Ruthless Equity Chapter Nine 4/23

Ken Williams argues in Chapter Nine of “Ruthless Equity” that educators have to decide to become ruthless, and they need to make decisions in their day-to-day practices that help every student reach “the crown” set for them. 

Early in the section, Williams says: “When you ‘de-cide’ it means you’ve put ALL other options to death” (186). Teachers need to make intentional choices in their work every day. Settling for ‘less than’ is a disservice to students, and leads educators into a state of complacency, which Williams mentions often. He argues that once this decision is made, the results will be clear.

“If you decide to take this powerful step, I promise that you'll look back on this moment as a career turning point” (186). This particularly struck me. Are educators conscious of this shift? At what point would I know if this moment is reached? Or is it not one moment, but an evolving mindset? 

“Complenancy shows up when you decide students need multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery” (186). Why? Is this saying providing more than one at-bat on an assignment or task is not the best way to do it? That does not seem fair. Or, is this the idea that I as the educator should have taught it right the first time, and they should have understood it? Either way this confirms Williams point- it is important to hold both myself and my students to high expectations to avoid that feeling of complacency.

“I am because of who they are” (187). This is a powerful statement. Having individuals in our lives who see us and support us is an unmatched feeling. Sometimes, just ourselves is not enough, and we need people to help push us to strive for more than we think we deserve or can do. The work though, is still difficult. Williams supplements this idea with his own stories in this chapter about people who inspired him and pushed him to write this book. Motivation can be an important determinant. 

“While not letting someone down isn’t the most authentic way to move forward, it was effective because once I broke through my own barriers and saw results, my moving forward became intrinsic” (187). In my Psychological Perspectives on Learning and Teaching course, we spent a good chunk of time discussing motivations both extrinsic and intrinsic. I don’t think it actually matters if something is “authentic” because it was what motivated someone to get it done. If an individual will only do work because they get candy, a clearly extrinsic motivator, who cares?  At the end of the day the task, or challenge, is still completed. 

“Become ruthless and do what you were brought to this amazing profession to do!” (189) How? I love the ideas this book discusses, and I do find myself shifting my mindset, but I am still struggling with how. How do I get here and do all of it? Together, these concepts can feel overwhelming. When I consider elements of my everyday work, like data tracking, connecting to standards, tracking uniforms, monitoring cell phone use, printing and organizing materials, assisting other teachers and managing my own personal life just to name a few, how does a teacher continuously find time and energy to reach this goal that Williams calls being a “ruthless educator”. And, I acknowledge that Williams would call my list “excuses”, however saying that does not change the amount of bandwidth I have to complete all of these tasks, along with the general unpredictability of working in a school each day. 

“Treat others as they wish to be treated” was Yoshino and Glasgow’s 7th principle in “Say the Right Thing”. This idea, different from the golden rule, requires a deep understanding and empathy for other people. You have to understand different perspectives, cultures,  identities etc. If you don’t honor and respect the above, how will you be able to help anyone? This ties to William’s overall view in which educators have to know their students. They can’t make excuses or list reasons for why something is not happening or changing. Educators have to meet every learner where they are and continue to raise the bar. Equity can’t happen without respect. 

Ruthless Equity Chapter Eight 4/16

 Ken Williams argues in Chapter Eight of “Ruthless Equity” that teachers and educators alike need to adjust and change their mindsets to be truly equitable and to take responsibility for actions.

Your mood as an educator should not impact your actions and responsibilities at work. You “have to stay outcome focused” (174). As adults, life happens and things come up but one of the biggest challenges is that “you are always in control of your response, behavior, and choices” (174). You can have a bad day or morning, and things can feel bad, but ultimately, we have to try and not let that show in front of the students. I find that hard to grapple with, especially in educating teenagers. If teachers are expected to be real and honest, how does coming to work with a pretend smile help anyone?  How do you push past your mood-driven demeanor and show up fully present? 

I suppose that point ties into another statement Williams makes when he says “the ‘what is best for adults first’ lens exists because it’s the path of least resistance; in other words, we can get away with it” (174). He points out very clearly that it is easy for us educators to prioritize our own comfort and emotions over the students. I know Williams is not saying do not be human, he even states in his video “everyone operates on feelings” (175).  Yet, for me, it is connecting and bridging that gap to become “ruthless”. Can it be as simple as naming: “I had a bad morning”, or  “I am not feeling well, but I am here and we’re going to do xyz”? I am still showing up for them. 

Aside from mood, Williams names another mindset shift that should occur  around data and results. He says, “Do not be seduced and derailed by short-term results” (183). Everything takes time, and the work we do everyday is hard. Falling into complacency is easy. If students do not achieve the goals or data points you had hoped they would, what do you do next? It is easy to feel like you failed, and to feel like you want to give up. “Why does complacency throw its haymaker punch when you feel most discouraged?” (177). If you are not pushing through the failures, you will never see a breakthrough or a positive change.

Pushing through those feelings of failures can lead to positive outcomes and results. Not just around data and what students are learning, but personal and relationship breakthroughs can occur too. “I decided to spend one-on-one time with him and talk, man to young man”... “As the bell rang and dismissal began, David was making his way to the bus. In a moment, he turned back, walked over to me, and gave me a hug” (180). The first 1:1 conversation did not work and it was frustrating, but they never gave up on the child. In her Ted Talk “Every Kid Needs a Champion” Rita Pierson describes how “no significant learning happens without a significant relationship”. The Ted Talk emphasizes the value of building relationships. 

As teachers, and humans in life, we need to take responsibility and initiative. We can not be run by procrastination. This chapter in particular reminds me of Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Both texts highlight the importance of the individual to take responsibility. It is on the person to create a plan, and stick to the plan. Principles and actions must align to yield results.

To ensure you are equitable “you have got to show up differently. You’ve got to be ruthless” (182).

Ruthless Equity Chapter Seven 4/9

 Ken Williams argues in Chapter Seven of “Ruthless Equity” that educators do not hold the same standards for all students, and that learning objectives are inequitable and insufficient. Teachers and educators have to do the work to address inequities anywhere they see it at school, especially in their core instruction.

In Akron, Ohio, teachers in math are using the same approach my school is rolling out. “During the planning phase, we anticipate any misconceptions or questions that may arise, as well as different ways our learners will solve problems. Once we have that sketched out, we create scaffolded assignments” (164). Our school is asking us to complete “IPP” or intentional planning protocols. Our school asks us to take a lesson and similarly think through the areas students may struggle. We then create monitoring keys that can collect data on our “look-fors”, and identify places where we need to provide back pocket questions, or implement feedback. Taking the time to flesh out skills, objectives, and some common misconceptions has been beneficial in helping student learning. I have seen big changes in my whole-class show calls and highlighted student work, and it is easier to engage with the students on areas of improvement and areas of strength. 

The IPP process ties into what Williams was talking about with the “four critical questions that guide the cycle of teaching, learning, and assessment: 1. What do we expect every student to know and be able to do? 2. How will we know when students have learned it? 3. How will we respond when students haven’t learned it? 4. How will we respond when students already know it?” (139). In the text he bolded the first question, and I agree with Williams that identifying learning outcomes is a non-negotiable for equity. Not only do I think it helps for equitable teaching, but how can a teacher be prepared and in front of students if they don’t know what they are teaching or what the students should be doing? Not knowing feels like a recipe for disaster. 

“There is no ‘substitute for’ or “working around” essential outcomes” (138). You have to identify the outcomes. Williams stamps you have to make a commitment and do the work. I think it can be easy to not look at all of the outcomes, or to skip one here and there. Sometimes it feels like teachers have so much to do, that taking the intentional time to pause and do that can be alot. Teachers might feel like they already know everything because they have done it before, or they have run this lesson before and they already get it. If it becomes forced, teachers will feel micromanaged and there might be pushback. I’ve seen this happen in my school, but I don’t fully understand why because fundamentally it makes sense. Teachers need to know what students are working toward each day. 

While all this makes sense, there are things I struggle to understand and do myself. On 141 Williams asks: “when you remove ‘can they’? or ‘can’t they’? from the equation, you open the way for maximum levels of creativity, resourcefulness, problem-solving, innovation, and collaboration.” How do you get to that point though? Is it from professional development, a special will? He brings up this idea: “you’re still grappling with your love of how growth mindset sounds, while unwilling to embed growth mindset into your practice” (145). That is me. I know students need all grade level instruction, but again, how can one person do it all? I would LOVE to switch this mindset. How does a teacher track all the data for every kid constantly, especially when teaching more than 70+ per day. How do you provide scaffolds for every individual student.

Williams touched on Carol Dweck, and her idea on “growth mindset”- but when I read that, I remembered reading an article that has similar ties and connections. “If Grit Breeds Success, How Can I Get Grittier?” by Emily Matchar. This article defined grit, and discussed how grit predicts success. People who have grit are more likely to find success and work through tough situations. The article also named that grit could be learned. I tied this in because I asked myself, are the teachers Williams talks about in his book the ones who are raising the bar? Are they, the ones who are “starting with the CROWN, not with the kid” (170), grittier than me? 

Aria and Teaching Multilingual Children 4/3

Rodriguez argues in “Aria”, that learning English and assimilating into American culture caused him to lose his personal identity to his culture, highlighting the difficulty of being multilingual in America. On the flip side, Collier argues in “Teaching Multilingual Children”, that teaching students who are learning more than one language can be effective and they do not have to lose a sense of themselves as long as there are practices in place that honor the diversity and continue to foster learning. 

Rodriguez was recounting the time his family was asked if they speak English at home because he seemed timid and shy in class. His parents were asked “is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?”... “of course my parents complied”. This is unsettling. Why does it matter what language the student and their family speaks at home, as long as they are present in school and are trying their best to acquire a new language and understanding. What made it worse is the family felt that was the best option- because who were they to argue against the church? Should there be a separation of church and state? Is that not possible at a catholic school (do they make their own rules?).

Later, Rodriguez named: “at last, at seven years old, I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth: I was an American citizen” (36). He was born an American citizen but did not feel he belonged or was truly worthy of that right all because of a language. Once he knew English well enough to talk in class, that helped. It is disconcerting that people live their lives that way and that they live in a country that makes them feel ‘less than’ because they are learning, or, are already speaking a different language. This idea of learning English came at a great cost. 

As Rodriguez and his siblings learned more English and became more fluent, they lost ties with their Spanish and they “shared fewer and fewer words with our parents” (37). I can’t imagine not being able to communicate with my family because we no longer understand each other. Why is there such an emphasis on forcing students to learn English? 

Collier addresses this as an issue in his article. Despite there being research “which speaks with one voice: to dismiss home language in literacy development instantly places immigrant children at risk” (233), it is still happening, as seen with Rodriguez and his experience. 

Rodriguez and his family could have benefited from the knowledge Collier provides and names:  “English-language learners who can chat comfortably in English do not automatically develop the academic language skills needed to compete… It is worse for many students who are placed in English-only classrooms with teachers who have no training in second language acquisition and who use an English-only curriculum. So, the choice of language in which the student works academically is less important than success in mastering school skills, or academic language proficiency” (225/226). He should have never been forced to only speak English. 

Collier states at early stages of instruction that “using home language for literacy builds the self-worth of language minority students…any academic home language development that benefits a child’s cognitive development, whether written or oral, will transfer to the second language” (233). According to Erikson’s Theory on Psychosocial Development, students who are 6-12 are wrestling with industry vs inferiority. They are wondering “can I make it in the world of people and things?” A strength to help them is competence. If a child is learning a language, they feel comfortable in their own language, are competent, and the skills are applied to their second language, this helps them develop. Students in this stage spend a lot of time at school, and they rely on learning new skills. Providing multi-language learners with new skills and allowing them to use a curriculum that emphasizes their home language is beneficial. How can this be accomplished by individual teachers?

“The teacher’s challenge is to find ways to integrate immigrant students with other students their age, while presenting meaningful lessons…the best way is for teachers to use all available language resources at hand” (234). At my school, we do not have a specific MLL or ESL room/ program for students to go to, so ultimately it does fall on the teacher. We were given a website called “Ellevation”- which provides numerous ideas and videos on different types of activities to try in the classroom to enhance the reading, writing and speaking skills of the students. You can break it down by specific skill, or try to find activities that incorporate multiple skills. Ultimately, I found that most of these activities are already done in my room- such as exit tickets, turn and talks, and jigsaws. So, I am left straddling this line. On the one hand, I think I could be helping them by doing these activities, but, on the other hand, I feel like my use of these strategies isn’t having the impact that it needs to for my students. 

If we zoom out from the individual teachers though, and look at the whole school view, we learn that encouraging home language and multiple voices can help with the classroom culture. When “children come to class with their non-standard varieties of English and home language, teachers must look at the benefits of having multiple ways of thinking in the classroom” (227). In the last blog post, I referenced Lisa Delpit and “The Silenced Dialogue” and it proves to be relevant here as well. What stood out in that reading was the teacher who taught her students their native language. She asked them: “that is the way we say things, doesn't that feel good? Isn't it the absolute best way to get that idea across?” Her whiteboard has “Village English” and “Heritage English”. This encourages students to find comfort. To see that it is okay to both speak in their familiar ways, and simultaneously learn new ways, or more “acceptable” ways, as citizens in America. 

The white board, and encouraging both languages, reminded me of Collier’s 5th guideline on code-switching. It is common for bilingual communities to use and do. Students should be encouraged to do this, as it helps them continue to learn and process both languages at once. 

All bilingual or MLL students should feel they have a voice in their education. Learning a new language is hard, and it is a skill. Students should be supported in the best ways possible, not penalized or hurt, or forced to create a public self and a private self, which often results in losing a part of who they are.