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.
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
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.
I really like how you push back on the idea that connection and efficiency can’t coexist. Your example of students sharing their own stories is a great reminder that meaningful practices can actually do multiple things at once, like build community while also strengthening academic skills. That feels like a practical way to live out what Rethinking Schools is calling for without losing structure in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteYour point about joy not being the same as happiness also stood out. It’s easy to assume that difficult topics take away from a positive classroom environment, but you make a strong case that they can actually deepen it when students feel safe and seen. Bringing in Maslow here makes a lot of sense because it highlights how essential that sense of safety and belonging really is for learning to happen.
I also appreciate how you connect this to your educational psychology course. The idea that curiosity depends on the right conditions ties everything together. When students feel connected, supported, and emotionally invested, they are much more willing to engage, even with challenging material.
Hi Giana, I found this post entirely relatable and made me reflect on my own practices. You make the clear statement that connection is key to the success of any classroom. If students don't feel like you are establishing the relationships with them you begin to lose them. I am unsure if this is the shift I have currently felt with students. I am wondering if I have disconnected from them recently. I plan to ask students to update me on what is going on in their lives after this long weekend. I think our classroom needs a reset. For the last months in order to engage students, connections need to be at the forefront and that should always be the case. I think this will bring that sense of "joy" that we all strive for in our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteHi Giana! Thank you for sharing your reflections! Your reflections really made me think about my own practice as well. I appreciate the visual you added about happiness and joy as well. We can choose joy and pause to look around us to see all the positives happening in our classrooms and intentionally build relationships with all students although it can sometimes be easier said than done when our brains are wired to respond to what might be difficult or challenging right away.
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