Worth Work in full effect. This episode focuses on the relationship of power in our teaching profession in individuals and in the system. What do we gain when we give up power? How can we shift the culture so power is more evenly distributed? A real gem in this episode is around the 30:10 mark hear a story from from a few years from students (now in college) about how they were able to shift the power dynamics at their school in a event called Time to Talk, where adults had to be the primary listeners and how that student voice impacted the school. As always tune in to the end where Desmond and Jesse freestyle rap with key words of the episode.
01:36- Desmond- "Its good to understand power to use it in ways that isn't based in default conditioning and the need to self protect. That is the impetus if you will. The question is How do we use power in a way that can bring equity and inclusion into classroom spaces as well as the world.
02:24- Jesse "When I'm empowered I feel it in my chest and solar plexus, thats when I'm using all my genius and gifts to make the world a little better.... When I'm feeling threatened by power or unsure of my own power, I get in my head...being aware of the dynamics of power in my own body.
02:50- Jesse -"On a collective level... I'm contemplating power in all the hierarchies we live in. Having access to things you need, food, water, shelter. Today power is symbolized in money...
03:20 bell hooks in Teaching to Transgress: "It was only when I began to interrogate my fear of power that I began to understand that power itself was not negative."
4:10- Desmond -"As a black kid, I'm navigating power structures to get my needs met. Not from a place of inherent self worth as a human being... which is the default of the culture.... In our culture You have to prove yourself before you have power.... to bring change and inclusion we have to recognize that every person has power.... We have to interrogate it for ourself to understand it's not the force thats the issue, it's the use of it."
05:30 What is the definition of power? Brene Brown in Atlas of the Heart. Echoing Martin Luther King Jr. "A defintion of power is the ability to take care of needs and effect change."
06:07 Jesse- shares how his realizing of social power came when he participated in courageous conversations about race working for Step Up and realized he had a certain amount of power because of his skin color.
06:43- Desmond refers to wheel of power or privilege. This tool helps us realize our social location in our context.
08:34 Jesse- "Courageous conversation was the first time I could own my power in terms of race. I look at my power as my genius and abilities I can contribute to my community. I can give and receive.
10:30 Desmond- "I've been thinking of the domain of spiritual power... Spirituality I was raised with taught me to turn inward, and by turning inward and connecting myself, with my body... There is innate wisdom in my body that guides me.... We need to recognize that there is something larger than us that effects us. It doesn't have to be gods, angels, demons, it can be the culture. The culture effects us....That force that is culture in collective story and sense making, has a spiritual component we need to pay attention to.
12:13 Desmond refers to an incident with a racial slur on a desk at school and how he called us to examine the culture. He invites us to all do the work to change the culture so the impact of these actions doesn't do as much harm. Desmond asks "How can we change the culture to allow more voices to be heard."
13:40 Jesse talks more about courageous conversations about the exchange of story. To be in-formed by peoples story. As teachers with our words and actions we are teaching students how to interact with power.
15:21- One of the things we gain when we share power in the classroom is relationships. Desmond shares about power being shared in his classroom by grading differently. More details on that in episode 10- Ungrading.
16:27- Jesse- "how do we empower outside the institution? Empower our physical bodies, emotions, intellect, our spirits. There are so many levels to power."
17:00 Two BARS guided meditation. Breathe, Align, Relax, Shine.
19:05- Colleague clip- Ken Gadbow- "If I have the privilege of being in a classroom where people are genuinely listening to each other that is an element of equity to me. Usually we don't listen to each other, usually we're waiting for the other person to stop talking... Instead of really listening and accepting whats happening right her in front of us."
20:05 Jesse- "Thats a worth work practice right here. If we're confident in our self worth, we are ready to hear and take in the worth of the people around us. And not only listen, but implement, act on it, feel it."
20:45 Desmond breaks down how important it is to make mistakes... mistakes and continue to grow... His experience with rapping, is he can go to the edge of his ability because I'm willing to make a mistake. He refers to educators who don't want to make a mistake in the race conversation, but then they don't fully listen to students and the inaction causes harm because of not wanting to make a mistake. Getting to self worth is to really feel a student or another adults story, and have the ability to stay present with it if it's difficult to take in. And then do the healing work. Thats another use of power. You don't have to use power to defend yourself.
22:48 Jesse reflects on a culture shift were its normalized to talk about power dynamics in a non-threatening way. Examples: Asking what pronouns a person uses, talking about race and where the power dynamics are at any given situation. The invitation of Worth Work, is to have practices that help us shift how we use power in the classroom.
23:55- Jesse- Freestyle rapping is a great practice to make mistakes, and grow from them. And shares a bit about encouraging students to 'embrace the cringe' when they share their work.
24:51 Desmond- "If I'm pursing mastery in anything I need to be okay with mistakes. Mastery of freestyle is how do we respond when we make mistakes? How do we respond internally? Do I maintain the joy of the artform."
27:09- Desmond "If you avoid the cringe, you are avoiding your true power...Really its transformation. The resistance to transform is that cringe... The rules of culture won't always serve our transformation and change."
28:40 Desmond- "...part of being alive: pain, guilt, death.... If you going to make your life meaningful and filled with joy, then recognize I can't avoid these things. Feeling uncomfortable emotions will help you know where your power lies."
30:10- Jesse sets up the next clip. Its important we have creative examples of how distribute power, enter this clip of two college students reflecting on an event a few years ago where they helped shift the culture of a school.
30:30 Colleague clip- peer mentor share about an event called Time to Talk about school resource officers in schools. Student leaders asked community leaders to come into circles led by students. Adults had to listen in the small circles then report back to the whole group what they heard then check in with students to make sure they got it right. The event helped get a restorative justice coordinator hired in at McDaniel. A great example of students getting out of way and letting youth shape culture.
35:05- That event flipped the normal power structure where adults had to be the primarily listeners. How can we get creative and have more events like this?
35:50- Desmond "We need the youths perspective because they haven't been conditioned by the system as long." If we keep that in mind as adults, being self secure enough to know we make mistakes thinking we know everything and ask 'young person- how do you see it?' Feeling heard is a part of the human connection. Imagine when these young people take over our positions they can operate with a different sense of how school can be.
37:10 Recent graduates clip- "Everyday, every hour, its always I'm right your wrong, go to class, you can't be here, get out. Thats what they're relaying to these students. And then they wonder why these students miss class... The first time someone listened to me, I was like 'Oh, no I have to actually think about why I'm mad....then we can actually talk and communicate. Compared to when your not listened to and there is a power structure."
38:15- Jesse If a student isn't being heard in the class and they don't want to be there, where are they going to go? Bathroom, hallway, etc. Then we talk about a place that used to exist at my school- The Spot- which was a place students could go, check in with an adult, and be in a safe place if they weren't in a position to go to class.
39:27- college student clip about The Spot- "Elias had a way to connect with you and make you feel like a person. The Spot is ours he would say.... It was the only spot in the building that I felt like I belonged. It kept me in the building. If I couldn't be in class, I would have just went home. But going to the spot I could go do my homework and catch up on assignments.... Feeling like you belong will keep you in the building. If there is no place like that then you'll leave...
41:15 Jesse- "I'm inspired to interrogate my own power. And inspired to take risks and look for opportunities to flip power on its head. Be creative and make platforms for students to share their voice."
42:21- Desmond "I'm curious about how we can create practices and policies that normalize power with and power to... My grand experiment in the classroom is how can I use my power the least saying what to and how to do it, and my power the most in waking students up to themselves, understanding they have abilities, gifts and genius that they can express.... so the culture can shift when they have positions of power."
44:37- Key words and phrases freestyle edition. Power, empowered, culture, mistakes, practice, cringe, conversations, mastery and connected.
