Hooray for Monday: Divine Dissatisfaction - Center for Inspired Teaching

By Aleta Margolis, Founder and President, Center for Inspired Teaching

Hooray for Monday is a new blog series we’ll be posting each week with questions, ideas, reflections, and actions we can all take to remodel the school experience for students.

Martha Graham, the mother of modern dance, spoke of “divine dissatisfaction” to describe the experience of creation and growth. As I understand it, dissatisfaction means that learning and creating are never finished, there is always more to do; and divine means there is joy in the quest for continuous improvement.

Leslie Andrea Williams in Martha Graham’s Chronicle, photo © by Hibbard Nash Photography – Source: Kennedy Center

Since school began, a week or two ago for most of us, we have navigated remote, in-person, and hybrid learning with a wide variety of results. I’ve heard stories from teachers and school leaders about a day that took until 11:50 for classes to get online, only to break for lunch ten minutes later; students finding themselves alone in breakout rooms unable to return to the group discussion; and online orientations where none of the teachers’ links would work. I’ve also heard about joyful student and teacher reunions, schools distributing supply kits to families’ homes, and innovative gym classes springing up in living rooms.

At Inspired Teaching, this week marked our first Speak Truth seminar of the school year. With more than 100 students registered, it was our largest session since we went virtual this spring. Despite rehearsals with student-facilitators, instructors, and staff, we had our share of videos that wouldn’t play, glitchy internet connections, and the like. Even so, the students engaged in powerful discussions about this week’s topic: ending police brutality. They offered thoughtful and well-researched questions and arguments including why police officers should see themselves as both law enforcement officials and civilians, the societal implications of the culture in which police are trained, the importance of establishing police brutality as a crime, and the need for a national database for reprimanded police officers. After all this incredible learning took place, we gathered as staff to talk about what we could do to make the next session better.

Like our teaching colleagues, we’re doing our best to accept missteps with grace and humor, while simultaneously working to improve. And we’re celebrating the learning and growth along the way.

Even though school has only been in session for a short time, or will begin for the first time for many tomorrow, many teachers and school leaders are already over-extended, not only from teaching these past few weeks, but also from the weeks and months of planning for a school year filled with uncertainty. Before we dive headfirst into a new school week, we have an opportunity to pause and refuel on this Labor Day.

Martha Graham’s ‘divine dissatisfaction’ can guide our reflection and remind us that, as professional learners, we can find joy in our progress while acknowledging we have more to learn.

Wishing you a restful day and a joyful week ahead,

Aleta

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.