Issue 22: Joy & Pain
Joy. Noun. A feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Pain. Noun. A sensation that causes mild to severe physical discomfort and emotional distress
A picture of the landmark in Galveston, Texas commemorating Juneteenth.
Check-In:
My mother tells this story about her and my father going to Austin’s George Washington Carver Museum on Juneteenth to cut watermelon for the attendees of the festivities taking place that day.
I don’t remember when I learned about Juneteenth; however, I 100% know I didn’t learn about it in school. I do know that as soon as I did learn about it, I embraced it as my independence day. Several years ago, we took a family vacation to Galveston and I saw for myself the landmark commemorating Juneteenth. We were walking down the street when I stopped immediately and had an emotional reaction to being in the place where the last of enslaved Texans learned they were free. I took the time to explain to my children where we were. I was going to make sure they weren’t going to have to find out about this significant day in their history by circumstance.
Now that it is a national holiday, there is a wider knowledge of the day. There is great joy in celebrating Juneteenth. Finally independence for the Black enslaved people across the country. There is also pain in learning about this historical date. Knowing it took TWO additional years after the Emancipation Proclamation for those in Galveston to learn of their freedom and all of the reasons for the delay.
There is also a pain for me because Juneteenth often falls on the same day or weekend as Father’s Day. My father isn’t with us anymore. Although I think of my father every day and know he is watching over me it is days like this that bring his physical absence to the forefront.
Some Father’s Day I choose pain (especially the first few years after his death) but yesterday I chose joy. Thankful for the 38 years that I got to celebrate Father’s Day with him and knowing that he continues to watch over me.
It is the extremes of these emotions that we all work within. In my interview with Benny and in Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction by Gholdy Muhammad, they both speak about the importance of joy for ourselves as educators and for the students we all serve.
On this Juneteenth, embrace whatever emotion the day brings for you, lean into and feel it all.
#mondaymotivation: We need Joy as we need air. We need Love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share. -Maya Angelou quoted in Unearthing Joy
Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:
Benny Vásquez is the Chief Equity Officer at KIPP Foundation. He has been in the role for over five years. The comments below are Benny’s and do not reflect the opinions of his school system.
Mary: How do you practice self-care?
Benny: I think whenever I experience laughter that's a moment of self-care for me.
Benny: Because I'm tired of struggling. I'm going to thrive. I'm tired of this work being called a struggle. Because we get to do this work. Because this work can be about thriving, who wants to struggle anymore?
Benny: And there’s my everyday language. I ensure that the messages are coming across in the way that I do my work is also promoting self-care.
You can read more from Benny in “Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color”. Let me know if you would like to be interviewed and/or recommend someone to be profiled in this section.
What I’m Reading: Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction by Gholdy Muhammad
About the author(s): Dr. Gholdy Muhammad is a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Georgia State University. She was formally a teacher, school leader, curriculum director, and literacy specialist.
Book Audience: Any teacher, leader, or teacher education professor who wants to ensure students are experiencing joy in learning.
Book Overview:
This is a follow-up to Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius where she introduced 4 pursuits (identity, skills, intellect, and criticality) that are part of her HILL (Histories, Identities, Literacies, and Liberation) model. I really enjoyed her first book, especially the building on history to create an instructional model so was looking forward to reading her next book where she continues to ground everything in history.
There are particular parts of this book that brings out the “joy” in you as a reader. Each chapter begins with a playlist of songs that Muhammad encourages you to listen to as you read it. The opening chapter page also includes quotes, poems, and artwork. Each chapter ends with a coloring page. The bookend pieces awaken all of the senses so you truly can have a joyful reading experience.
Chapter breakdown:
Chapter 1: Unearthing the Need for Genius and Joy
Muhammad shares how the history and genius of Black people were intentionally erased in textbooks. She then shows how this track record has particular implications for education in the areas of - teaching standards; curriculum and instruction; assessments; teacher and leader evaluations; teacher education programs. For each of these areas, she unpacks issues with them and provides suggestions for improvement. Her suggestions are concrete and if states, districts, and universities listened to them, we would be in a much better space.
Chapter 2: Coming Into Joy
In this chapter, Muhammad regrounds the reader with the four pursuits that she introduced in Cultivating Genius and explains the fifth pursuit-JOY. She also takes time to respond to FAQs about the pursuits leading with the biggest question, “Is this model only for Black kids?” FYI- the answer is NO but she gives us many reasons why this is for all students. If you have any apprehensions about the model in practice and/or are working with teachers/leaders who are pushing back on trying a new model, this is an excellent section to take your time reading through.
Chapter 3: Unearthing Self
As the title suggests, this chapter is all about unlearning, redefining, and expanding. The chapter provides reflection questions, a chart to replace deficit-based language with asset-based language (p. 97), and ways to respond to people who are resistant. The chapter ends by emphasizing the point that we can’t teach children to know themselves and identify their joy if we don’t know ourselves.
Chapter 4: Redesigning Curriculum and Assessment
Muhammad sees curriculum design as a creative process whereas a curriculum designer you are an artist responsible for creating what’s necessary to cultivate joy and genius. As someone who enjoys writing curricula- I LOVE THIS. There is a 10-step process explained that starts with knowing your students and ends with reflecting on yourself as a professional. There is a template (p.131-134) and samples to guide you along the way.
Chapters 5: Practical and Creative Uses of the HILL Model: Students, Teachers, and Staff Members
Chapter 5 gives 10 creative ways to use the HILL model broken down into 3 sections: professional learning, approaches to curriculum and instruction, and post-instruction. I particularly like the HILL curriculum evaluation tool laid out on pages 158-160.
Chapters 6: Practical and Creative Uses of the HILL Model: School Leaders, Community Members, and Families
This chapter gives 10 ways to use the model from the lens of a leader. I always appreciate suggestions that get into the systems of an institution so 1. Creating a board policy (p. 180); 2. Outline equity plans (p. 183); and 10. Question university syllabi (p.197) resonated the most for me but all of them are important ways a leader can support the implementation of the HILL model.
Chapter 7: Planting Seeds for the Future
This final chapter, organized by grade level, gives sample lesson plans using the HILL model submitted by teachers and leaders that Muhammad has worked with.
The final quote of the book is the necessary call to action for all of us:
(Re)member that the ancestors did not “wait on” or “rely on” anyone for justice or to engage in righteousness, for children. While we are urgently pushing forth toward a better system, we must (now) shift to and extend the types of pedagogies that will not just give our students access to elevated parts of their lives, but will also give them joy- experiencing the full beauty of the sun-for there is enough for everyone. (p. 218)
Next Book: Literacy Is Liberation: Working Toward Justice Through Culturally Relevant Teaching by Kimberly N. Parker. You can find a full list of my book recommendations here. Please note that I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and receive a small compensation for your purchase when you use the book links provided.
Resources:
The Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium has published Supporting LGBTQIA+ Communities in Schools: Guidance for Administrators which can be downloaded for free from their website.
This 50-state data and policy scan by The Education Trust is designed to support the efforts to increase the racial and cultural diversity of the teacher workforce. Use the tool to learn about promising educator diversity policy practices across the country, review each state’s educator diversity data and policy profile, and see how your state rates against other state profiles.
How districts are responding to the targeting of DEI initiatives in places like Oklahoma.
If this is your first time reading, please go back and read my Introductions post.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. If you like it, please share it with your network!