Takeaways From: "On Neurodiversity"

 Talking Points

Creating inclusive environments is essential for all students, but especially for those with neurological differences. The article highlights how some of the challenges faced by neurodivergent students are not rooted in the student themselves, but in the environments around them. This includes school schedules, overstimulating classrooms, and social situations. These factors can all make it impossible for a student to function at their best. As educators, being aware of these environmental factors and actively working to change them is one of the most powerful things we can do to support student success.

There are numerous factors that can contribute to a student's outbursts, meltdowns, or mood changes. It is important not to jump to conclusions. As Dr. Cynthia Martin explains in the article, extreme behaviors often lead parents to seek evaluations, but other factors such as anxiety, mood disorders, or social difficulties can also be responsible. I see this firsthand every day in 7th grade. Middle schoolers are navigating hormonal, emotional, and social changes simultaneously, and those shifts show up in the classroom in big ways. Before we label a student, we have to ask what else might be going on in their world.

Neurodiverse people have differences, not deficits. As the text emphasizes, rather than thinking of students as needing to be "fixed," we should put a spotlight on what they are good at and support the areas they are still developing. This is exactly the kind of educator I strive to be. All I want is for every student in my classroom to feel heard, seen, and genuinely capable of success. When we lead with strengths, we open doors that deficit-thinking keeps firmly shut.

Argument Statement

Caroline Miller argues that neurodiversity should be understood not as a disorder to be corrected, but as a natural variation in how brains work. And that students thrive when their differences are recognized as strengths and their environments are shaped to support them.

Connections

After reading this article, I immediately thought of "Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit-Oriented Schools to Asset-Based Models" by Renkly and Bertolini, which we read earlier in the semester. Both texts are making the same essential argument: students do not need to be fixed. Whether we are talking about neurodivergent learners or students from marginalized communities, the research consistently shows that when educators identify and build on what students bring to the table, students are far more likely to grow and thrive. In the text it states that "everybody has strengths and everybody has things they're working on" which could have been pulled directly from Renkly and Bertolini's asset-based framework. Both texts challenge educators to shift their lens from what is wrong with a student to what is right, and to build their practice around that foundation.

Takeaways From: Rethinking Schools #2

Talking Points: 

“Teachers have been on the frontlines of building the struggle against ICE’s expanding cruelty. This should come as no surprise because an essential part of being an educator is caring about our students’ lives and the communities we serve.” (p.6) This quote stood out to me because it highlights how teaching goes far beyond delivering content. Educators are constantly putting their students first, often becoming advocates and voices for them when they have no one else. However, it also makes me think about the pressure placed on teachers. There is already so much emotional and mental exhaustion throughout the school year. Teaching is not something you can simply “clock out” of; it stays with you. I find myself thinking about my students constantly, even outside of school, hoping they are safe, cared for, and supported.

In the article LA Educators vs ICE, it argues that students cannot learn if they do not feel safe, which is completely true. “What matters as much as any credential or subject expertise is the human element of teaching.”  (p.10) This made me reflect on what the “human element” of teaching truly means. In my opinion, it includes care, empathy, curiosity, and creating a sense of comfort. Students who are living in fear, especially fear of being separated from their families, are unable to experience these elements. Without safety, learning cannot happen, which reinforces how critical it is for schools to be supportive and safe environments.

In the article, Recipes For Resistance, I really appreciated how it emphasized creating spaces of joy, even in difficult circumstances. It quotes, “Resistance can be home-made; its manifesto — a sacred recipe.” (p.17) Classrooms should be places where students feel safe, supported, and able to experience joy. While resistance is not easy, this idea suggests that it can be built through small, intentional actions. No student should have to face the level of fear and cruelty described in these articles, and educators play a role in pushing back against that reality. 

Overall Argument: These articles argues that educators must go beyond traditional teaching roles to actively create safe, supportive environments and advocate for students who are experiencing fear and injustice.

Connections:

While reading these articles, I kept thinking about the documentary Precious Knowledge, where teachers put their jobs and careers on the line to support their students. It is concerning that over 15 years later, educators are still facing similar challenges and continuing to advocate for their students in powerful ways. These readings also connect to the idea that teaching is deeply rooted in relationships and humanity, not just curriculum. Educators are responsible for fostering environments of safety, empathy, and belonging.

I also reflected on my own school community, which is very diverse. Reading these articles made me realize that I may not always be fully aware of what my students are experiencing outside of the classroom. The thought that my own students could be facing similar fears is unsettling, and it pushes me to become more aware and involved. It also connects to our teach-out project, which is meant to raise awareness about important issues within our own communities. These articles reinforce the importance of not only being informed, but also taking action when possible.

Takeaways From: Rethinking Schools

Teaching for Joy Article

Talking Points

Students need connections with what they are learning. These connections have to be meaningful to their own lives, whether the truth is hard or not. The editors of Rethinking Schools write that "we need to reject the need to be efficient in the classroom and instead take the time required to restore young people's fractured relationships with others" (p. 4). While I agree with this, I also believe we must find ways to be intentional and efficient while simultaneously building connections with our students. Having students share their own stories, for example, is a powerful classroom practice that not only builds community and cultural awareness, but also strengthens literacy and speaking skills at the same time. Efficiency and connection do not have to be enemies.

Joy does not equal happiness. As educators, we can be joyful even when we engage with and teach the harshest topics. The article discusses how exploring difficult subjects that include racism, injustice, struggle, eventually creates a sense of community and belonging, which ultimately leads to students feeling safe. In my blog posts, I often return to my educational psychology background and Maslow's hierarchy of needs because it is so relevant. Students must feel safety before they can reach their true learning potential. When we use the stories of history to explore how racism and resistance to racism have shaped the lives of people closest to our students, we foster a learning environment unlike any other.

This article offers so many ways to build a supportive, welcoming, and joyful classroom, even in the hardest of times. One of those ways is creating gender-affirming spaces for all students. Joy in the classroom is impossible without safety, and gender-expansive students cannot truly experience joy if they are not affirmed. As educators, we can honor students' pronouns, help families understand the gender spectrum, incorporate inclusive picture books, and above all, keep learning. As a cisgender woman, I will never fully know what it feels like to fight for my own existence when it comes to gender expression. However, I can use my role as an educator to be a voice of support for every student in my care.

Argument Statement

The article Teaching for Joy argues that reclaiming joy in the classroom is essential to both student well-being and genuine academic growth.

Connections

I frequently make connections between this course and the Educational Psychology course I am currently taking, as well as my own classroom experience, because both feel deeply alive in my life right now. For that course, I recently read Why Don't Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham, in which the author explains that students lack focus and motivation not because they are lazy, but because thinking is hard. He explains that curiosity only thrives under the right conditions, which many K–12 schools fail to provide. Think about us as graduate students: we are constantly curious and asking questions because we are emotionally invested in the story, connected to the meaning, and driven to understand the world around us. Willingham argues that engagement deepens when educators tap into principles like story, emotion, and memory. This connects directly to what Rethinking Schools is calling for. When educators build community, center students' lived experiences, and make learning feel meaningful, students become more curious, more present, and ultimately more capable learners. Both texts remind us that the conditions we create in our classrooms matter just as much as the content we teach.

The Teach Out Project: Proposal

CHOOSE A TEXT:

An article that has stayed with me and continues to inspire me is "Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit-Oriented Schools to Asset-Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools" by Shannon Renkly and Katherine Bertolini. In their article, Renkly and Bertolini argue that schools must shift their focus toward identifying and building upon students' strengths in order to support positive development. Too often, schools operate from a deficit model, which is emphasizing what students lack or the risks they exhibit, rather than adopting an asset-based approach that recognizes students' talents and competencies. To make this shift, school leaders must embed the asset model into the school's shared vision, model it with faculty and staff, and foster strong community-parent-school partnerships. Research consistently shows that supportive adults and positive relationships are among the most powerful asset-building tools available to young people. I frequently observe students being defined by what they lack rather than what they bring, and I believe sharing this text with my colleagues has the potential to open the eyes of others the way it opened mine.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH?

I would like to share this text with my colleagues and other teachers and faculty at my place of work. We all teach at the middle school level, which is a particularly critical time in adolescent development. Middle schoolers are still figuring out who they are, and the messages they receive from the adults around them during this period can have a lasting impact. As educators, we have the greatest influence over how students are seen and supported daily, and I believe this article could spark meaningful conversations about shifting our collective mindset toward a more strengths-based approach — one that helps our students feel recognized and valued during one of the most formative stages of their lives.

WHAT FORMAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU?

I plan to use two formats: pamphlets and individual interviews. The pamphlets would serve as an accessible, shareable summary of the article's key ideas, something colleagues could read at their own pace. The individual interviews would then allow me to have deeper, one-on-one conversations to gather their personal reactions and reflections, and to collect data (I LOVE DATA!) on how the asset-based model resonates within our specific school community.

Takeaways From: Policies

 Talking Points

After reading "Queering Our Schools", I started to think about my own school that I work at. My school currently has very few accommodations for students who don't conform to traditional gender identities, and I can't help but think about how isolating that must feel. Middle school is already one of the hardest seasons of life. Students are navigating friendships, academics, and deep questions about who they are, often all at once. When a school environment doesn't reflect or acknowledge a student's identity, that isolation compounds everything else they're already carrying. I find myself wondering: what would it look like if we made even small accommodations, inclusive language, visible representation? And how much safer and more welcomed students might feel in our community as a result? CHATGPT IMAGE

Before I begin about the PPSD policy, I do want to say I had a difficult time digesting it and had to reread it more than once. So, as an educator in Rhode Island it makes me wonder how many truly read these policies.... But anyways, in the Providence Transgender Nondiscrimination Policy: The Providence policy is clear that students have the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to their gender identity, and that no court order or official record change is required. This resonates deeply with my own teaching. At the beginning of this school year, I made it a point to go to each student individually and ask what they liked to be addressed by, quietly, privately, and without making it a big deal. It matters. I've also seen our school counselors do incredible work building genuine relationships with students, and I've had students go to guidance specifically to request a name or pronoun change and receive full support. That kind of trust between a student and a caring adult can be life-changing.

Lastly, the Rhode Island guidance document includes some heartbreaking statistics: transgender youth are significantly more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to their non-transgender peers. This is a reminder that inclusive school policies aren't just about fairness and following the rules, they are directly tied to student mental health and wellbeing. Schools need to be spaces where every student feels safe and seen, not just academically but as a whole person. When students don't have that, it shows up in their learning, their relationships, and their mental health. 

Argument Statement: 

These documents argue that creating truly safe and affirming schools for ALL students requires more than anti-bullying policies, it demands a systemic transformation of curriculum, school culture, and empathy.

Connections

Reading these texts alongside my current Educational Psychology class brought an immediate connection to mind, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow argued that human beings cannot reach higher levels of functioning, like learning, creativity, and growth, until their more basic needs are met first. Safety is one of those foundational needs. When I think about a student who is struggling with their gender identity in a school that offers no accommodations, no inclusive language, no visible support — I picture that student sitting in class, completely unable to focus on the lesson in front of them. They are carrying the weight of their own identity crisis, and the social and emotional pressures of just existing in that environment, and now they are falling behind academically too. And here is the hard truth: that is not the student's failure. That is ours. When we as educators do not build communities where every student feels safe and seen, we are the ones who have failed them. This is also where my own district falls short. While Cumberland has anti-discrimination protections in place, they do not go nearly as far as Providence's policy in terms of specifics, things like gender-neutral dress codes, preferred name use on diplomas and yearbooks, and a dedicated point team at every school to support gender expansive students. 

Takeaways From: The Silenced Dialogue

Talking Points: 

While reading about aspects of power and their relevance, the first point made me rethink something many educators, as well as myself, often overlook. "Issues of power are enacted in classrooms." (p. 24) Classrooms are not neutral spaces. Every decision about what to teach, how to teach it, and whose knowledge counts as valid is a reflection of power. The teacher holds power over students, publishers hold power over curriculum, and the dominant culture holds power over what gets defined as "correct."

Continuing with these aspects of power, the second and third aspects stood out to me as well. On page 25, Delpit writes that there are codes or rules for participating in power, and that there is a "culture of power." She explains that "the rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power." This resonated with me deeply because it reframes what we define as successful students. The students that are successful do not have a gap in intelligence or effort, but a gap in access to unspoken rules. Children from middle-class homes often come to school already knowing the codes because those codes were built around people like them. Children of color and children from working-class families are expected to figure them out on their own, or fail but quietly.

Another point from this text that I felt was important to discuss was on page 25, “if you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier." When implicit codes are attempted across numerous cultures, communication breaks down. It made me think that, in education, leaving children to “discover” rules that children of power already know at home is simply abandonment. By not sharing or teaching the rules to students who do not have the access to the codes, we as educators are leaving them out. I also believe that it is important to find the balance between learning and teaching the different codes, while still staying true to their own cultural identities. 

Argument Statement: Delpit argues that the "silenced dialogue" in education, where the voices and concerns of teachers and parents of color are dismissed or ignored which stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of power. Equitable education requires teaching students the codes of power while affirming the value of their own cultural identity. 

Connections: From a student perspective, I think about how many students, especially first generation college students, arrive in academic spaces without knowing the hidden rules: how to email a professor, how to participate in seminar discussions, what office hours are actually for. No one tells them explicitly because those "in the know" assume everyone already knows. And even when no harm is intended, it is still a code that some students are not aware of. Delpit makes the case that good intentions are not enough, and I think that challenge extends far beyond the K–12 classroom. 

As far as an educator standpoint, this reading made me think a lot about bias, something we talked about constantly throughout my undergrad. We were always pushed to examine our own biases, but I don't think I fully connected that work to power until reading now. If a teacher is unaware of their own biases, they are also likely unaware of the power they hold in the classroom. And that unawareness has real consequences. A teacher might unconsciously favor students who already speak, write, and behave in ways that mirror the culture of power, and interpret students who don't as less capable, less motivated, or as having behavior problems. Delpit shows us that this is not just a personal failing. It is embedded into systems and ideologies that well-meaning educators participate in without realizing it! That is what makes it so dangerous. You do not have to be an evil person to fail a student. You just have to be unaware. I honestly think that is the most uncomfortable takeaway from this reading.

Bias Article 1

Bias Article 2

Takeaways From: Shifting the Paradigm

Talking Points:

Throughout this reading, one point that stood out to me was the importance of modeling an asset-based approach not just for students, but for staff as well. "Asset focused expectations must be modeled with faculty and staff by identifying their assets to determine how they can contribute to the school and community" (p. 24). For the asset model to be incorporated into schools effectively, faculty must be encouraged to foster students' assets. But is this something that can realistically be done? Districts everywhere tend to focus on where students are not succeeding. Think about standardized test scores — specifically math RICAS data. In my own district, scores are broken down by standard, and feedback is centered on where students are the least successful. We spend so much time focusing on "at-risk" skills rather than the skills students excel at. While I appreciate the idea of the asset model in classrooms, I wonder how realistic it is to implement at the district level.

As a middle school teacher, the reading's emphasis on building assets during the middle school years gave me a lot to think about. The authors suggest that mentoring programs be put in place to provide students with a sense of community. In my own school, we use a system called "Check-in, Check-out" (CICO), which pairs students with a mentor figure and is designed to help redirect behaviors. Reading this made me wonder, what if a program like CICO focused more on students' strengths rather than their weaknesses? The structure is already there: students connect with a positive adult figure in the morning and at the end of the day, and are assessed on behavior, assignment completion, and respect. I'm not sure exactly how it could be reimagined, but I do wonder whether consistently focusing on what a student is not doing is doing more harm than good in the long run.

Finally, the reading’s note that students lose the most assets during the middle grades really resonated with me. "It is during the middle grades that students either launch toward achievement and attainment, or slide off track" (p. 25). As a middle school educator, I play a role in which path students take, even when I don't fully realize it. This is a reminder to be more intentional about asset modeling in my own classroom: highlighting student strengths, holding students to high expectations, and making sure that my students leave with more assets than they came in with, not fewer.

Argument Statement: Renkly and Bertolini argue that schools must focus on identifying and building up students' assets to support positive development.

Connections: Reading about the asset model immediately brought to mind the concept of the growth mindset. Mindsets are beliefs about intelligence and ability. A growth mindset holds that ability can improve with effort, while a fixed mindset sees it as stable and unchangeable. In my educational psychology graduate coursework,

growth mindset comes up often, and this passage from the reading felt like a direct reflection of it: "having high expectations for your students, convincing them that these expectations are attainable, helping them remove their fear of failure by encouraging them to fail forward, setting small and attainable goals, and celebrating successes" (p. 26). That is a growth mindset. If you haven't come across the concept before, click growth mindset and take a look at the image to the left. A growth mindset boosts motivation and achievement by orienting students toward learning and improvement. Children with a growth mindset see effort as a path forward, while those with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges out of fear of judgment. The asset model and growth mindset clearly go hand in hand, which makes me curious, did the authors of this reading have a growth mindset in mind, or is it simply a gap in their framework? Or maybe I was overthinking it, I'm still curious about the whole idea!