By Cristy Vogel Bohlen - Clover High School
From K-12 classroom teachers to district superintendents, educators have a significant and crucial opportunity to improve their craft to better our education system. After all, we are in a profession where we serve children, and this is best accomplished when we work to support the WHOLE child. As teacher-leaders in the classroom, many of us can be found reading, observing, going to conferences, collaborating with educators around the world, and/or engaging in discussions on education topics with both leaders in the field and with our very own classroom learners. Sometimes it's the action research we do in the classroom, on campus, or at education conferences and events that inspires us to make changes for good in our day-to-day lives as educators.
The world functions better when relationships are established in life, business, and learning communities. There are many articles on the power of relationships when working towards a goal, especially in these post-pandemic times when companies are trying to bring employees back into the office and school administrators are scrambling to find ways to lower the chronic absenteeism plaguing our campuses. The solution? Develop new and exciting ways to engage everybody. You know the buzzword, it's been circulating for some time now, and yet, we're still struggling to engage people. Well, there are, in fact, ways that we educators can engage our learners, or even colleagues, just a little more, and one such way is by ensuring that we make everyone feel included and seen. While there are many great tips for cultivating a more inclusive learning community, here are three that may have been around for a while, but are still relevant today.
1. Learn how to pronounce and spell names.
When we think about the people closest to us, family members and lifelong friends often rank high on the list. These are the folks who know us more than anyone else and are likely to truly celebrate our unique identities. In recent years, more and more professional learning in education has been focused on ways we can recognize and celebrate the cultural identity of our learners. This can begin with learning how to pronounce and spell each child's name as soon as they walk through the classroom door on the first day or arrive at the first sports practice of the season. Instead of calling roll, ask everyone to say their name to the class or team, and maybe one detail about themselves. Take notes on pronunciation as learners or athletes speak. Then, greet each of them by name. Also, avoid telling someone that you'll call them something else because their name is too hard to pronounce. Just ask the person to be patient with you, and maybe take some notes on the phonetic spelling of their name.
2. Safely include learners with food-related allergies during special events.
Most anyone who leads a classroom knows there will be learners who have food allergies. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 1 in 13 children in the U.S. have one or more food allergies. With the high probability of at least one learner with a food allergy in most classrooms, educators must not only take necessary precautions in the classroom and on campus, but also consider making efforts to include all learners in special events involving food or drink. Of course, this all depends on each food allergy case and policies at each district and individual school.
It may be easiest to achieve this practice at the high school level where policies regarding food-related activity in the classroom tend to be least restrictive. While teen learners may be able to enjoy a treat during the school day without a lot of red tape for educators to get through, younger students may not have similar opportunities in certain schools. In any scenario, whether it be food brought in by teachers, students, or families, a plan should be in place to have a safe treat available for students with allergies. A small, inclusive gesture such as this one will most likely be noticed by the young person who is living with food allergies, and, perhaps, it will make a positive impact on the student's memories of school.
3. Bring awareness of celebrations of heritage and contributions to society.
During most months of the year, Americans celebrate the heritage and contributions of many of its citizens. While celebrations occur in small or big ways in many communities, their prevalence often depends on the area of the country where they take place. A quick way for educators to make these observances known to learners is to post and announce the celebration when it occurs, and keep it visible throughout the month. Social media often advertises various observances with informative videos or even filters to add to digital creations, but it's important to note that there are some learners who do not engage with these tools. Furthermore, this small gesture of inclusivity can teach the school community something they may not already know while also bringing awareness to the rich heritage of citizens in our learners' own community and beyond. To help educators who would like to do more in this regard, below is a list of some of the month-long observances that take place during the school year. There are many more opportunities like those listed below, and I encourage you to investigate them further.
Hispanic Heritage: September - October
Native American Heritage: November
African American History: February
Women's History: March
Asian American and Pacific Islander History: May
Intentionally building relationships with learners through inclusive practices can take time and effort – something educators do not have in abundance. For that reason, these three rather simple ways to show learners you care — (1) Learn names; (2) Include learners with food allergies; and (3) Bring awareness to months celebrating heritage and contributions to society — can be accomplished without a lot of research or preparation.
Perhaps you already do one, two, or all three of these practices to foster a more inclusive classroom, but if you haven't tried one of them, my challenge for you is to either try out one of the tips in this post or find another one that speaks to you. If you actively do all three, consider trying a new one or maybe expand on the work you already do to bring awareness to the months during which we celebrate heritage and contributions to society. No matter which inclusive practice(s) you choose, your learners will notice your efforts, and that is a win for everyone.
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About the Author
Cristy Vogel Bohlen is currently one of the French teachers at Clover High School, the fourth largest high school in the state of South Carolina. She presents sessions on World Language teaching and learning at the local, state, and national levels. She has served on the board as president of the SC chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French and the SC Fellowship of Language Teachers & Advocates. Connect with Cristy on X (formerly known as Twitter) @msfrenchteach or via email at cvbohlen@gmail.com.
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