June 2022 Teach Plus IL Newsblast No images? Click here From Teach Plus Illinois Our message this month is from Kristen Ciciora, our Senior Director of Instructional Programs, reflecting on the mass shooting that happened just weeks ago in Uvalde, TX. She wrote a version of this story four years ago in the wake of the Parkland shooting. It’s unconscionable that nothing has changed in our country. ***** On frequent, albeit sporadic, occasions, I can vividly remember rushing to pull my classroom door shut, to turn off the lights, and to herd all of my high school students to the floor on the side of the classroom away from the door. My first school called these drills "internal threat" and my second school called them "lockdown." They were active shooter drills. Sometimes they told us it was a drill beforehand, but most of the time they did not. At my first school, the head of security (who really wanted to be a law enforcement detective) would run around the halls, banging on doors, and trying to see if poor unsuspecting teachers or students would open the door for "the bad guy." Although I mostly saw these as an annoyance (we were missing valuable learning time, you know), I'll never forget the time a girl started crying on the floor in the dark in my classroom. One of her loved ones had just been shot and killed the week before. This was the more ubiquitous type of gun violence that haunted us on a more frequent basis. One of my students, Chuy, was killed on his front lawn. As long as I live, the sound of Chuy's mom sobbing as we lowered his casket into the ground will be etched in my memory. For teachers everywhere, gun violence affects us and our students. The tragedy in Uvalde school has deeply shaken me and everyone I know, the same way Parkland and Sandy Hook did. As we have debates about guns on the national level, what role can we play as educators to facilitate these discussions and continue to elevate our students' voices? Here are a few resources that I found that may be of use to you in your classroom--Chalkbeat’s Gun violence, grief, and trauma: A resource guide for students, teachers, and parents, Learning for Justice's, When Bad Things Happen, the National Association of School Psychologists’ Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers, and Education World's Gun Control in America Student Discussion Guide. Thank you for the work that you do every day with our students supporting them even in the most difficult times. Warmly, Teach Plus IL in the News Raising Awareness on #RacismFreeSchools Campaign on Peoria's Local TV News Station Illinois Policy Fellow Madeline Wood and Illinois Policy Manager Bill Curtin appeared on Peoria's local TV news station, addressing the need for racism-free schools. “We’ve drafted a bill, and we’ve shared it with both legislators, and we have about a dozen lawmakers in support, and we also built a coalition of education organizations,” said Curtin. "The ultimate goal of the bill is to provide the same kind of protection of sexual harassment for victims of racial harassment, including clear definitions, so everybody knows what is and what is not okay,” said Wood. Watch the segment or read the story here. Madeline Wood, Illinois Policy Fellow Bill Curtin, Illinois Policy Manager Fellow Highlights Illinois Policy Fellows Discuss Culturally-Responsive Pedagogy with ISBE Illinois Policy Fellows Maria Onaindia, Emily Leinss, Marcanthony Martinez, and Briana Morales met with ISBE Board Chairman Darren Reisberg and ISBE Executive Director of Teaching & Learning Jennifer Kirmes about providing opportunities for current educators to develop their skills in culturally responsive pedagogy. Illinois Policy Fellows Share Preliminary Findings and Recommendations on Recruiting Students of Color into the Profession Illinois Policy Fellows Stephanie Cordero Gonzalez and Marcanthony Martinez shared their preliminary findings and recommendations about how to better recruit high school students of color into the profession with a group of education stakeholders organized by Advance Illinois. Opportunities Math and Science Teachers Needed in Bunker Hill School District Teach Plus IL alumna Shonda Ronen, a principal in the Bunker Hill school district, is looking for high school math and science teachers. Bunker Hill is just 20 minutes from Edwardsville and SIUE, and not far from St. Louis. If interested, contact her directly at sronen@bhcusd.org. ELA, Social Studies, and P.E Teachers Needed at Memorial Junior High School Teach Plus IL alumna Jennifer Hartman, currently the Assistant Principal at Memorial Junior High School in Lansing, IL, is looking for 2 ELA teachers, a Social Studies teacher, and likely 2 PE teachers. If you're interested, apply here. Improving Learning Conditions: Recommendations from the Illinois Student Advisory Council Over the last year, the 2021–22 Illinois Student Advisory Council has worked tirelessly to develop recommendations to the Illinois State Board of Education on learning conditions across the state. Specifically, the SAC developed recommendations related to the social and emotional needs of students, student safety and well-being, and professional development for teachers on implicit bias. Apply to the Aspire Fellowship Applications for the Aspire Fellowship close June 19th! The Aspire Fellowship is a 10-month program designed to support teachers of color seeking to enter a principal certification program in the next two years. The fellowship is a joint effort between the UIC Ed.D. Program in Urban School Leadership and Teach for America Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana. Learn more about the fellow experience by watching this video featuring two Aspire alumni. The Aspire Fellowship will run from August 2022 - May 2023. For more information, please reach out to Dr. Cynthia Barron ckbarron@uic.edu or Kate San Juan at kate.sanjuan@teachforamerica.org. Please note that while this program is co-sponsored by TFA, applicants do not need to be a TFA alum. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) 2021 State of Preschool Report NIEER’s State of Preschool 2021 Yearbook covers the first school year fully impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yearbook authors Allison Friedman-Krauss and W. Steven Barnett were joined by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice in a briefing, shared in this video-recorded session. Preschool parent Katie Walden of North Carolina also shared her story illuminating why preschool matters. The current Yearbook illustrates how the pandemic intensified long-standing problems in early childhood education (ECE). It wiped out a decade of progress increasing enrollment in public programs. Recommendations are made for every state to move forward with universal programs or to reach all children in low-income families. Advocate for Federal Supports for Early Childhood Education There is a new federal proposal for reconciliation that includes a couple of child care pieces. Although Illinois federal legislators are supportive of early childhood, it would be great for them to hear support. Take action by reaching out to your senators today! Good Reads Gun violence, grief, and trauma: A resource guide for students, teachers, and parents "School shootings, domestic terrorism, war, community violence. These intense and unsafe situations can trigger stress, trauma, and even secondhand trauma in children, which adults must often help them unpack. After reviewing dozens of websites, Chalkbeat curated a list of some helpful tips for parents, caregivers, and educators." Read the list here. |