Saying "Goodbye!" or Making the Change by Andrea Floyd

 

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance."

Nathaniel Branden

Years ago, I said "goodbye!" to my fear of swimming and all things related to aquatic life.  In doing so, I changed my life.  I now have a new favorite activity!  If I had not taken a chance to make a change in my life, I would not know how much I love kayaking!  

The same thing might be true for my venture into blogging.  I had never seriously considered blogging prior to this semester,  To me, blogging was for people who had a lot of free time on their hands.  I do not have a lot of free time, nor do I care about sharing every thought that pops into my mind.  This semester has caused me to rethink why I might become a blogger.  

I have become passionate about becoming more aware of racism and social inequities in America.  Within my circle of influence, I hope to be able to facilitate a safe place for others to also become more aware of these topics.  The world in which we live needs to change.  As Americans become more aware of the historic inequities that have negatively affected and marginalized groups of people, I hope we will accept our roles and responsibilities to make necessary changes.  

If I ever become a blogger, it will be done to promote anti-racism and making America more equitable.  I will share my personal experiences with inequity.  I will also share stories from my family and my students.  I will post primary sources that reveal the historic inequities in American history.  All of this and more will be incorporated in my blog as a way to make people aware and bring about a necessary change in the way we operate as a society.  

So, am I saying "Goodbye!" to blogging?  I am stepping away for a season, but I will return, better equipped to face the tasks and make meaningful change.  

I will see you soon! 

Curating a Museum of Equity Awareness by Mrs. Floyd

 

As I reviewed the many lesson ideas from our assignments and those that I have seen on the discussion boards of my peers, I have chosen to have my students curate an Equity Awareness Pinterest board & reflective blog (remember to read the notes on the board).

Sadly, our world has been inundated with inequitable events.  My students will need to make themselves more aware of the historic lack of equity in order to learn from it and make the necessary changes. 

I have chosen to incorporate the popular Pinterest platform into my lesson.  Each item students collect becomes part of their curated collection. 

VR as a MEANS to Teach Equity Awareness

Since March of 2020, most of us have heard the phrase "We're all in the same boat."  I believe we have all seen instances that prove this statement was untrue.  We may have all been in the same storm, but we were not all in the same boat.  Some people had yachts, some had row boats, and some were drowning without a boat.  

Equity Awareness is a topic that also seems to affect people in different ways.  If you are in the majority, you may not be aware of the need for equity awareness.  People in marginalized groups in our population have had to face topics related to inequity on a regular basis.  Using technology tools, such as VR and AR, to instruct about topics related to equity awareness could make the topic more manageable for some students.  Touring the Smithsonian museums is a great way to incorporate primary sources into a lessons about equity or, sadly, inequity in America.  A virtual tour of the African American History and Cultural Museum offers a collection of artifacts that provide insight into the life of African Americans.  It also provides a counter story that is not available in most history courses in schools.