Each year, the education department at Saint Joseph's University selects a theme for the students to learn more about in their classes as well as seminars outside of class. Some topics that have been covered thus far include Poverty and Education and Social and Emotional Wellness. Below, I have included some of my reflections on the events I attended including the criminal justice system, communities of color, and the Catholic church, the impact of mindfulness on trauma, a conversation with Ibram X. Kendi and Safe Zone Training.
A CONVERSATION: THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Saint Joseph’s University held a discussion in early February of 2020 where there were three notable women onstage. These women would discuss the issues of race in reference to religion as well as our current political state. Sr. Alison McCrary, a nun and lawyer who has been advocating for equality for people of color for decades, shared many accounts of her past including her childhood in the south and how she used her privilege as a white person to fight for others. Lezley McSpadden shared the story of her son, Michael, and how he was wrongfully killed by police. Despite this being a horrible tragedy, Lezley refused to stay quiet. She travels around the country to talk about police brutality and has created organizations, camps, and bills so that something like this will never happen again. These women were asked questions by a journalist named Dawn Araujo-Hawkins who typically writes for a Christian newspaper.
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Dawn asked the women some compelling questions concerning the issues they see in their day-to-day lives. Both women have dealt with the law in a very personal way, so the question, “Do we need to change behavior or policy first?” brought about some compelling discussion. Lezley said that policy should come second; we need to change the behaviors first. She brought up the fact that police officers receive training and have consequences for poor actions, but people will continue to disregard these if they do not truly believe and accept these guidelines. Lezley noted that it wasn’t that the case of her son’s death wasn’t taken seriously, but more that they were okay with the result. She said there was an overall, “lack of caring for people of color.” People only follow rules if someone is watching them or if they morally want to follow them. Since people cannot always keep each other in check, we need to create an environment where we hold ourselves accountable and feel responsible for our own actions. Therefore, we need to change the behaviors of people before the policy because we need people to see the harm they are causing in order to understand and cause real change.
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Sr. Alison agreed with this notion saying that, “people need to speak up in order to create a systemic change.” She referenced the Catholic Church staying quiet on so many racist acts. Yes, there are many people who speak up as individuals, but she realizes that the community as a whole does not discuss these topics. There are many people who condone these horrible acts in the name of a religious figure, but Sr. Alison, an individual, works with others in her community and travels to other communities in order to fight for the change that she wants to see.
Another question that was intriguing to me was one that was asked by an audience member. A student of Saint Joseph’s University asked, “How do we hold people accountable when we’re surrounded by [negativity]?” This question struck me because it brought it back to my school, where I feel comfortable but a number of people do not because of prejudiced acts that have taken place on campus. While many students have taken it upon themselves to promote positivity and equality, I am aware that there are still some people who continue to act with hostility and prejudice. Lezley responded to this question by saying that in the face of hostility, “we have to keep going.” Therefore, I hope that the students of Saint Joseph’s University will stand together in the face of adversity and refuse to allow any sort of prejudice in our community.
THE IMPACT OF MINDFULNESS ON TRAUMA
For a great part of my experience learning in the education department, I did not truly think mindfulness was an aspect that truly needed to be stressed for student success. I thought that it was simply doing yoga or breathing slowly in an attempt to regulate emotions. After attending the social justice event about mindfulness on October 5, 2020, I realized that this topic can truly change how students view themselves, the issues they are dealing with, and their relationship with others.
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The discussion was entitled “The Impact of Mindfulness on Trauma” and was led by Catherine Negron. Catherine is a recent SJU alumni, and is now working in a school district in Kensington. She was given a class of seventeen students, and informed that two of these students had emotional/behavioral disorders and five of these students were English Language Learners (ELLs). However, these numbers were inaccurate, as Catherine later determined that there were more than six students in her classroom that had emotional/behavioral disorders. This led to a difficult time trying to teach lessons because the students were not in the mindset to be learning.
Catherine continued to get to know her students, learning that many of them were dealing with situations that no child should ever experience. Therefore, Catherine decided to teach them how to deal with their emotions surrounding these situations. This is where mindfulness comes into play. Catherine described mindfulness as the idea of being better able to understand how you feel and what you are experiencing. It also is characterized by being aware of the present moment and choosing to be nice to yourself and others. The students in this class were only six and seven years old; they were never taught how to deal with these overbearing emotions, so Catherine decided to take it upon herself to do so.
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She wondered how to teach her students these complex topics. After doing some research, she came up with multiple tactics to help the students become more mindful. Using color theory, Catherine designed her room with blues and greens, proven to be calming colors. She also incorporated journaling into the student’s day. These journals were used in order to allow students to write about their feelings and observations relating to the real world. They also give students a chance to express themselves. The teacher also provided students with the vocabulary needed in order to express these thoughts. Many of the students were not taught the words that identify how they are feeling, and it is sometimes assumed that the students will simply learn these ideas on their own. However, mindfulness is a topic that is not intuitive; there needs to be instruction and explicit teaching.
Catherine started teaching mindfulness without any sort of curriculum to go off of, so she created steps for other teachers to use in their classrooms as well. Step 1 is to acknowledge emotions, whether that is identifying what emotions students are feeling, giving students the vocabulary they need, or simply talking it out. Step 2 is considering how emotions impact everyday life. For example, students may want to throw objects or destroy property when angry, but mindfulness will help them realize that these actions will have consequences that they will need to deal with later. The final step is reflecting to the outside world. This entails looking past oneself and seeing how these actions can affect the people around them, and potentially develops empathy in young students. Too often, students are expected to simply know this crucial information or simply learn it on their own, but there are many students who have not been experienced with these kinds of thinking and self-reflection.
After attending this event, I see that mindfulness is a crucial part of a child’s education, and should be implemented into all classrooms. I will be sure to include these topics in my room, and not just the occasional yoga break. I want my students to know that their happiness comes from within themselves in order to have a positive and fulfilling life.
GESU'S SYMPOSIUM: IBRAM X. KENDI
The conversation with Ibram X. Kendi included many topics that show the racial issues that have been a part of our society for far too long. The current climate in our nation has been turbulent for centuries, but is starting to gain attention now. It is truly great to see people around the nation and the globe recognize the Black Lives Matter movement, as it is not a new issue whatsoever. In order to create change, we need to recognize the issues that are plaguing our country and correct them on a systemic level. However, the changes we seek can only be made once we recognize the issues on a smaller scale.
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In order to achieve a significant change, there must be small changes made often. This entails looking at yourself and seeing what can be done immediately. We need to make changes within ourselves before we should expect others to act the same way. However, we often think that there is always someone else who is acting in a worse manner and that our change will not truly make a difference. In the symposium, Kendi mentioned that there is this kind of “well, I’m not racist” mentality simply because they do not perpetuate the horrendous acts that we have seen in our history books. However, having this mentality only puts the blame on others. This sort of dialogue tries to depict this person as a victim, when, in reality, it is the people who continue to be discriminated against who deserve to be recognized.
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I came to a similar conclusion when the Black Lives Matter movement started to pick up. Previous to this, I did have this sort of ‘victim” mentality; I thought that I was not blatantly causing harm to these marginalized communities, so I was not the one who was at fault or needed changing. I felt that it was not my fault that I was not educated on these issues in my formal education. However, I realized that it was my responsibility to learn about these topics as a person who cares about others, rather than simply as a student. From that point forward, I stopped blaming others for my ignorance and started listening to others instead. Hearing the stories of people who have been treated unfairly for something out of their control showed me how privileged I am. The fact that I could have gone my whole life without recognizing the disparities between races in this country is extremely troubling, and I am now made aware that I need to be a part of the change that I want to see.
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Breaking down the information that I have been provided in this time of national turbulence has allowed me to adjust my schema. I have now broken the pattern that I am not responsible for the ideas that characterize our society. I need to take an active role in the things that I believe in and support the people who are being affected by these social injustices. I have recognized that change is crucial in order to continue to grow, but it is not simply one change that will allow this change to occur. There needs to be a constant reflection on whether or not the actions that one is currently doing are moving forward and working in a positive direction based on the information that you already know.
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We also see this kind of reflection in teaching, as teachers need to reflect on what they are doing to make sure that their lessons are effective and based on what the students need. For example, in order to be a good ally to the Black community, we need to listen to what they have to say and try to understand what is helpful and what is not. Therefore, in teaching, we need to pay attention to our students strengths, difficulties, and needs. To do so, we can look to the assessment--planning--instruction cycle. This cycle shows that the process of learning is a continuous process where there is always room for improvement. Teachers need to continue to hold themselves accountable and see what they can do in order to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective. If teachers and students alike think that assessment, planning, and instruction are simply linear, then there will be no real change. There is no point to making adjustments if the information is only going to be used once, then disregarded. We need to make sure that we are reinforcing the material that is being taught and not just assuming that going over something once will suffice.
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Both social justice themes as well as teaching have to use reflection and a cyclical process in order to see a true difference. Simply acknowledging that there is an issue, addressing it once, then moving on will not create change. We need to hold ourselves accountable and continue learning, as this is the only way that change will occur both in the classroom and in the social justice issues of our world.
SAFE ZONE TRAINING
I felt that the Safe Zone training was really helpful in allowing me to understand the history and current standing of the LGBTQIA+ community in our country and within our school specifically. One statistic that stood out to me was that 2012 was the first year where there were more people who supported same-sex marriage than opposing it. This was really shocking to me because it was so recent. Additionally, Saint Joseph’s University has made great strides towards inclusivity in recent years, but has performed many discriminatory actions in its past. For instance, in 2003, the school invited someone who blatantly discriminated against the LGBTQIA+ community. Students were given the option to leave the ceremony before he spoke, and about 100 people did leave, but were met with the crowd’s retaliation. It took about a decade for the school to realize that their views would no longer be tolerated, and later began only supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m glad that the school is more accepting of people of all sexual and gender identities now, but we have a long way to go before there is truly equality on this campus. I feel that all students should receive Safe Zone training prior or during their freshman year at Saint Joseph’s in order to set a standard that discriminatory behavior will not be tolerated on this campus whatsoever.
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Additionally, I feel that Safe Zone training should not only be required for the college level, but also in K-12 educational settings. This would mean that all individuals working with children (teachers, specialists, administrators, paraprofessionals, et cetera) receive this training; all people who interact with students have the potential to impact them, not just teachers. Students feel significantly more comfortable when they know that their identity is celebrated let alone accepted in the classroom. Something as simple as having the Safe Zone trained sticker on the door will show students that they are accepted. When students feel comfortable in a classroom, they are much more likely to learn and grasp the content of the lesson.
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If someone is Safe Zone trained, they should continue to seek out more ways to make their students feel more accepted. For instance, teachers can send notes home saying “Dear Families” instead of “Dear Mom and Dad” (One of the Hidden Diversities in Schools Families with Parents who are Lesbian or Gay). This helps to reduce the stigma that families only ever consist of a mother and a father as parental figures. In reality, families can consist of single parents, same-sex parents, grandparents, foster homes and numerous other situations. When teachers avoid using this stereotypical language, it promotes a more welcoming classroom environment for students with all kinds of family structures (Understanding Families: Applying Family Systems Theory to Early Childhood Practice). While also avoiding stereotypical language, teachers should also avoid stereotypical actions as well. These are both concepts that people need to make an explicit decision to engage in. Davis and Hanline note that, To help all children of same-sex parents feel welcome, children should not be directed into gender stereotypical play behaviors but, rather, encouraged to engage in appropriate play of their choice” (Young Children With Same-Sex Parents: Supporting Families and Children in Early Childhood Programs, 2018). Reducing stigma is a huge step to building acceptance in a classroom.
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Broadening the conversation to society, we do not need to use these strategies for making others feel accepted just in the classroom. These can be used in our day-to-day conversations. I feel that all people should attempt to educate themselves on others’ cultures and difficulties.