THE GI FT O F D I FFE RE N C E
“
tive and know that I will be validated for
the fact that that is my truth. Others may
challenge my ideas, but that challenge
is in the spirit of greater shared under-
standing and growth” and comfort as
“I feel that, in this space, my reality will
be agreed with, validated, and unchal-
lenged. I don’t have to explain myself to
be understood, and I don’t have to jus-
tify my perspective, as everyone shares
it.” Students should never feel unsafe in
school, whereas discomfort can be a sign
of growth.
”
We reminded staff of the facilitation skills
they already practice that could be used
as they worked to create safe spaces.
Those tips included:
Because we were talking to staff mem-
bers working with preschoolers through
12th graders, we had a Lower School
teacher talk about how the principles
of Responsive Classroom can be helpful
with navigating difference, particularly
in younger classes. We discussed how all
students need to feel a sense of belong-
ing and significance and will mimic the
behaviors modeled by their teachers.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
We reviewed “accountable talk” and of-
fered sentence starters that teachers
could share with students, such as
• “I agree with
because
• “I disagree with
cause
,”
• “I am not sure I understand what you
are saying, could you try to explain it
a different way?” and
• “I’d like to add on to what
because
.”
Students should never
feel unsafe in school,
whereas discomfort
can be a sign
of growth.
•
•
,”
Be prepared
Be flexible and ready to adapt
Know who’s in the room
Create trust and an inclusive envi-
ronment early
Set clear guidelines
Provide clear instructions
Be an active listener and model active
listening (mirror, paraphrase, track)
Manage time wisely
Remain as neutral as possible
We told them that when challenging
topics emerge, they should take a deep
breath, assume positive intent, and lean
into discomfort.
be-
With the staff supported in creating
space for difficult conversations across
differences, we knew we would have to
give students those skills as well. That
same year we had newly formed Young
Republicans and Young Democrats clubs,
said
Continues on page 8
CSEE Connections
Summer 2020 Page 7