I left a school I loved, colleagues I loved, and kids I loved because of the principal. She kept asking me to do more. (If you’ve ever had to take over the yearbook halfway through the year with a brand new software and no photography or graphics skills, I feel your pain.) Bottom line: school leaders can make or break it for teachers. Many leave a school, district, or the profession altogether because of a toxic school culture and unsupportive or overbearing admin. This year the stakes are even higher. Teachers worry about their health and safety. Many don’t feel seen or heard. Here is what teachers need you to know, principals, but feel like they can’t say.

Stop emailing optional professional development opportunities

There is nothing more maddening to teachers right now than “optional” professional development. Sure, you might have good intentions (after all, no teacher has had enough training to prepare them for the insanity that is teaching in 2021). But when you bombard teachers with invites to webinars, PD in pajamas, and virtual weekend conferences, you send the message that what teachers are already doing isn’t enough. You put teachers in an uncomfortable position when you “suggest” that they work (yes, PD is work) outside of their contract hours (for free). Many teachers are working unpaid overtime. So next time you find out about a virtual training, don’t forward it (unless it’s required and teachers are compensated for their time.)

Stop telling us that “we will all get through this together”

At the end of the day, teachers are on their own. The principal isn’t in the classroom or Zoom room. A teacher’s workload is so outrageous because it’s all on the teacher. Some of us are lucky to have grade-level teams that plan together and divide up the work , but not all of us. I’ve never had a principal help me figure out how to set up a brand new learning management system that I didn’t have access to until two days before school started. “We are all in this together” might look good on a school website or Facebook page. The sentiment is nice, but the truth is, teachers are not getting through this. They are barely surviving. Many of them feel isolated, alone, and overworked.

Stop unnecessary meetings during prep periods

When I first started teaching, I was shocked that my prep period rarely happened. This is why so many teachers end up working at night and on the weekends. An extra meeting comes up. There is a last-minute training. You are asked to cover for another teacher, and on and on. If there’s an emergency, of course you’ll jump in. But many teachers wish admin wouldn’t schedule meetings during prep (it’s sacred).

Start including us in the discussion before decisions are made

There is nothing more frustrating than getting a new curriculum (that you don’t think is the right fit for your kids) and no one asked for your opinion or feedback. I always appreciated it when my principal asked us to help her make a decision that was going to affect our day-to-day, not hers. This year teachers feel left out in the dark. Some schools chose virtual platforms without asking for teachers’ input. Now teachers are scrambling to quickly “make it work.” Many plans around school schedules and re-opening phases were made without teacher input. Or when teachers did speak up, they weren’t given clear or transparent answers (or any answers at all).

Start supporting us instead of evaluating us

Most principals are not teaching students during a global pandemic. Kudos to the principals who say, “I am no expert here, and I am trying to figure this out too. This is really hard.” Let’s shove the school hierarchy aside and accept that when it comes to teaching and working in education in 2021,  everyone is on a level playing field. If there was ever a time to be humble, own our vulnerability, and give grace, now is it.

Start showing us rather than telling us that you appreciate all we do

It’s really nice when principals thank teachers. It’s also nice when principals bring bagels and coffee for a faculty meeting or “just because.” It’s even nicer when principals make time (we know you are busy and overworked too) to check in or just to chat. The nicest thing: a principal who sees, hears, and values us. It’s incredibly hard for teachers to hear, “you are the best” and “no one works harder than you” only after they’ve agreed to take on more. When teachers ask questions about health and safety and instead get an email that calls them “superheroes,” it’s heartbreaking. If there is one thing that a principal could do for teachers this year, it is to show you care in what you do, not just what you say.

Principals, we need you. We know that you have the state and district pushing their agenda. We know parents are pushing you in all directions. We know your plates are so full this year, and you’ve never done this before either. Show us your vulnerability. Listen to us. Advocate for us. When we know you have our backs, and you are transparent and straight up with us, we trust that you are making decisions with us in mind. When you do this, we stay, and not just for the kids, but because we want to. Sometimes because of you.

Reference: https://www.weareteachers.com/what-teachers-need-principals-to-know/?fbclid=IwAR1yO5y2EapTYTQixuWlXo-cbYkQ-WoOYmSur3Tq9DZNO20UHYI1g0DZ-60

Tips for helping preschool students understand expected classroom behaviors and develop their social skills.

RULE FOLLOWING IS A TEACHABLE SOCIAL SKILL

Rules are prescribed guides for expected behavior. One of the clearest examples of a prescribed guide for conduct in preschool are the expectations for circle time: looking eyes, listening ears, quiet mouths, hands in lap, and legs criss-cross applesauce.

I’ve consistently observed teachers saying “Give me five” during circles as a cue for students to ready their bodies and as a reminder to maintain whole-body listening when struggling. It can seem, however, that having students comply with the expectation of “Give me five” is often in service of having a calm, quiet circle in which academic learning can take place. Yet understanding and gaining the ability to follow classroom rules is also a skill set that needs to be taught. The expectations of being quiet, paying attention, waiting our turn to speak, and having gentle hands are social skills presented in a developmentally appropriate and engaging way.

Social skills are necessary for enjoying relationships, effectively communicating with others, collaborative problem-solving, and navigating the rules and expectations of society. As early childhood educators, we can patiently guide young learners, providing them with a nurturing and safe space to learn and practice these skills in a structured setting.

PLAYING GAMES IS AN EXERCISE IN SELF-REGULATION

Play-based learning gives educators many natural opportunities to teach students about following rules and expectations. Developmentally appropriate board games, such as Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Yeti in My Spaghetti, are a great way to have children practice turn taking, waiting patiently, and following the game directions.

I play these games individually with students who need extra support in regulating enough to wait for their turn, manage their frustration when they lose, or understand the logistics of the game. While playing, I offer specific, positive praise and make sure to say that it’s fun to play with someone who follows the rules of the game.

When preschoolers play, tempers can flare easily, making it harder for children to remain regulated enough to follow the rules. Inevitably, one student attempts to skip ahead or take someone’s turn. I’ve found that providing positive guidance and framing cheating as a choice that comes with a natural consequence—“I know playing by the rules doesn’t always feel fun. You can keep cheating, but your friends might not want to play with you. Or you can play the right way and keep playing with them”—is often enough to get the game back on track.

MODEL EXPECTED BEHAVIORS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

Modeling the expectations of the classroom is also an effective strategy. In one of the classrooms I support, the teacher and I created a class promise in collaboration with the students. One of the biggest challenges for us is the student noise level, and I often have to raise my voice just to be heard. When this happens, I ask open-ended questions to encourage thinking about our class promise. “How come Ms. Megan has to raise her voice right now?” I follow this up by telling them that I need to follow our promise too, and model using my inside voice.

Other well-known strategies are also helpful, such as telling children what we want them to do (walking feet versus running) or offering visual supports that use both text and images to show children what the expectations are. You can display posters or cue cards strategically around the classroom to reinforce expectations and problem-solving strategies in a multisensory way. In one of the classrooms I support, I often bring students over to the problem-solving strategies board that I created to show them what the expected behavior looks like, which makes it easier for them to understand what they need to do.

CONSIDER WHETHER THE RULES ARE APPROPRIATE AND BE FLEXIBLE

It’s important for educators to be curious about why a child isn’t following the rules. Are the rules developmentally appropriate? Are they inclusive? For some children, an expectation such as whole-body listening isn’t possible for a variety of reasons.

Many of the children I work with have been impacted by chronic toxic stress and other adverse childhood events, making self-regulation difficult in a preschool setting. I’ve also worked with children who have developmental delays and need additional support and accommodations to successfully meet expectations. Using flexible seating (wobble chairs, cube chairs, and balance balls) for children who might have gross motor concerns and allowing students to use a fidget if having still hands is a challenge during circle time are just two examples of how offering accommodations makes it easier for students to meet classroom expectations.

Being curious about our students and flexible with how rules and expectations are followed can sometimes be an educator’s most effective strategy. Many of my students need extra support to meet expectations around keeping hands to themselves and staying regulated during circle time. I noticed that one student in particular frequently engaged in sensory-seeking behaviors, such as running around the room, rough play with others, and not being aware of pushing his chair in too hard. When other children got too close to him, he became overstimulated and used his hands to communicate his need for space.

With this new knowledge, we worked together to develop a script he could use when he felt uncomfortable, and we role-played so that he could practice using this language. We also played board games together so that he’d have natural opportunities to practice self-regulation strategies. I worked with his teacher to move his seat to the back of the group, which gave him access to a weighted lap pad that provided the sensory input his brain and body needed to stay regulated during circle time. Over time, it was much easier for this student to follow classroom rules because he had the skills and support to follow them.

By teaching students how they can follow the rules, early childhood educators set young children up for success, giving them an opportunity to do well.

Reference: https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-guide-young-learners-follow-rules?fbclid=IwAR0D8KO5PrpfR-Nfd6bCukFFbzlPEZBMrtIhoywW9kpxfoVXK0w9rbKDXww

What’s your opinion about receiving late works? Are you a strict teacher who insisits on “no late assignment”? I was. I usually accept late work if students clearly explained to me their reasons, but not excuse. However, after taking cultural foundation class, I changed my mind. I gave students THREE TIMES of extra chance for being late. I would believe what they said and observe if my grace is abused.

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Late work. It’s nothing new. It was a problem before the pandemic, and according to my teacher friends, it’s even worse now. And when students struggle to submit assignments in a timely manner, what’s the protocol? Rigid deadlines with no forgiveness? Open-ended grace period? Late window with penalty? I’m not sure there’s a one-size-fits-all solution.

When it comes to grading policies, opinions vary. Some teachers choose not to accept any late work. When the deadline passes, that’s it. Others offer a specified window for late work, perhaps cutting it off at one week or two tops. Lastly, some teachers adjust to each scenario with whatever they deem appropriate. I understand the rationale behind each, but rarely is teaching a profession where things are just so matter of fact. There are always exceptions and unique circumstances that require judgment calls—it’s the nature of the job.

No late work is too harsh

I’ve never been one to institute a no late-work policy. While part of me would like to, it’s not the most pragmatic approach. In fact, it’s unreasonable and can lead to dissension with parents and even administrators. Sure, it places a premium on time management skills, but there are too many circumstances that complicate this policy, including, but not limited to, funerals, illness, injury, family strife, etc. It’s quite penal, which is the point. Submit the work on time, and there’s no issue. Yes, but a little flexibility goes a long way in establishing rapport with students and parents. 

Open-ended is too generous

And while the no late work policy seems too harsh, I would argue the open-ended policy is too generous. I’m all for showing compassion and offering second chances, but students need to take ownership of their learning. Part of that involves completing assignments and submitting on time. There’s a big difference between three days late and three weeks late. A policy without parameters perpetuates a cycle of late submissions, many of which will arrive during the next unit of instruction—maybe even later. I certainly don’t want to grade those. That’s a stressor. In the real world, there are consequences for missing deadlines. Learning that lesson while in school isn’t a bad thing.

A defined late-work option is just right!

Ultimately, the most equitable option is to accept late work within a reasonable time frame—one that’s clearly defined. This policy allows teachers to accommodate any of those personal scenarios, which are simply inevitable in teaching. If students fall behind, for whatever reason, they still have time to submit their work. When that window closes, though, it’s time to move on. The other consideration with this type of policy is whether to assess a late penalty. That’s tricky. Obviously, when it comes to illness or other extreme circumstances, compassion is important; but when students repeatedly waste class time or simply aren’t motivated, that’s different. If there’s no consequence for those scenarios, then what’s to prevent students from making the practice habitual? Gouging a student’s grade isn’t the best practice for work that’s a few days late, but I have no issue assessing a penalty. That penalty should serve as a reminder and hopefully a deterrent; it shouldn’t demoralize. 

Whichever option a teacher chooses, the real key is front-loading from day one

That syllabus should clearly define the policy’s terms. If that means late work won’t be accepted, so be it. If the cut off is two weeks, the verbiage should match. And if it all depends on the scenario, there may be some headaches and added stress down the stretch. I know from experience. Some students genuinely need extra help and can benefit from a teacher’s flexibility, but others will simply take advantage. Students will try to submit work 77 days late. Sadly, I’ve seen it. 

There’s nothing wrong with establishing parameters and deadlines through clear channels of communication. Students need structure and boundaries. Teachers do as well. 

If the goal is to show some degree of compassion, to provide opportunities to self-correct, and to illustrate that all actions have consequences, then accepting late work within a reasonable time frame is the way to go. 

Reference: https://www.weareteachers.com/handle-late-work/?fbclid=IwAR34sJt0p3pKMck27rMnmhPrEesz-C_d6DI9xCAG2q1Z9Odil-vNxikypvc

Teachers had to earn their degrees and other credentials. 

And that includes graduate education. Because of that, we understand child development, how to teach both academics and emotional intelligence, and how to work as a team with the parents and students. We plan curriculum and daily provocations, keep up with state standards for both academics and social and emotional development, and observe each child’s growth to make sure that they are thriving and learning exactly as they should be. 

We plan individualized, differentiated instruction.

Our days aren’t spent simply making sure that the kids are fed, watered, and entertained (which is exactly what I did as a teenage babysitter). Teachers are planning and organizing daily, weekly, and monthly throughout the entire year to provide individualized lesson plans and provocations to each and every student. We see that every student is working to meet our personal teaching standards, the school’s standards, and the many, many state standards. 

We work 50+ hours a week.

Even on vacation, I’ll answer parent emails. I’ll stay with a student if their parent is running late. And I’ll worry at night about how their week has been, because a family transition has thrown off their entire world. We have to establish trusting and supportive relationships with the students, their parents, and our colleagues. Teachers work a lot, and we absolutely love it, or we wouldn’t be doing it. 

We undergo rigorous professional development.

In Colorado, that professional development is 90 hours every five years, or about 18 hours per year. On top of that, we also have to keep up with trainings regarding safety, like CPR, first aid, and mandated reporting. So not only are teachers required to, well, teach, but they are also there to make sure that 20+ students remain safe under our care.

Of course, the reality is we get paid less than babysitters.

When I was babysitting in high school, around 2005, I got paid $10 an hour for two children, ages one and three. Say I babysat four or five kids, I’d bump that up to $20 an hour. That means that overall, my rate for one child was five dollars an hour. Currently, I have 15 students for about four hours a day. Fifteen kids at five dollars an hour for four hours comes out to $300 per day. If you split that between my co-teacher and me, we get $150 for four hours and 15 students. As a teacher, am I making $300 a day? No, not even close. 

Have I thought about switching back to babysitting or nannying? Of course, but I like my job too much and know how important it is. 

What are your thoughts when people say that teaching young children is just like babysitting? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, why teachers quit.

Reference: https://www.weareteachers.com/teaching-is-not-babysitting/?fbclid=IwAR0r3zWfgRrVIuttR5sGsjxYbkK5x1_csNv5OfVXA9nhaAlXQ-HnNUSW16M

The celebration of Pride and Juneteenth offers an opportunity for reflection on intersecting identities and highlights the need to support and make space for Black LGBTQ youth.

Pride and Juneteenth both celebrate and honor marginalized communities’ resistance while underscoring a troubling truth: the historical perpetuation and ongoing exacerbation of racism and queerphobia in the United States.

The history of the Pride movement tells us about LGBTQ people who resisted and protested oppression. Through the late 1960s, law enforcement consistently raided queer establishments simply to destroy LGBTQ-friendly spaces. On June 28, 1969, hundreds of LGBTQ people of color, especially Black and Brown transgender women, led a major action against the NYPD in Greenwich Village at the Stonewall Inn. In many ways, Stonewall is an invitation to reflect on the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ people, especially those with multiple marginalized identities. But Stonewall wasn’t the first instance of resistance.

Even before the Stonewall Uprisings, which occurred over several days in June 1969, we witnessed LGBTQ people, including Black and Brown people, actively resisting government interference, state violence and interpersonal harm. Ten years before Stonewall, in 1959, Cooper Donuts Riot was a relatively small uprising in Los Angeles in response to law enforcement harassment. In 1966, at Compton Cafeteria, transgender and nonbinary individuals resisted police violence after vehement anti-trans harassment. And in 1967—two years before the Stonewall Uprisings—the LAPD entered the Black Cat Tavern, intruding upon an LGBTQ safe space and arresting patrons, which led to an organized protest.

Like Pride, Juneteenth for me as a Black queer person is also an invitation to reflect on the systemic ills of white supremacy and cultural hegemony. With its origins in Texas, Juneteenth is one of the oldest commemorations of the end of slavery in the U.S. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control, nor did it apply to border states. The 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the U.S. on January 31, 1865, and for Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, freedom finally came on June 19, 1865. However, it is important to note that Black Americans were enslaved in Delaware until December 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment was finally ratified.

Pride and Juneteenth both remind us of how government control over the lives, health and autonomy of LGBTQ, Black and other marginalized populations is deeply rooted in the history of this nation. It’s no secret that the Black LGBTQ community is overpoliced, and not just in terms of police and state violence, which we know is a persistent and deadly issue—but in terms of policing our autonomy, our lives and our identities.

On June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and held that the right to an abortion is not protected by the U.S. Constitution. Despite the legal right to safe abortion being the law of the land since 1973, this court decided to restrict, not expand, rights. In many ways, this is deeply connected to recent anti-transgender legislation that prevents access to medical care. These legislations disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous and other people of color; LGBTQ people; and poor people—communities whose lives and bodies have been, and continue to be, heavily policed. That’s why understanding the Black LGBTQ experience means we cannot silo our identities.

LGBTQ people are not political wedge issues, but real people with real experiences. Our stories intersect not only across struggles, but across the landscape of American history and our united future.  

Despite that, Black LGBTQ people are often told we must separate parts of ourselves to be accepted, or at the very least decide which identity holds more weight. This is a dangerous and false dichotomy. But until I learned about, and fully grappled with, intersectionality, I once fell victim to that narrative. I now enter all spaces as both Black and queer, and it’s the only way I’m interested in showing up. It’s also now what I mean when I say I need my Pride to be Black and my Juneteenth to be queer.

As a Black queer person, I am thankful that I can now say I see the importance of Juneteenth as much as I have seen the importance of Pride Month. It isn’t that I didn’t believe Juneteenth was a necessary day to remember—it’s that I didn’t hear of it until 2018.  Amid protests against anti-Black police violence in 2020 and 2021 and the recognition of a very public discussion about Juneteenth, I pretended I knew all about this day for several years before I did. Black people who believe in freedom and liberation are often expected—or believe that we are expected—to know everything about the Black diaspora, and moments of embarrassment start to reverberate when we realize the world is bigger than the totality of what our brains may hold. Then, I had to give myself grace for why I didn’t hear of this now federally recognized holiday.

The truth is that white supremacy has worked overtime to hide information from Black people and other marginalized communities. Many Black people only learning about Juneteenth within the last couple of years is hardly different from the delayed information communicated to formerly enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Lack of access to information is not accidental, and this year we are seeing deliberate attempts of silencing play out in real time in ways that harm LGBTQ youth of color.

At the same time laws like “Don’t Say Gay/Trans” were being proposed, we were also witnessing bans on LGBTQ stories and Critical Race Theory (CRT). Challenges to books about sex and sexuality and racial identity are nothing new in American schools, but the tactics and intense politicization are. In 2021, books about Black and LGBTQ people were among those most challenged, which we know can doubly impact Black LGBTQ people who want nothing more than to have their stories heard. It’s important for us to see ourselves represented.

In 2022, The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ youth, has tracked the filing of more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills, most of which impact transgender and nonbinary young people. LGBTQ youth are listening and watching as these politically unpopular and misguided policies are being debated in state legislatures across the country. And these political attacks are taking a toll on their mental health.

According to a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Trevor Project, 85% of transgender and nonbinary youth—and nearly two-thirds of all LGBTQ youth—say recent debates about anti-trans laws have negatively impacted their mental health. Additionally, our 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide, and LGBTQ youth of color reported higher rates than their white peers. These mental health disparities are explained by the Minority Stress Model, which suggests that LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide, but placed at higher risk because experiences of LGBTQ-based victimization—and the internalization of these experiences and anti-LGBTQ messages—can compound and produce negative mental health outcomes. This makes discussion of systemic oppression crucial for suicide prevention among marginalized communities.

Support goes a long way to saving LGBTQ youth lives, especially support from parents and caregivers. Supportive actions taken by parents and caregivers were associated with lower suicide risk among LGBTQ youth. Talking with youth respectfully about their LGBTQ identity was associated with over 40% lower odds of a suicide attempt in the past year among all LGBTQ youth. It is especially important to have supportive parents or caregivers at a time lawmakers are trying to pretend LGBTQ people don’t exist.

Even if one isn’t a parent or caregiver, it’s still on all of us to provide space for Black LGBTQ youth. This is not just important during June, but every day of the year. LGBTQ people are not political wedge issues, but real people with real experiences. Our stories intersect not only across struggles, but across the landscape of American history and our united future. 

Reference: https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/my-pride-is-black-my-juneteenth-is-queer?utm_source=Learning+for+Justice&utm_campaign=deb422f272-Newsletter-6-22-2022_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a8cea027c3-deb422f272-101991166