Commitment to Equity
Walking through the door to my classroom
1. Other Lives Matter
There have long been signs outside my classroom, on my door, to state a commitment to equity. One of those signs has been "Other Lives Matter." I believe and publicly state that "Black Lives Matter." As part of our curriculum last year, students were asked to read and comment on the Mission Statement of BLM. The words "Other Lives Matter," however, is a chance to encourage students to see beyond themselves, beyond their family or friends, beyond the groups to which they belong, to see that other people matter too. It's all about empathy. High School students often need help in learning how to treat all other people with respect. And this is one of our values in my classroom.
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2. Safe Zone
I have a Safe Zone poster (see the poster to the right) on my door to remind students that my room needs to be safe for people to express themselves without fear of being laughed at. This is not always possible, but at least it is my goal to be a safe place for all people -- sometimes it takes students time to stop making fun of people who are different in some way. Still, my goal is for people to be safe from discrimination regardless of who they are while in this room.
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3. Speak Friend and Enter
Also on my door each year is this quote from the Lord of the Rings books. The quote shows both my love of literature and is a fun way of saying that my classroom should be a place for friends to meet. Or at least, for us to have some friendly conversations.
About last names in my classroom​
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Since joining FCPS years ago, I have always called my students by their last names.
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I call students by their last names because students call me by my last name. It's about equity. Just like other classroom things -- for example, I explain that since I sometimes eat and drink during class (that ever-present mug of tea or the much-needed mid-day Mt. Dew) that they can also eat and drink in class. It's simply about equity. Please note: Until COVID is addressed, we may need to put a hold on the eating and drinking in class thing ...
2. It's About Power
If I call you by your first name and you call me by my last name that shows unequal power. However, as I explain to my students, being a teacher does not make me better, more important, or worth more than any student. Just different. Teacher is my job. Student is their job. I have certain responsibilities -- and that means I can discipline a student who is acting dangerously or disrespectfully. But that's part of the job, and it does not mean I am better or more important, or that my views on what a book means are right and a student's are necessarily wrong.
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3. It's About Respect
When a student calls me "Mr. S." he or she is showing respect. As I explain, respect is something you give -- whether a person deserves it or has earned it or whether you like them or agree with them ... you give respect because it shows who you are as a person. So, I show respect to my students. I do the same for them I ask them to do for me. I call them by their last names. And that is a good reminder that I am to continue to show each student respect, all year long.
Shakespeare's Juliet once asked "What's in a name?"
I think there are a lot of things in a name -- Equity, Power, Respect to start with.
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Even when students have asked me to call them by their first names. Even when one teacher scolded me, and told me, "No one calls students by their last names," though it was clear that at least one teacher did -- me. Why?
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I explain at the start of every year for my students. By the end of the year, most of them tell me they really appreciated it.
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1. It's About Equity
I explain that when my seniors vote in an election they only get one vote. So do I. Then I ask them if we were both caught by the police for speeding in my neighborhood, should we both get a ticket -- be treated equally. They say yes, though they often say they think I would probably get a warning and they would get the ticket. Is that fair? Nope. It might be reality though ... even though people want to be treated equally.
