are being held accountable. Instead, do the following to remain in alignment with your schoolwide priorities:

• Document the top three to five in order of importance.
• Keep abreast and review performance daily or as required.
• Share all pertinent information and status changes with the corresponding staff members.
• Give clear direction.
• Review and update the schoolwide priorities list as needed.

These strategies are also good to implement when schools are not in crisis mode.

2. Make your school environment intellectually safe. Author Simon Sinek once tweeted, “A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.” My time in education continues to show me that school leaders earn teachers’ trust when their actions unite the staff in both easy and challenging times with consistency and fairness through their actions, words, and policies—thus creating an intellectually safe school culture.

More specifically, in intellectually safe spaces, teachers and other staff are not belittled, undermined, micromanaged, or devalued in their efforts. In turn, they can become confident to do the following:

• Speak their minds and offer their honest views. This may be an opportune time to get their valid and reliable expertise in a crisis. They also may need an opportunity to vent or ask for help when things get difficult.
• Know they will be supported when making decisions and judgment calls, even in a crisis.
• Seek honest feedback from their supervisor and others.
• Trust what’s being asked of them. 

3. Focus on people, not metrics.

 This does not imply that school leaders shouldn’t care about measuring student achievement or how their school is doing, but when in crisis, attention needs to be on people first. In difficult times, people need to know that school leaders really care about them without an agenda. Administrators can do that best by taking the time to understand their staff’s perspective and then honoring it.

Teaching during a crisis may cause some teachers to worry and to have uncertainty—they will require empathy and engagement from leaders. Here are some ways to keep the focus on them primarily as people:

• In action and words, show them sincere gratitude for their efforts.
• Take time to check in consistently. This maintains your presence and lets them know you’re available for support.
• Look for ways to boost their well-being at work by asking them what helps them and then letting them do it. I’ve seen well-intentioned wellness and mindfulness training sessions backfire when the entire staff gets the same message and strategies. If your school makes time for wellness, let folks do what works for them during the allotted time (e.g., listening to music, reading, going for a walk, exercising, eating comfort snacks).
• Be flexible. For example, when holding faculty meetings or professional development after school doesn’t work for a weary faculty, don’t force it. 
  Reference: https://www.edutopia.org/article/supporting-teachers-during-times-crisis?fbclid=IwAR0oDMPWpkO3WSN5vF286Jr2tEFuBgz5Sp172rfT9bZeG7n3mqQ9kS3fheo