|
Dear *|FNAME|*,
The title of this newsletter is related to a post I drafted about my daughter's fascination with Russian Figure Skaters. The post was written after the Beijing Winter Olympics, but prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I firmly believe the message I am trying to convey in this post is just as, if not more relevant now as it was at the time I drafted it. I hope that you will read the post after reading the following appeal. The lesson I learned from almost unconsciously influencing my daughter's perception of Russians will be very important in understanding how to facilitate the type of dialog I am advocating for in this newsletter.
As educators, and especially leaders, we are challenged once again to try and help our colleagues and students make sense of traumatic world events. Many of our colleagues and students are preoccupied with events unfolding in Ukraine, not to mention lingering anxiety related to the pandemic and possibly personal distractions on the home front, making it very difficult to focus on teaching and learning.
One of the most important responsibilities any leader has at this time is to provide a space for colleagues and students to have a voice and feel heard. Creating this space will:
- Draw awareness to how these events can affect teaching and learning by consuming emotional and cognitive bandwidth;
- Help those directly impacted to find solace in not feeling alone; and
- Assure colleagues and students that there is a safe space for them to process these events.
You don't need to have a leadership title to facilitate this process. All you need is:
- Empathy for how these events are affecting your colleagues and students;
- Strength to let others lean on you to reduce their anxiety: and
- Facilitative capabilities to moderate the dialog.
The third point is easier said than done, but fortunately, I have some recently published resources to help you. Here are two articles that can help educators and parents have conversations about the invasion of Ukraine: Kyle Wagner’s post How to talk to students about Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and this New York Times article, How to talk to kids about Ukraine. Additionally, below, are articles to help hone your facilitation skills.
As you prepare to create this space, it is important to become aware of your own biases, as I was when I wrote I Almost Taught My Daughter to Hate. The experience that was influencing my bias was the doping scandal at the Sochi Winter Olympics, which I used to justify my prejudice against Russian figure skaters. When I became aware of that prejudice, especially how it could influence my daughter’s own beliefs about Russians, I stopped to challenge my own thinking. This made me more aware of how I spoke about the Russian athletes in general, which helped me to have a more open dialog with my daughter. A dialog where she wouldn't feel daddy didn't love her for voicing a different opinion.
If you do respond to my appeal to create a safe space for colleagues and students to talk about Ukraine, I hope you will take away from this newsletter 3 lessons that I am now more mindful of:
- Be careful about generalizing your beliefs about an entire gender, race, creed, or nation based on the actions of a few bad actors;
- Challenge your assumptions and beliefs by inviting dialog from others with different perspectives; and
- Make your thinking transparent to children, so that children learn how to form their own beliefs.
Thank you for your continued interest and consideration of my monthly missives,
Michael
|
