Micromanaging vs. Trust
Newsletter #62
Systems to Change
What I wish is that teachers could be trusted to teach. Give us the freedom and flexibility to engage students in true work flow and adjust to their needs as they shift day to day, hour to hour. Not be so rigid in minute to minute schedules for each subject when the reality of teaching is that we are working with a group of other humans. As humans, we have emotions that can be affected by the choices the other humans in the classroom make.
Creating a community of empathy means we ought to address those needs as they arise. Will our lesson plans shift too? Yes, and that should be a good thing. But in the current system, sometimes these changes are viewed as not meeting expectations. There can be a very superficial way to recognize what is happening in a classroom.
Perhaps, the focus should include less of these superficial expectations that overlook the deeper understandings a teacher has of their students. Instead, more realization that each teacher has different styles and reasons behind all the hundreds of small decisions made moment to moment as well as those created over the months of the school year.
Not every student must be speaking to a partner to engage in work; this values extroversion and undermines thoughtful introversion. Not every student needs to be outwardly performing at every moment; this negates the processing time that some students need before writing something on paper and this neurodivergence ought to be respected.
When there is a culture of micromanagement that zeroes in on the nitty-gritty, we can easily miss the fuller, whole child education that students are receiving. The soft skills that they will take with them into their limitless futures.
Book Report: SEEKER OF TRUTH: KAILASH SATYARTHI’S FIGHT TO END CHILD LABOR
Written by Srividhya Venkat
Illustrated by Danica da Silva Pereira
“Freedom is non-negotiable” is boldly displayed on the forearm of Kailash Satyarthi on the title page of this book, setting the tone for the justice that he helps promote. I enjoyed the many threads that flow throughout the book, including the “Little by little. Drop by drop,” refrain that emphasizes how small steps can create big impact. The author Srividhya invites young readers to think about their own lives as she shows Kailash questioning his world as a child: Why are their lives so different from my own? Why aren’t all people given respect? What can I do? These questions lead him to take important action for others, giving us an inspirational story about one person’s thoughts leading the way to change child labor laws in India and across over 100 countries. The illustrator’s earthly color palette and loose, sweeping line work bring much cultural details to life and help readers nagivate the environment in which Kailash took action. Besides the informative back matter that includes information about child labor and the caste system, the last quote emphasizes the importance for fighting for freedom when Kailash says, “My only aim in life is that every child is free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat, sleep, and see daylight, free to laugh and cry, free to play and learn, free to go to school, and above all, free to dream.”
Themes: justice, courage, equality, rights, love and acceptance
Discussion Ideas:
Why do you think Kailash emphasizes the freedom for children to dream? How can those ideas mold our future?
Kailash is described as confident, persistent, and tireless. How might these traits be helpful as you pursue your own dreams?
Mentor Text For:
metaphor
character traits
civil rights
refrain
sequence of events
Link to Teacher Resources: Teaching Guide, Coloring Page 1, Coloring Page 2
Buy the book!
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Weekly Progress Report
This is a section for “stuff I did” that relates to my writing career. I believe in celebrating all wins, big and small alike.
revised a newer story and sent it to 2 critique groups
made 3 different dummies to explore story arc possibilities for the biography
met with other Regional Team members across the country
researched comp titles at a book store for one of my stories
requested a meeting with my agent
Sending you courage and grace in all you choose to do,
Susan