Lunch and Learn.

Over the years, the one thing that I’ve learned is that professional learning must be intentional and needs to be followed up in order to be truly effective. Since I was so passionate about working with our staff on Culturally Responsive Instruction, I was searching for a perfect way to follow up on our faculty meetings.

I was given an opportunity this year to be able to lead some faculty meetings after school geared towards Culturally Responsive Instruction, particularly addressing Implicit Bias. One thing that I was hesitant about was that I didn’t want our faculty and staff to view these as “just more meetings.”

The idea of Lunch and Learn was shared with me by a colleague last year and I’m so thankful for that! It’s pretty self explanatory. Learning takes place during lunch. In my faculty meeting presentation, I could tell that not everyone shared the same passion as me, but I still wanted to follow up with those that did. So I set up a Lunch and Learn that was NOT mandatory for the faculty and staff to attend. You know what? I still had a great turn out! Each month we meet and I provide the content and the dessert. Content has included videos, articles, and reviews. I try to avoid requiring the teachers to do too much reading, so I usually have them jigsaw the article and share out the information that they find important. Great discussion occurs during this time since it is more of an intimate setting and it’s “Vegas Rules”. The teachers have continued to come back each month and are enthusiastic. I also feel that it has helped with morale and gives us a sense of community because we are doing GREAT work for our students.

One of the greatest qualities about Lunch and Learn is that it is intentional and helps with follow up. Goals can be set to work on for the next month and reflection can occur at the next meeting. Lunch and Learn can be used for ALL content areas and/or school needs. If you decide to give it a try, I’d love to hear your experience with it.

A Relationship That Will Last a Lifetime.

2012 was a year of new beginnings. I was teaching in a new district and it was my first time to teach 5th grade Math. I was a bundle of nerves. Would I be able to teach the curriculum? Would I get along with the 5th grade team? How would the students act? Would they accept me? Would I even enjoy my new job?

In preparation for Meet the Teacher Night, I made sure that my room was set up phenomenally. I remember it vividly. I was going with a Yellow, Black and White Shabby Chic theme. Everything was in place….from the tubs full of supplies to the curtains hung in the windows to super straight bulletin board boarders (If you’ve ever decorated a classroom, you KNOW how important it is that everything that is hung is level and straight). I even had my class list printed out and began making name plates for the desks. I made one mistake – one that I’ll never do again.

Preconceived Notions

Since I was new to this campus, I asked about each of the students on the list in order to familiarize myself with them. I only wanted to know ahead of time who I should sit next to who in the seating chart. When I came to Ahmad’s name, the first reaction I saw was an eye roll. “He can be trouble. He won’t pass his STAAR test or come to tutoring. He gets off task. I don’t know how many office referrals he had. Good luck.” How was I going to deal with this? I was hesitant about the beginning of the school year. Ahmad already had a bad rep and he had not even started fifth grade! Ahmad did not show up for Meet the Teacher Night, so I was anxious about the first day of school. How was he going to act?

My Purpose

Have you ever felt that you have a specific purpose in life? I now know that I have more than one. Besides fulfilling the role of wife and mother in my family, I also know that I have a purpose in education. Over the years, it has become more pronounced. One valuable lesson that I learned in 2012 is to never “judge a book by its cover.” Ahmad was one of those students who was labeled a troublemaker and was just living up to the low expectations that were set for him. I had it figured out, though…. it’s all about building relationships. In order to teach Ahmad, I must reach Ahmad first, and build a relationship of trust and high expectations. It was my goal to make math his favorite subject and that he loves it.

How Did I Build a Relationship?

I’m going to be point-blank honest here. I was a Caucasian female teacher teaching at a predominantly Hispanic and African American Title 1 school. In fact, this school was considered the school with the lowest socio-economic level in the district. I didn’t have a lot in common with my students. This was the case with Ahmad. Every Friday, I had Lunch Bunch in my classroom. Each week I would alternate having lunch with the boys and the girls. I didn’t just sit at my desk on my computer. I ate with my students and got to know more about them. This was also a time when my students were learning basic manners and etiquette while e,ating – chewing with your mouth closed, waiting turns to talk, actively listening, cleaning up after themselves, etc. The students loved having this time because we played music…. I always found the “clean” version to play! One thing that I noticed about Ahmad right off was that he taller and more developed than the other boys in class. He was athletically gifted, and football was his main sport. I “played to his interests” when it came to my math instruction. For him to understand math concepts, I made it worth his while by using sports. I also established a classroom environment that supported more student talk and less teacher talk through Talk Moves. My students learned to respectfully agree or disagree with other points of view, add on to other students’ thoughts and reason and justify their own thoughts. Ahmad, along with his class,felt safe there. He was rarely any trouble. Sure, he made some bad choices (he was in 5th grade, after all), but nothing that we couldn’t work through. He was seeing the school’s Dyslexia Specialist and hated going. He skipped on several occasions and we’d butt heads when I’d find out. Reading was the more difficult subject for Ahmad and there were some struggles in math. Ahmad faithfully attended tutoring two days a week and was an active participant. I specifically remember an instance when Ahmad got in trouble in Specials and lied to me about it. When I found out that he lied, I pulled him into the hallway to talk about it. (He was big about not wanting others’ in his business.) I told him how let down I felt and that, “I couldn’t believe that you’d lie to me about this. Don’t you care at all at how you’ve made me feel?” This rough and tall young man burst into tears and cried like a baby. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Elam. I won’t do it again.” You know what? He never did. He understood that I had high expectations for him and that if he didn’t adhere to them there would be consequences. Ahmad never had an office referral that year. He also passed both of his STAAR tests and was a true leader in my room.

Moving On

The school year ended and at 5th grade Graduation, Ahmad was one of the most handsomely dressed students in my class. He cried as we hugged goodbye for the school year, but I knew in my heart that this wasn’t the last that I’d see of him. In middle school, he became one of the star athletes. I wasn’t surprised to hear that either. He was the fastest boy in the district at the 5th Grade Track Meet. I’d make occasional pop-ups over at the middle school to see Ahmad and other former students. I know how it is, though. When our students get older, they still care, but they aren’t into public displays of affection, like hugs. I’d just stand in the hallway, waiting for word to spread that I was in the building. Each time, I’d hear, “Miss Elam,” in that low(er) southern male voice and look up to see him bounding towards me (leaving some of the girls that would crowd around him). He always had a hug for me. I enjoyed attending his games outside of school as well. Ahmad played basketball in addition to football. As his height grew, so did his athleticism. Ahmad was a stud in football and the coaches at the high school knew it. He began playing Varsity Football as a sophomore and even got to suit out as a freshman during the Varsity playoff games. I cannot tell you the pride I’d feel when hearing his name over a loudspeaker. Currently, his football team will be playing in the State of Texas Class 5A Semi-Final Game this weekend.

New Position

Two years after Ahmad was in my homeroom, I took a new position as an Instructional Specialist in my district. I was not going to be at the school I was currently teaching at. It was a bittersweet time. I was worried that I’d lose contact with Ahmad and my other students. Therefore, it was so important to me to seek them out at their new schools occasionally and support them outside of school. One new buzz phrase that I became aware of in my new position was Culturally Responsive Instruction. What I realized was that this is why I had such a success rate in my three short years at my school. I just didn’t have a name to put on it. It was all about the relationships that were built, the trust and respect that were given and earned, and meeting my students on their turf.

I am now five years in with this new position. I must admit, within the last year or so, I have felt an emptiness and wish my strengths were utilized more. But, it’s hard to coach others to be more culturally responsive when they do not see it being as important as you do. It’s hard when there are other initiatives to set in place that are deemed more important. It’s hard to have a passion for something that you want to share, but you feel that others will just roll their eyes. I began to feel, “What is my purpose?”

My Purpose Take 2

This past Father’s Day, I received a message from Ahmad through social media.

It read, “You haven’t seen a picture of my baby, have you?”

I must admit, I was immediately heartbroken reading those words. He was just entering his Junior year of high school!

I only said, “What? I have not. Congratulations. Now…who is her mother?”

He told me that she was a year younger and that I did not know her. I asked if he was there when she was born and how was that experience.

“Interesting,” he said.

He followed it up with two pictures of him holding a beautiful baby girl with a head full of hair. She truly was magical, and I could tell how protective he was of her. I said to him,

“Promise me something. From this point forward, keep her face in your mind when you have to make decisions for the rest of your life.”

He said, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Happy Father’s Day,” I replied.

The Story Continues.

I was surprised that he reached out to share this with me, but I was so glad that he did. His daughter was obviously a big deal to him. This past weekend, my family and I attended his high school’s Quarterfinal Game. I was two rows up from the field and determined to show Ahmad that I was there. In one play, Ahmad stripped the ball from the opposing team’s Quarterback and recovered the fumble. It was a play that put the final “nail in the coffin” for the other team because it resulted in another touchdown (by a former student of mine as well) for Ahmad’s high school. As Ahmad walked to the bench after the turnover, I yelled, “Alright, “Ahmad!” He turned, looked directly at me, smiled and waved. At the end of the game, he found me standing next to the railing above the field. I was so high up, the we couldn’t properly hug, but we both reached out our arms to touch. I told him how proud I was of him. I held his face and said, “I love you very much. I’m so happy for you.” He immediately said his daughter was there at the game. He insisted that he find his girlfriend so that she could bring the baby to me. It was that important to him (and to me). As I held his baby girl in my arms and inhaled that sweet baby smell, I began to realize that I do have a purpose. I needed this moment. Despite feeling low this past year in aspects of my own professional career, I realized that I have made a difference. My purpose was to be put in Ahmad’s life…to believe in him, to motivate him, to support him, and to love him. I had the awesome opportunity to turn his thoughts about school around for him. All it takes is one teacher to make or break a student’s perception and motivation about school. What an awesome responsibility we have as educators!

So, thank you, Ahmad, for stamping a place in my heart. You’ve helped me just as much as I’ve helped you. Ahmad’s story is not over, by any means. He still has some football to be played, graduation to attend and continue his education. I just look forward to being along for the ride.

About Joya Elam

Joya graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood through 4th grade and from Grand Canyon University with a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. She also has certifications in English as a Second Language and K-6. On a professional level, Joya has had great success in working with students and teachers at Title One schools. She has organized and led Professional Learning Communities at the school level, as well as led professional development sessions involving Cultural Responsiveness at the school, district, and state level. She has had the fortunate opportunity to coach and co-teach with many wonderful educators over the past four years as a K-5 Math Instructional Specialist. Joya has developed curriculum, lessons, and instruction that helped teachers meet the needs of their diverse classroom of learners. Prior to her work as an Instructional Specialist, Joya taught 5th grade Math.

One particularly rewarding area of knowledge for Joya – and for the students and teachers she works with – is her desire to implement culturally responsive lessons, assessment, and instruction. She spends a large portion of her spare time reading and researching ways to inspire the teachers and administration she collaborates with to implement this meaningful instruction. In addition, one of Joya’s many strengths is her ability to build relationships with the students, parents, teachers, and administration that she works with. Joya believes that the key to lifelong learning starts with relationships and trust. Once this is established, learning can begin! The best feeling in the world is seeing the “A-ha” moments that students have in their learning, and she looks forward to being involved in the same educational journey with your student.
Joya facilitates the Facebook group Culturally Responsive Instruction. Please request to join. Also, please consider following her on Instagram at Love_Instruct_Teach and on Twitter at @JoyaElam.