Many of you may have heard about the Dublin educators who wore shirts in support of immigrants, love is love, black lives and many others. You may have seen some of the fall out. If you haven't, I'm sure you can google it. This event put me in a situation that created a moral and ethical dilemma. On Tuesday, I was part of a meeting in which we were discussing whether or not it was appropriate to wear shirts or other attire that makes a statement related to a movement. (Maybe you received an email about wearing a certain shirt on Thursday. I was proud that I saw at least one staff member doing just that!) As I sat there I was happy to learn that HCSD has a Board Resolution against racism, but I was feeling like our actions were not matching our resolution. I knew I had to do something, but I wasn't sure what.
As I sat in the meeting I thought back about the books I'd read about social justice this summer in the wake of George Floyd's murder. I did my homework about social justice and while I'm by no means an expert, I have learned a few things. I have read books such as White Fragility, How to be an Antiracist, The Other Wes Moore, and We Want to do More than Survive. Currently, I am reading Me and White Supremacy. Needless to say, in the moment on Tuesday when I felt that I was becoming part of racism, I had to speak up. I'm not telling you this to pat myself on the back. I'm telling you this because I felt very, very uncomfortable. In a brief moment, I had to make a choice to stay silent or speak up for what was right. So, I spoke up to our own superintendent and was joined by some of our other administrators. We shared that if we are truly serious that Hilliard City Schools is no place for hate that we could not and should never tell staff that they cannot wear a shirt supporting a movement. The discussion lasted an hour and at the end minds were changed! While this was just one small baby step towards an antiracism, it was still a movement in the right direction. In a diverse building like ours we must make sure our students know that was value them, respect differences and stand up for what is right. We are not going to be perfect because most of us have benefited from white privilege our entire lives. Many of our students, on the other hand, have not. Our students have endured racism throughout their lives. We have a kindergarten student here who recently spent 6 months separated from his parents at the border. We must be the voice for our students! When I think about our One Word, LIFT, I think about how we will LIFT our students who live racism daily. There is no such thing as "not racist". There is only "racist" or "antiracist". Click here to read our Board Resolution against racism.
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Just like many of you, I have caught myself saying, "when things get back to normal I will..." or "when this is over, then I'll..." But, as we settle into the school year, I'm starting to doubt that what we remember as "normal" will ever exist again. So, I've been challenging myself to get back to things that I've let go as I wait for normal to arrive. This blog is one of those things. I have religiously written blog posts weekly since 2015! That is 5 years! Unbeknownst to me, the post I wrote onMarch 5, 2020 would be my very last one, until today. Because on March 12th, one week after that post was written, we sent kids home for what we hoped would only be a few weeks. Those few weeks turned into more weeks, which turned into the school year. But, here we are more than 6 months later still waiting for normal. Over those months I've been trying to survive, I've felt defeated but also renewed as I have been able to break old habits and start a new normal. Today I had the realization that I have to discipline myself to continue to be the best version of myself that I can be. This blog helps me work towards that goal. What have you given up as you await normal to return? I often think about this motivational video called "Running in the Rain". I have shared it with you before, but feel that it's perfect for this moment. Those of us who excel, who get better and who grow faster are the ones who "run in the rain". We can't wait for the perfect weather, just like we can't wait for this crazy pandemic to end. So today I am taking my "step into the rain" as I write my first blog post in 6 months and begin to create my new normal. |
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