Oct-Nov 2019 Advisor

READING

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2019 CEA ADVISOR 11

FOR CONNECTICUT TEACHERS, BOOKS SPARK DIALOGUE ABOUT RACE Educators recommend two titles that inform, influence, and inspire

Summer is a time when many teachers catch up on their reading— not only books for pleasure or required reading for students, but also material that informs and enhances their work as educators. Coleytown Elementary School literacy coach Faith Sweeney, who teaches in Westport and serves on CEA’s Ethnic Minority Affairs Commission, found just that material this summer and pulled her colleagues into the pages and the discourse. “My friend Valerie Bolling invited me to join a book club where she was examining Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility and Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race ,” Sweeney recalls. White Fragility explores the way our social environment—through its institutions, cultural representations, media, film, school textbooks, advertising, and conversations— insulates and protects white people as a group. So You Want to Talk About Race examines the nuances of racism and appropriate responses that are relevant to all readers, regardless of race. Organized into chapters that ask and answer different questions— such as what is the definition of cultural appropriation or privilege— it reminds us that we face systemic racism built over centuries. “I heard about these books through my participation in the NEA Leadership Summit in Denver this past March, and again at a conference on racial and social justice,” says Sweeney, “and I was excited to read and discuss them not only as a woman of color but also as a teacher. Teachers are first responders to students’ interests, hopes, and dreams as future leaders of the world, and the way we approach students heavily influences their perception of themselves. If teachers are not aware of their implicit bias, prejudices, and level of privilege in this society, that lack of self-awareness can negatively impact their students’ potential achievement.” She adds that the social climate in this country—including a rise in hate crimes, negative messaging, and a school-to-prison pipeline—is especially problematic for students of color.

TEACHER, BOOK CLUB LEADER, AUTHOR Cultural diversity struts its stuff in new picture book Valerie Bolling was the inspiration for fellow CEA member Faith Sweeney and her colleagues to form a book club to tackle important and sensitive issues about race in society. A graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University Teachers College, Bolling—an instructional coach at Havemeyer School in Greenwich and an educator for more than 25 years—is also an author, with her first picture book scheduled for publication in March 2020. In a rhythmic showcase of dances from all over the world, Let’s Dance! features children of diverse backgrounds and abilities tapping, spinning, and boogieing away. From Cuba’s cha-cha to the Irish step dance, young readers will want to leap, dip, tap, and spin with every page. “My nieces inspired me to create a picture book,” says Bolling, “and I want children of all cultures and backgrounds to see themselves in my stories and feel valued and heard.”

Front, L-R, teachers Faith Sweeney (Westport), Tricia Conduah (Stamford), and Kerstin Rao (Westport), who hosted the first book club meeting. Joining them are their colleagues (second row, L-R) Kate Lunnie (Bridgeport), Katy Gale (Darien), and Greenwich educators Valerie Bolling, Beth Cotter, and Andrea Greer. Bolling has also authored a book of her own, due out this spring (see sidebar).

learn about new perspectives. I wanted a safe place to talk about race and racism. I know I will make mistakes in these conversations, but having a group of people I trust to draw my attention to my mistakes will allow me to grow and become a better teacher and a better person.” “Speaking as a white person, finetuning my awareness of race as a construct of oppression will improve how I facilitate conversations and curriculum in my classroom,” said Westport middle school teacher Kerstin Rao, who hosted the first of Sweeney’s gatherings. “You can’t escape race any more than a fish can escape water. Instead of hiding from the issue—avoidance underlies the notion of ‘white fragility’— improving my understanding of the history of racism and its current manifestations will help me open doors for my students of all backgrounds.” Start your own club Interested in forming a book club of your own? “Even if the group is just two,” Sweeney recommends, “start it. Books are meant to be discussed, and a book club is a perfect opportunity to share your ideas with your friends and colleagues.” Sweeney’s top tips for ensuring a successful group: • Always begin by establishing norms that create a safe space for taking risks with the ideas you want to share

Recommended reading After joining Bolling’s group, Sweeney posted about both books on her own Facebook page. “As soon as I did, many of my friends and colleagues wanted to be part of the book club. So I private- messaged everyone who responded, and we formed our own club around these two books. We held our first meeting in July and had eight members attend. “Our initial meeting required reading the first two chapters of White Fragility , and a lot was discussed in those three hours. Questions we considered included Why were you interested in becoming part of this group? What word or phrase stood out so far in your reading? How do you talk to your students about race and racism? We talked about the definitions of racism and white supremacy and shared personal experiences around the impact of microaggressions, literature, picture books, and the media on people of color.” Book club member Beth Cotter, an instructional coach in Greenwich, says, “By reading the two books, one by a black author and the other a white author, I gained new perspectives. My eyes are being opened to ideas with which I wasn’t familiar. Having these conversations is hugely important to me, and having them in a mixed-race group is critical; otherwise, I would be unlikely to

• Make sure all voices are heard • Self-regulate—meaning watch to make sure you aren’t dominating the conversation • Always set the next book club date right away

EMOTION REVOLUTION New book explores the significance of emotional intelligence in learning Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of

and mental health as well as learning and memory. Brackett’s research strongly suggests that children who learn to identify and regulate their emotions do better in school, experience less anxiety and stress, and are less likely to abuse illicit substances. Furthermore, emotional intelligence is a learned skill largely dependent on emotionally regulated adults who act as role models and teachers.

when implemented with fidelity—has been shown to improve student behavior, attendance, and academic outcomes. Citing dire statistics from the World Health Organization and Gallup polls, Brackett warns of an imminent mental health crisis and argues for “an emotion revolution.” Worldwide, depression is already the leading cause of disability and will cost the global economy $16 trillion by 2030, he points out, adding that one-quarter of our nation’s adolescents have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders, schools have become more stressful, less joyful places, and, teaching is now tied with nursing as the occupations experiencing the highest level of daily stress. Permission to Feel offers a more hopeful future by showing readers how to help children identify, regulate, and harness the creative power of their emotions and systematically create a more productive, happy, and humane society. For more information, visit marcbrackett.com or rulerapproach.org .

Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive, by Marc Brackett Marc Brackett, director of

the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and professor at the Yale Child Study Center, is on a mission to make Connecticut the “first

In Permission to Feel , Brackett maintains that emotional intelligence is as important as IQ in determining academic success; he maintains that it can be cultivated just as math, writing, and reading skills can, with explicit instruction and ongoing practice. He guides readers, with humor and personal anecdotes, through the five steps of his RULER approach (“Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating” emotions) in a way that’s accessible and enjoyable. Appropriate for cultivating emotional intelligence at every grade level, RULER—

emotionally intelligent state.” Brackett is the creator of a school-based approach to social-emotional learning (SEL) called RULER, now being implemented in thousands of schools across the U.S., including many in Connecticut. Emotions, he argues, are critically important sources of information about ourselves; ignoring or suppressing them comes at the risk of our physical