The 1-5-15 Bulletin

The purpose of the 1-5-15 is to offer quick notes on relevant educational topics. My sincere hope is that whether you have 1, 5, or 15 minutes that this bulletin and the content within it will have an impact on you and your classroom. Furthermore, I hope that the topics shared spur further conversation with your scholars and colleagues.

Feel free to email me directly if you would like to talk more about a specific topic shared this week at robert.sahli@spps.org.

Enjoy!

Is it strange that I fail so often I no longer think of them as failures but rather as stepping stones to my goal? ~ from @DennisDill

This week's 5 minutes comes from teachingtolerance.com, shared with me by @teachnrun. The post is called "Don't say nothing", and is dedicated to the importance of teachers be open and willing to have conversations with students about race. Toward the end of the post, the writer offers a few practical ways for teachers to incorporate the conversations into classroom units.

As a white educator, I cannot stay silent on the issue of race and institutionalized racism. I refuse to stay silent and allow my students to equate silence with ignorance or dismissiveness. Every opportunity I get to engage students in conversations about race, I do and will continue to do so.

I strongly encourage you to do the same!

Here's the article: Don't Say Nothing by Janilah Pitts

This week I'm sharing two links that I believe complement each other very well. They both speak to the power of the scholar's voice and how it can change teacher practices if the educator is willing to listen!

The first is a podcast from @jonharper70bd and his guest @mraspinall. Brian Aspinall shares how he moved from compliance to letting go and how it made a big impact on the creativity of his scholars. The less he controlled, the more his class showed they could do!

Here's the podcast: I Smothered Student Passion: It Was My Way or the Highway

The second is a blog from @SeanAThom. Sean writes about how he had made some intentional changes in his personal life, hoping it would have a positive impact on his professional life. What he realized is that he was controlling too much and shutting down scholar voice and participation, which caused a discord with his scholars.

Here's the post: The Grumpy Teacher

Thanks for reading The 1-5-15 Bulletin!

Email: robert.sahli@spps.org
Website: http://frombehindmydesk.blogspot.com/
Location: Saint Paul, MN, United States
Phone: 651-744-3894
Twitter: @RobSahliAP