Examining Common School Practices with Seema Pothini

Common school practices 

• Beginning of the year prompts. Instead of: “What happened this summer?” Try: “What goals or dreams are you looking forward to this year?” 
• Discounted Yearbooks at the beginning of the year  
• Thanksgiving is a day of mourning for some  

Speaking up 

• It doesn’t have to be political, it is humanistic  
• Lean into tough conversations about race 
• Work to recognize the ways students feel marginalized and advocate for them 
• When students report incidences ask, “Has this happened before?” 

Moving past defensiveness 

• Keep it student focused 
• Called in vs. Called out 
• Feedback is a gift 
• Focus on the impact, not the intentions 
• Normalize and humanize conversations around race, socioeconomics, and gender, etc.   

Advice from our youth 

• Adults, please speak up and use your voice 
• Inaction by adults, hurts more than the incident   

Resources  

Gorski, P. and Pothini, S. (2018) Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education Second Edition. Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 

Humanize My Hoodie:  Educators As Allies  

Stay connected with Seema! [email protected]  

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Learn more about upcoming trainings and events for educators at www.mn.sourcewell.org/education