When the Opposite Is Also True: Hooray for Monday

August 2, 2021

Guest Post By Jenna Fournel, Communications Director

Hooray for Monday is a weekly blog filled with questions, ideas, reflections, and actions we can all take to remodel the school experience for students.

In times of uncertainty, we cling to certainty. We want to know that vaccines protect us 100% of the time; that masks are always effective at preventing the spread of disease; that once we reach “herd immunity” life can go back to normal. But the unsettling truth in life is that very little is ever 100% certain. Fortunately, the human brain has developed incredibly complex structures and functions that allow us to adapt to the unexpected. We don’t like it. But we all have the capacity to do it.

That’s why Inspired Teaching focuses our professional development on building teachers’ improvisational skills. We help educators strengthen those mental muscles we all have that allow us to think on our toes, respond in the moment, pivot quickly, and seize opportunities as they arise.

In one of our core teacher development activities, participants write down a list of things that are absolutely true and then work together to think up situations in which the opposite might also be true. The room is often quiet and tense as participants begin to try and undo the first truths, but then things shift when they realize the secret is context and imagination. “The sun rises every morning,” seems like something you can never refute. But if you imagine flying in a plane that is fast enough to remain consistently on the dark side of the earth, well, the rest of the list becomes less daunting.

Part of growing up is learning that life doesn’t stick to the rules you once thought were set in stone, and part of good teaching is helping students to understand that that isn’t always a bad thing. Everything changes and our ability to be resilient is closely tied to how well we can manage change. Activities like the one described above help us build those resiliency muscles and remember that when we’re teetering on the edge of despair, imagination can be the rope that pulls us back to safety.

If the past week is any indication, the days leading up to the return to school will be filled with things that were once true, suddenly becoming not true. “Truths” about the need for masks, requirements for vaccines, the number of students who can be grouped together are all changing in real-time because the context is shifting.

What if we begin the year with the “When the Opposite Is Also True” activity?
What space can we create to talk through the uncertainty together?
How might imagination fuel our resiliency?

This is the starting point for transforming mindsets. And transforming mindsets is the starting point for transforming how we deal with the world around us.

The rapidly evolving and often disruptive flow of vitally important news and events right now makes it clear that simply being an information-provider, and expecting our students to passively be information recipients, won’t work for their or our long-term success. Now is the time to lean into our role as Instigators of Thought, equipping our students, and ourselves, with the tools and experiences we need not only to survive but also to thrive in an uncertain world.

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.