Neurodiversity

 Talking Points

1. I had never thought of neurodiversity as a social justice movement, but as Judy Singer pointed out “there are “neurological minorities” which are people whose brains work in atypical ways.” People within this minority experience a stigma and unequal access to resources like different support services and accommodations. 

2. “For kids around middle-school age who are struggling socially, identifying as neurodiverse can be a way to make sense of what they’re going through.” I see this often in our middle school. A number of students are diagnosed with ADHD and take medication to help them. We recently had a student that came in and was telling his classmates about he was going to get tested for ADHD and he hopes it will help. It is nice to see this group come together about something that can be hard to talk about especially in middle school where you more often feel the need to “fit in”.

3. Reading this passage also made me think of reading privilege, power and differences by Alan Johnson. Schools are often designed around a narrow definition of what is “normal,” which tends to benefit students whose brains align with those expectations. As a result, students who think or learn differently may be misunderstood, disciplined more often, or seen as less capable. This can happen not necessarily because of their abilities, but because of how our system is structured.

   

Argument Statement 

The author, Caroline Miller, argues that neurodiversity is the idea that brain differences are natural and valuable, and people should be supported and not judged for thinking differently.

Making connections

My mother is the director of a program that supports neurodivergent students. I often hear my mom refer to the students in her program as students who have learning variations. Neurodiversity means there is no single “right” way for a brain to work. Types of neurodiversity like ADHD, autism, and learning differences are part of our differences or variations as human beings, no one is exactly alike. These students just require different ways of learning to help them succeed and it should be seen as a strength and not a deficit. We want our students to develop the critical tools of self-advocacy and self-awareness. These tools they can bring even outside of the classroom and into the real world. I see students being diagnosed and helped more often now as a teacher than when I was a student. More parents are accepting and trying to help their child with their different needs. It can be hard in my current setting for our students to receive the support they need. We have people that come from the public school systems to help with dysgraphia, dyslexia and other types of neurodiversity. But I know our staff often feels at times we wish we could do more. 

A family member of mine’s son is very young and was having a hard time communicating what he needed/wanted, so they took him to a specialist. He has been diagnosed with ASD. But now with this early diagnosis his teachers in his school are able to play to his strengths and help him communicate when he is feeling frustrated. He has started saying words and counting and I know he will succeed even more now with the support he has already in place.

Be Your Better Self: Writing to Embrace Humanity in a Time of Despair

 Talking Points 

One of the passages that resonated with me was “Be Your Better Self: Writing to Embrace Humanity in a Time of Despair.” The author, Linda Christensen, argues that writing helps students process difficult emotions and make sense of a troubled world. Writing allows them to hold onto hope and recognize their shared humanity, even during times of despair. She says “I want my curriculum to celebrate that there are many more people, including those in the classroom, who act on behalf of others. In this lesson, students examine their own lives for those moments when they acted as their better selves…” This makes me think of what the students I teach would reflect on. My school community is predominantly white and they are sheltered by their parents without knowing the reality of what’s going on. I know their examples don’t have to be “going to a no kings protest” or anything extreme but I truly wonder if they think about those without their privilege. This also reminds me of how I know our middle school ELA teacher has gotten push back in the past about teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. Ultimately, she does teach it but brings in themes of things such as racial injustice. Through reading and writing about real-world issues, students develop empathy. They can begin to understand what others are going through and also a sense of responsibility to act. 

Linda Christensen also emphasizes the importance of students telling their own stories, especially those whose voices are often ignored, which reminds me of the Silenced Dialogue by Delpit. Writing can be a way for students to express their experiences and feel seen and valued. Christensen believes teaching and writing should encourage students to question inequality and imagine a more just world. In health, I teach about their health triangle. This contains mental/emotional health, physical health and social health. During the topic of social health, I like to do conflict resolution in healthy ways and developing healthy relationships with friends, families, and those around you. I think I would like to use her chart to challenge my students to think about how they can be their “better selves.” Even after reading this I see my bias of the town I teach in and their overall views, but all my students are their own person and I should give them the chance to reflect on themselves. I think any activity like this can “help students imagine a world in which people take care of each other.” (p. 24)

Making Connections

Reading this volume of Rethinking Schools makes me think of an instance with a friend. A group of us were speaking about Bad Bunny’s halftime performance and someone mentioned he might wear a bulletproof vest and he was being cautious about ICE. Someone then said “Why is he afraid? They’re only trying to locate the illegal immigrants.” In an instant, I said “But they aren’t and that is the problem. They are harming, arresting and killing people that are here legally. What about the 5 year old taken from school by ICE?” She didn’t really know what to say but the conversation ended there. It makes me think of how people are choosing to be ignorant of the horrific reality we are in. In connection to this particular article, I think this class has made me feel better that there are people that share my ideas on topics like ICE, racism, etc. It gives me hope that there might be some humanness still left. I recently visited my sister and flew through Atlanta during the TSA shutdown. We were talking about how early I should get there but also about why this was happening. Our president’s solution was not to fund the TSA workers but to pay untrained ICE agents to “help”. That is NOT helping. My sister and I often go down these spiraling rabbit holes which can feel so hopeless but I remember what my mom said when he was first elected, “It is okay to feel afraid and nervous about what the future holds but if you let it consume you then he wins.” I try to think of things, such as this class, that bring me some hope that people are learning about what is happening and working to do something about it.

No More “Normal” and “How the Attack on Teachers Threatens the Future of Public Schools” from “What It Is Like to Be a Teacher Today”

 Talking Points

1. 
   “Return to normal? Normal was awful.” (p. 7) This quote shows how schools should actively challenge the idea of “normal”. “Normal” is how underfunding is masked by temporary fixes, like corporate donations or policy changes that lower standards (such as easing substitute teacher requirements). These “solutions” avoid addressing the root issue and instead reinforce the idea that schools can continue operating without proper investment. Teachers are constantly filling gaps financial, emotional, and instructional. This is usually at their own expense. An example from Abbott Elementary is when the 2nd grade teacher makes a tik tok video just to ask people on the internet for supplies like right handed scissors while their building is also falling apart. 

2. Teacher burnout and shortages are reaching a crisis point. These days many teachers are leaving due to low pay, high stress, and lack of support, especially after the pandemic. There are hundreds of thousands fewer educators than before COVID, and many more are still considering leaving early. As this continues, it creates heavier workloads for remaining teachers, which overall makes the problem worse.

3. Also public attacks and lack of respect are pushing teachers out. We can see even in this class (502) all of the different social issues that arise that we then have to address, let alone different personal things our students may be going through. Teachers are pressured around issues like curriculum (race, identity), which increases stress and discourages people from staying in the profession. All of this  constant criticism makes teachers feel undervalued and expendable. When these experienced teachers leave, schools are put in a spot where they replace them with substitutes, volunteers, or under-
   qualified staff weakens education quality.

Making Connections

I know I do not teach in a public school but both of these articles really resonated with me. PE teachers in Catholic schools are usually part time. My job is combined with being the Athletic Director in order to make me full time to receive benefits. When I first started, it was very laid back but it has slowly become more and more demanding and I feel as though I am practically working two full time jobs in one. A lot of times my students will ask me why I also work at a golf course and teach dance on top of teaching and it’s because I don’t have the money to live solely on my current salary. The kids look at me crazy, like why would you do this and make no money? I love it. Nine times out of ten I love teaching, but everyone has their days where everything seems to go wrong and that’s okay. Even in a private school where the kids pay to be here, it seems like we are always trying to find creative ways to utilize a small budget, but teachers still pay out of pocket to make their classes/ environments special for their students.

I could never see myself doing anything else. I feel as though I could go on and on about this topic for days, like when I don’t want to take a personal vacation day or two because what if I get sick and run out of paid days off? Feeling a little sick? It’s easier to just muscle through than to have a substitute that may or may not be qualified.  

In relation to teacher burnout, PE and its teachers are often overlooked compared to academic subjects. It becomes second, but studs need movement everyday to help them focus on other important subjects like math, ELA, etc.The article explains how teachers are increasingly criticized and undervalued. In a Catholic school, even though our behavioral problems aren’t as many typically because we can more or less choose who attends, I am significantly underpaid even compared to a first year public school PE teacher, with more on my plate being the AD. The article's point about the impact on students is especially relevant as well. In a PE setting, students benefit from consistency of routine, relationships with peers, and an overall safe environment to grow physically and socially.

Overall both of these articles highlight how the expectation for teachers to “just make do” and how it has become normalized and damaging. The examples Abbott Elementary illustrates this reality in a way that feels almost exaggerated, yet it reflects what many educators actually experience. If you haven't watched it, I would definitely reccomend. I also got the “Abstinence-only education continues to flourish” article and even though it is from 2003, I am looking forward to reading it. I linked both below if you would like to read.

LINK TO WHAT IT IS LIKE BEING A TEACHER TODAY

LINK TO ABSTINENCE-ONLY EDUCATION CONTINUES TO FLOURISH