Monday, March 29 – Passover Reflections

Dear Colleagues:

Chag sameach! Saturday at sundown marked the beginning of Passover, a holiday whose connections to liberation, spring, and, of course, family resonate even more for me this year. Passover celebrates the Jews' emancipation from enslavement to the Egyptians, and throughout the Seder – the traditional meal – Jews are reminded of the less fortunate among us: those who have not yet achieved emancipation, those that are hungry, those who are alone. Considering, through the lens of Passover, current conversations about structural inequities, hate crimes, and how to amplify the voices of the disenfranchised was a powerful experience for me. We are all still processing the hateful incidents that happened on our campus and in Atlanta that targeted a member of the LGBTQ+ community and Asian Americans. See the DEIJ section below for some resources that might help shape our thinking for how to move forward.

The centrality of Passover's connection to spring is symbolized by two items on the Seder plate: Karpas, the green vegetable, which represents hope and renewal, and Beitza, the hardboiled egg, which represents the circle of life and death. This spring will afford the opportunity for LC teachers to focus on three of my favorite things: pedagogy, the environment, and our beautiful campus. As Marley announced in Friday's faculty meeting, the Kravis and Alvord Centers are partnering on the Earth Month Design Challenge. See below for related resources.

One Covid survival technique that I hope to continue is my daily recording of gratitude. I add two to three items to a list on my phone every day. High on my list this weekend were the ability to celebrate Passover with my parents, especially after last year's Zoom Seder, and Saturday's beautiful spring weather. As we slowly emerge from the long Covid winter, I hope that all of you will be able to safely enjoy the company of family and friends and take advantage of the warmer temperatures.

Rachel, on behalf of the Kravis Center

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DEIJ Resources:

The article "Moving from Diversity to Justice" (nais.org) explains the importance of including the lens of justice in this work, which is why one often sees the letter "j" attached to DEI.

The "Disrupting Whiteness in the Classroom" episode of the Harvard EdCast podcast discusses how educators can avoid reproducing racist ideas in their classrooms.

The "Screams and Silences" episode of the Code Switch podcast deals with anti-Asian racism and stresses the importance of empathizing with the most vulnerable in our society.

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Earth Month Design Challenge Resources

Gratia Lee has collaborated with most of the teachers mentioned below (and probably many others who are not mentioned!) about bringing their classrooms outside. Gratia is an amazing resource and is happy to either help get you started on using the outdoors as a classroom or to brainstorm any ideas that you already have.

Reach out to Gratia and/or the following teachers who have already taken on this challenge: Neil Chaudhery (Adv Bio); Sara Deveaux (French); Dan Dowe (English); Ned Heckman (CL Enviro); Rachel Nisselson (French); Stu Remensnyder (Stats); Andrew Watson (Literature of the Environment)

Please complete this Interest Form if you would like to pursue this opportunity.
The Alvord Center Engaged Citizenship Matrix provides a framework for building your lesson
Marley's PowerPoint from Friday's Faculty Meeting
What is Place-based Education

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Summer PD opportunities

Sign up here for Canvas training Cohort B or C.

Upcoming PF: CAIS: Lies My Teacher Told Me & How to Avoid Them - A Workshop for Educators

March 30, 2021 (tomorrow!): 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Do you want to learn how to direct your students to discover Native American history in your community? Are you interested in organizing primary source documents to help your students understand the contributions enslaved people made in your colonial community? Do you want to have students explore the legacies of slavery and broaden their understanding of the systemic racism incorporated in Connecticut's Redlining and Sundown Town policies?

If you are interested in learning more about the neuroscience of teaching and learning or Mind, Brain, and Education science:

Learning and the Brain Summer Institutes (various dates, depending upon interest)
The CTTL Summer Academy, July 26-29, 2021

Helping Teachers Grade More Equitably (various dates available)

The Catalyst Conference | GOA (globalonlineacademy.org), April 22-26, 2021

The Institute for SEL

For Individuals & Small Teams | PBLWorks: You can attend as an individual or as a team. If you are interested in attending with a group, let Sara know.

Fellowships — Athena (teachathena.org), Research sharing, Collaboration, and Professional Development