Speak Truth Kicks Off for the 2019-20 School Year

This blog post was written by Topher Anuzis, a current volunteer with Inspired Teaching.

The next time you’re at a party, go ahead and ask someone you’ve never met, “How do you feel about the n-word?” or “Do you have any connections to gun violence in your life?” This is certainly a tough way to begin a conversation, and no way to make new acquaintances, but it’s how the students participating in Speak Truth jump right to the subject of the day.

At Speak Truth, students from high schools all across the nation’s capital hold honest, respectful discussions about contemporary social issues. They know that they’ll be tackling tough issues while being receptive to the opinions of their peers in an environment that promotes open discussion of polarizing topics. By engaging in a dialogue that exposes these students to a diverse array of perspectives, participants learn to productively and respectfully discuss controversial themes. In this month’s conversation, students discussed two articles, “Too Taboo for Class?” on the subject of using the n-word in academic settings, and “The Psychological Aftermath of Surviving School Shootings”.

In discussing these real world challenges and seeking to understand the importance of open dialogue, students shared stories of pride, censorship, fear, and support. While there is no intended outcome of these discussions – they are not drafting gun legislation proposals – students are exposed to a variety of media through speeches, essays, movies, news articles, and gain community service hours for facilitating discussions and writing follow-up papers. More importantly, students are practicing real world skills that will benefit them in the future. Alejandro, a sophomore at Georgetown Prep, who aspires to work in public health policy, notes:

“I learned how to listen to people, I think it’s an important skill I hadn’t practiced until now. You think you have all the answers, but you actually don’t. Listening is very important and especially allowing everybody’s ideas [to be] heard.”

Amora, an 11th grader from Richard Wright PCS, who hopes to work in politics, history, or education, also shared that she thought, “a really cool thing […] was that we all agreed there had to be a certain level of maturity” in the conversations. This was noted during a tense exchange on the use of the n-word in which several questions were asked and responded to, followed by another question on someone’s point of view about the topic. These questions were always received, and answered, with respect to the other’s views, regardless of how they conflicted.

_________

Forbes notes that employers are increasingly looking for candidates that are driven and know what they want. They seek employees who have goals for their career, can point to their successes, and know their strengths. Equally important, however, they are also giving more weight to “soft skills” in the workplace: independent thinkers, problem solvers, proactive team-players (Forbes). The job recruitment site Monster.com goes further, noting the importance of communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem solving, critical observation, conflict resolution, and leadership in the hiring process (Monster – article written from Society for Human Resource Management data).

When speaking with the student facilitators, you begin to understand how they are practicing these skills that are so essential for their careers and personal growth. “I also think it’s a really good way to […] be able to think, for facilitating, be able to think on the spot – make sure you’re taking notes, you need to figure out what’s important and identify the major themes that come up because you can’t plan that out ahead of time,” remarked Miranda, a student from Georgetown Day School who is intent on supporting social justice and activism in her future. She and her partner, Alejandro, collaborated to lead the discussion by planning several types of questions that could flow with the conversation and allow points to be expressed while keeping to the main objective.

A Speak Truth discussion in progress.

This program is run by the students. As a national model for civic discourse and dialogue among young people, Speak Truth prepares students to thrive in a university classroom, where they will engage in similar high-level discourse, and creates space for dialogue where students can safely share their voices and experiences. Speak Truth seminars have the power to shape a generation of socially conscious future leaders and citizens who will be responsible for building a better future for us all. This independence, the ability to facilitate a difficult conversation without adult influence, allows students engaged with Speak Truth to improve essential skills for their future: communication, planning, inclusion, active listening, and critical thinking.

You may be wondering how Center for Inspired Teaching creates an environment like this. Can teachers do this themselves? Absolutely! Teachers can get involved and shadow a session, held the third Thursday of each month, and see first hand Inspired Teaching in action emphasizing student-directed classrooms. By enrolling in Inspired Changemakers and Critical Conversationalists, you’ll get to see these dialogues in action and learn how to create respectful discussions in your classrooms.

Student notes from the Gun Violence and Mental Health discussion.

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.