Maslow: Not Just for Our Students by Jacqueline Ahlborn

 Maslow: Not Just for Our Students

Whether you are teaching in a physical classroom, virtually, or in a hybrid mix, it’s safe to say, if you are like me, you are in the thick of it by now.  Educators carry a heavy load, and it is critical that we maintain a healthy balance between work and home, especially if we are teaching from home.  Now more than ever the lines are blurred.  Educators are always encouraged to take time out for self-care, and now more than ever this is vital.  Self-care can help to provide harmony in our lives and reduce tension.  Here are a few strategies in order to help us become more attuned to our needs as teachers in both a remote learning environment and a physical classroom so that we may be mentally and physically prepared every day to meet our students’ needs.  

Teaching from Home:  A Starting Point

Hopefully everyone by now has designated a dedicated work space within their homes.  This is an important step in teaching remotely that may not be viewed as an essential aspect when discussing self-care.  Not only can a designated work area help to support functionality and productivity, but it can assist in clearing that blurred line between work and home.  A clearly defined work area allows you to leave your work whether it is for the day or for a few moments to stretch and take a breather from teaching.  Your home still needs to remain your sanctuary, so defining an area for work can help you separate your work demands from the place where you relax and unwind.

Work Zone:  Do Not Disturb

When working remotely, it is essential that you set guidelines with your family.  There are crucial times that you cannot be available, and there is a need to communicate this in order to prevent interruptions.  You can plan a set of scheduled breaks or create subtle cues as to when you are available within your work day.  If you cannot be interrupted, you can express this by posting a sign that indicates you are busy, closing your door, asking the person to text you their needs, or connecting during one of your planned breaks.  If there would be an urgent or specific need, define what that would be and the protocol for addressing it.

Are Your Needs Being Met?

I tuned into a podcast recently which had me thinking about self-care during this rare moment in our history.  Tina H. Boogren, Ph.D, addresses Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in her webinar “Self-Care for Educators in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond”.  She referenced a survey from Yale/CASEL that indicated 5,000+ teachers listed anxiousness as one of the top feelings they are experiencing right now.  

The strategies she suggests align with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and begins with Level 1(Physiological): Getting back to the basics in reference to diet, sleep, and exercise.  She reminded us of how very important it is to drink lots of water.  Level 2 (Safety): Order, predictability, and fairness.  When there is not a sense of safety, it can bring a feeling of anxiety.  We need to remember to engage in breathing exercises during these times.  Level 3 (Belonging and Love): If level 1 and 2 are not met, we will have a difficult time obtaining Level 3.  We need to remember to engage in social connections with others.  Level 4 (Self-Esteem):  We may feel like first time teachers during this unique time of teaching.  Try not to compare yourself with others and utilize positive self-talk.  Level 5 (Self-Actualization):  Find your best self and reconnect with yourself!  Focus on gratitude and altruism.  When we ask ourselves if these needs are being met on a daily basis and we are finding that the answer is an astounding “no”, we need to employ strategies to make it a “yes”.  If not, we can experience negative emotional and physical consequences and will have an adverse impact on our motivation and creative thinking.  These needs allow us to feel fulfilled, so it is important to determine what our needs are and how we can proceed in having them met. 

It is critical that educators maintain a healthy balance between work and home, especially if teaching from home.  Taking time out for self-care is more vital than ever and can help to provide harmony in our lives and reduce tension.  We are in a unique teaching situation, and we need to remember to care for ourselves so that we may be mentally and physically prepared to rise up to meet our own students’ needs every day.  To listen to the podcast in full, the following link is attached: https://home.edweb.net/webinar/pd20200522/.

Author’s Bio: Jacqueline Ahlborn’s teaching experience spans over private and public schools where she has been a teacher for a total of nineteen years.  Currently, she is in her sixteenth year teaching special education in Pittsburgh Public Schools.  She has earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Duquesne University.  Jacqueline enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family, especially with her five-year-old grandson.

Black Students Need their Teachers to See Color; White Students Need it Too by Janel Prinkey

Black Students Need their Teachers to See Color; White Students Need it Too

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo has been flying off of shelves, sneaking into mailboxes, and lighting up eReaders ever since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. It seems as though America is ready to face some of its subconscious racism, consciously. But where does that leave teachers, and what is our role? What stance should we take when everything about our careers has been politicized, and even weaponized, since COVID-19 has stopped the world from turning? WPCTE chose White Fragility as the September Book Club selection.

Black Students Don’t See Themselves Reflected in Schools

Pennsylvania’s teachers are overwhelmingly white, and this impacts the way that Black students and staff experience education. Only 4% of teachers in Pennsylvania are Black, which ranks the state 47th in the disproportionality rate between Black students and white teachers in the United States of America according to Research for Action in their April 2018 policy brief. If teachers in Pennsylvania adopt the fear that DiAngelo refers to when discussing race, whether it be fear for their jobs or fear of being labeled as racist, all students lose--but Black students lose the most. Worse, if white teachers are subconsciously racist by expecting less from their Black students, treating them as different from the “norm”, or asking them to represent all Black people in their viewpoints in class discussions, they are alienating and discriminating against them. DiAngelo emphasizes that racism, contrary to popular belief, does not have to be intentional. It is not enough for teachers to not be racist. Instead, we must actively be antiracist.

Doing Antiracist Work is Uncomfortable

Teaching is a profession that prides itself in caring for children and wanting them to be the best possible versions of themselves. This requires not only professional development in the form of learning more about your subjects and classroom management, but should also include adjusting the perceptions we have about our students. Are we surprised that one of the few Black students we have turned in an assignment? If we are, why is that? What have we been conditioned to believe about Black people and how successful they are in school? In life? By examining these beliefs head on instead of pretending to not know that they exist, we allow Black students to receive the same quality education that their white peers receive.

Additionally, white students have similar misconceptions and sometimes voice blatantly racist remarks. Time should be spent to explain to students why the terms they are using are inappropriate and cause harm, and why they should not feel slighted by programs like Affirmative Action. White people have many challenges in life. One of those challenges, however, has not been the color of their skin. That is the point that DiAngelo is trying to make, and that we should illustrate for all of our students. Systemic racism exists, and pretending that it does not makes us complicit in its inequity and the benefits that we receive from it.

“Reverse Racism” is a Dangerous Myth

Oftentimes white students in my classes are heated about the topic of racism because they believe that they or their families have been the victims of racism. They mention instances of not getting accepted into colleges that their fellow Black students are going to, being denied a job that ultimately went to a person of color, or experiencing discrimination at the hands of Black people from a social view. This is dangerous thinking, as DiAngelo explains only whites can be racist. This is due to the source of power and who can be denied a voice or a position of power by those people. Because Black people do not fill the majority of these positions of power, you cannot be a victim of racism at the hands of a Black person who cannot fundamentally change your life. Explaining this to students will be uncomfortable at best. But to continue to allow students to believe that the reason that they have not achieved their goals is because a Black person took their spot, is insulting and entirely erroneous. It also never allows for a situation where a Black student would outperform a white student, and that perpetuates white supremacy. Interceding on the behalf of Black people, even if you do not have Black students, is important to the development of your white students’ viewpoints as well.

Conclusion

As teachers, we have a responsibility to all of our students to prepare them for a life in America, one of the most diverse countries in the world. To not refute racism in all forms, to not blatantly teach antiracist ideas, is to condone them. It is a harmful methodology to “not see color” because you are ignoring a fundamental part of a person’s experience. Do you also not see low socioeconomic status? Gender?  Hair color? It would be absurd to ignore these things with our students, so we must see color. We must teach our students to reject the noxious fumes of racism that is in the very air that we breathe in America. Remember to put your oxygen mask on first.

Author Bio: 

Janel Prinkey teaches 7th and 8th grade Reading for a rural school district in Western Pennsylvania. She is an avid reader and writer and enjoys spending time with her Yorkiepoo, Arya.