1. What role does school play in building students’ agency and identity?
“Identity is the development of a unique personality, with individual beliefs and values that are formed by the interactions we have with others.” (location 1272,Fisher et. al) I truly believe the school plays a major role in building a students agency and identity. The role of the school is equip students with the ability to become effective members of society, to go from dependent to independent. As a elementary school teacher, we get to see the gifts of young children and we can easily see their innate talents before they are even aware of them at times. "Wow, you're such a great artist!" These are the type of comments I use when I see a student that truly put forth the effort in an art piece. I can easily switch "artist" with the word "writer." I believe a school also has to allow to students to fail and equip them with the ability and awareness of how to learn from those failures. When they fall, it's our job to build them back up.
2. How aware are you and your colleagues of the impact our choice of words have on developing students’ agency and identity? Can you give examples? I believe my colleagues and I are extremely aware of the power of words when it comes to our students. If you walk into any classroom in our campus, it is filled with "I can" statements, motivational posters, student art work and writing constantly on display. Even as we discipline students, verbally or with behavior cards, we're always looking for the underlining lesson in their actions. We're truthful with them about their actions but we also build them back up by telling that we all make mistakes but the important part is to learn from it. We have a system in place called Peace Builders where we reward great behavior and choices. Kids love praise, especially when it's lacking in the home and as a school it's our responsibility assist in the building of their self esteem and self-worth.
3. What would you do, if anything, to make using choice words a more conscious and accountable school wide practice if you were the school leader? As a school leader I would love to implement the 7 habits just to have a system in place that we can follow just like any other curriculum. I would also start a book club and read books such as the 7 habits, the leader in me and other books related to having a positive mindset to build an awareness of how our actions and words affect others. Change starts internally and books tend to be an awesome way of bringing out those "aha" or epiphany moments that begin the shift.
4. What could you do, if anything, to make the use of choice words a more conscious and accountable personal practice as well as one embraced by others on your site? Are those things within your sphere of influence? I make a conscious effort to always to balance critique with praise. I try my best to be authentic and honest with my students about their actions, how they can fix it and praise them for their efforts. I believe I can go a bit further and use post-its, stick them to their desks occasionally with comments such as "good job today." Second graders love praise and that simple post-it note will be the equivalent to a trophy to them. In regards to ensuring choice words with my colleagues, it could be as simple as sharing how choice words have positively affected my students and the change I've observed in their behavior. This can be shared at our staff meetings, grade level meetings or teachers lounge. The simple act of sharing will go a long way and teachers love implementing strategies that have proven to be effective.
5. Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school choose words wisely?
1. Create a list of choice words that I would use in my classroom on a daily basis.
2. Share with colleagues the effectiveness of choice words.
3. Create a skit or iPad project with my students teaching others the importance of choice words.
4. Share with parents the importance of choice words at home during parent conferences next month.
5. Have my students create posters to hang around campus that include choice words.
References
Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy; Authors, Ian Pumpian (2012-04-27). How to Create a Culture of Achievement in Your School and Classroom (Professional Development) (Kindle Locations 1567-1568). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Kindle Edition.