Today at work I cried. It wasn’t the cry where you can blame it on allergies, but the uncontrollable, ugly cry. I knew that I could not let this day, this feeling, go by without some reflection. I want to remember this day, especially days when I feel I am losing my hope. I hope that you will be able to find and keep your hope through this post.
I began my day thinking I would be attending a conference that would build my capacity as a coach and to give me the tools and words to tackle critical conversations about race. I was excited. Especially since I knew I would be able to use these words in my personal life. Little did I know that I would be presented with truly thought provoking, self-reflective questions. The day began with partnering with someone you didn’t know. I partnered with a Diversity Coordinator from Utah. She shared her story and the struggles she has been fighting in Utah to shrink the opportunity/achievement gap. The passion behind her story and struggle was evident, I was immediately moved. I then shared my story, which was more personal. I shared how racial tensions and continued killings of people of color has left me on an emotional roller coaster. I have feelings of deep sadness, anger, and at times helplessness. I asked the questions, What do we do and where do we begin? Our conversation was rich and we carved a plan that would seem easy to implement. The answers to us were simple. How come everyone else can’t see how simple it is to begin fixing the problem of inequity and racism? Because it isn’t simple. We are dealing with a systematic problem. A problem that we can’t fix on our own. We have a problem that will only be fixed when put together our collective voices and fight for change. I often struggled with stifling my voice because I didn’t want to be deemed an angry BLACK woman. I often times felt alone in my fight. I wondered why people feared my race and why some people can’t see our value. I chose to speak. And I will continue to speak until change happens. Will this change happen tomorrow? No. However, this will not discourage my fight against inequity. There were three things I took away from today’s Master Class with Chris Crass.
You can choose to be the “upstander”, you will be uncomfortable during your struggle, but you will build new opportunities for everyone. At the end of the day, I recognized my tears came from being in a room where the collective voice of the group called for change. I am not in this fight alone, and “one day, when the glory comes, it’ll be ours, it’ll be ours.”
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One of my fellow Technology Design Coaches captured perfectly all of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I thought of how I would not be setting up a classroom this year. I hope you enjoy this read as much as I did. -nichole
THREE THINGS I WOULD TRY IN MY CLASSROOM THIS YEAR AUGUST 16, 2016 - BY SARAH DILLE This is my first year not returning to my own classroom. Today, as all my colleagues returned for their first day of professional development, I was across town collaborating with my new teammates designing learning experiences for teachers and reaching out to the teachers who I’ll be working with to offer support. Even though I won’t have my own classroom this year, I started thinking about the what if. What if I was returning to the classroom this year? What would I really want to try? Here are the three things I decided on. Read more here... It's almost crunch time! The technology design team has been working together for the last few months to grow and learn as a brand new team. We have been preparing for the start of the year all summer long and are extremely excited to begin working with educators throughout Austin, TX. As teachers begin to prepare their classrooms for the upcoming school year, I have been preparing myself to take on this new role. As a technology design coach, I will have the opportunity to work with several teachers, librarians, and other coaches to begin and continue integrating technology on their campus. Technology is a powerful tool with the ability to transform the way students learn. I like to begin each new endeavor with goals. My goal for this year is build relationships with new educators to learn ways to use technology in their classrooms together. AND, to build my blog. I have tried hard to maintain a blog for the past few years and am DETERMINED that this is the year. I want to share and document my new role from the very beginning. Let's innovate together! I'll be back soon to share and reflect on my day to day experiences a coach. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @nicholeaguirre . Have a great school year my friends. -nichole #AISDInnovates
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