5 Considerations When Striving to Make Change - Center for Inspired Teaching

By Jenna Fournel

During a workshop for Brown University’s Summer Institute (a virtual series of panels and lectures for students which alumni are doing in response to COVID19) our president and founder, Aleta Margolis, was asked to share her insights from 25 years as a leader of an organization working for change. We’ve pulled a few of the key ideas from her talk that might be useful for us all.

If you are frustrated by the complacency of others, that’s the space where your energy is needed.

Aleta described how, as a new teacher trying and finding ways to reach all her students, she was frustrated by colleagues who accepted the status quo and seemed quick to give up on students who failed to fit the mold. As this frustration built, she realized that she could have an impact beyond her individual classroom if she worked with teachers to help them change their role from information provider to Instigator of Thought.

Never stop being a learner.

Choosing to maintain an open mind is hard. As Aleta explained:

“It is very hard work to embrace a learning stance when times are painful and when assumptions are being challenged and broken apart. But it’s important and powerful work. It’s really important to approach life with curiosity and say, ‘I wonder how I can deepen my understanding.’ If you want to create change, curiosity and empathy should be at the base of all you do.”

Listen, both to those who support you and those who do not.

“As the leader of an organization, it is my joy and responsibility to learn from everybody I interact with, and that includes people with whom I vehemently disagree, even if I have to seek those people out and read their words on social media or watch them on TV. Part of my responsibility as a changemaker is to bring my curiosity to understanding and listening to those who support me and those who really do the opposite,” Aleta explained.

Often in Inspired Teaching trainings we’ll reflect on this quote from the actor Alan Alda that beautifully describes what this kind of listening entails:

“The difference between listening and pretending to listen, I discovered, is enormous. One is fluid, the other is rigid. One is alive, the other is stuffed. Eventually, I found a radical way of thinking about listening. Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you. When I’m willing to let them change me, something happens between us that’s more interesting than a pair of dueling monologues.”

Be a scholar of the history of the thing you are hoping to change.

Anyone who joins the Inspired Teaching staff begins by reading through pages of organizational history because it’s important to know where we’ve come from in order to best contribute to where we’re going. This helps prevent repeating past mistakes, and develops an appreciation for the basis of the beliefs that have survived for 25 years. This same approach is critical for any movement to which you wish to belong. A thorough grounding in the past equips you with the understanding to change and contribute to the future.

Change begins with finding common ground.

You can’t actually change the system or the things you’re hoping to affect by solely engaging with those who agree with you, so there will be many times when you have to engage with skeptics. We intentionally devote time in all Inspired Teaching trainings to building skills in this arena. And while the conversations and circumstances are all different, Aleta says that when talking with those who disagree with you, “find common ground. Engage from a place of empathy. Realize that at the core we probably want some of the same things.” Once you figure out what those “same things” are, you have a starting place for moving your conversations forward.

At the close to the workshop Aleta cautioned attendees to remember that the journey to success is never a straight and clean line.

“When successful people tell their stories, even when they’re telling stories of failure, sometimes they make it look easy. But I will say the messiness and the difficulty and the not-knowing-what-on-earth-to-do-next, is a very real part of the experience of leading a mission-driven organization. That uncertainty is a very real part of the journey and it just means you care and you’re trying hard. Frustration, failure, and challenge are a necessary part of growth. And if you let them, they can lead you to smarter, stronger outcomes.”

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.