Posted Ponderings

What is equity in education? Equity means providing students with what they need to learn and succeed  ( Association of California School Administrators, 2018). The consistent achievement gap between different student groups has called the educational community to action. Every aspect is being analyzed to try to find how to provide students with equity. Instead of giving all districts and schools the same resources, attempts are being made to differentiate resources to support students and provide students at a disadvantage with opportunities that will allow them to catch up to their peers. The state is working on how to appropriately fund schools equitably. They are trying to motivate districts and schools in low-income areas to hire highly qualified teachers to provide the same quality of education as students would receive in higher-income neighborhoods. Teachers are encouraged to differentiate instruction for students in the classroom. The issue of moving past ...

Why don't kids think about anyone but themselves?  It is no wonder when the primary message sent is if you work hard enough, you will succeed. Everyone wants their kids to be successful. We value perseverance, goal-setting, and self-sufficiency. These are all positive character traits that we go out of our way to fit into conversations both in the classroom and at home. However, all of these traits are all about them. We are guiding them to become self-centered by pushing these characteristics and not balancing them with empathetic characteristics.  The Mirriam Webster dictionary defines empathy as " the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another." As we develop self-reliance in our kids, we need to balance it with the ability to be aware of and care about other humans that cross their paths. Dr. Michell Borba posits that empathy "is an effective antidote to bully...