Summit offers tools to cultivate courage and care in school
As Naza Nwala approached her eighth-grade graduation ceremony, she had a beautiful speech prepared but not the confidence to deliver it.
So her 7th grade English teacher, Tiffany Martin, took Nwala to the school auditorium at Jefferson Leadership Academy to practice. If Nwala’s voice faded, Martin had her start over. If her cadence faltered, Martin had her start over again.
The result?
“It went amazing,” Nwala said of the speech she gave on graduation day. “I felt so empowered. I was so happy.”
Nwala, now a junior at McBride High School, told that story to hundreds of local teachers, counselors, administrators and other educators at the 4th annual CSU Center to Close the Opportunity Gap Educators Summit at Cal State Long Beach last Friday.
Nwala’s example of a teacher’s power to inspire confidence in his or her students fit with this year’s theme, “Rooted in Resilience: Cultivating Educator Courage and Care.” Speakers including two California Teachers of the Year shared strategies for helping PK-12 schoolchildren persevere through their challenges while also tending to their own well-being.
“Our goal is for you to leave this summit feeling inspired, feeling better equipped with the tools and ideas you need to go back to your jobs,” CSULB College of Education Dean Anna Ortiz told the audience.
Keynote speaker Bridgette Donald-Blue, the 2023 California Teacher of the Year, described how shining light on other people can inspire belonging, pride and persistence.
She talked of greeting students with a heartfelt, “Good morning, Sam. I’m glad you’re here!” She spoke of a 4th grade boy who beamed with pride as his Spanish-speaking father, at Donald-Blue’s invitation, came to class in shirt and tie to teach her students a unique way of doing math.
And she described the lasting impact of her grandmother’s eyes lighting up every time she saw her.
“Part of the reason I work so hard and part of the reason that I’m so tenacious in my spirit is that I never, ever want to dim the light from her eyes, even in heaven,” Donald-Blue said.
“Just for a moment, I want you to consider: Who can you do that for? Is it a student? Is it a friend? Is it another teacher? Perhaps even a parent? … Think about what that does to a person, how it shifts their very soul. Can you be that for someone? Can you show them their brilliance reflected in your beaming light, the light of your eyes?”
PHOTO GALLERY: Images from the Educators Summit
A panel of high school and college students shared stories of educators helping them navigate academic and personal challenges including the death of an older brother, general lack of confidence and motivation, and a professor’s unwillingness to make accommodations for her newly diagnosed autism.
Jessica King, a creative writing and world literature major at Cal State Long Beach, praised her university disability counselor for giving her the first dose of optimism following that autism diagnosis.
“She just said, ‘OK, let’s work through this,’” King recalled. “She was the first person to show me that being autistic was OK, and that I didn’t have to drop out of school and consider, you know, spiraling into self-harm."
Summit breakout sessions covered topics including fostering inclusive classroom environments; creating thriving school climates and cultures; and teaching lessons about identity and intersectionality in elementary school through culturally representative books.
During one session, education consultants Hulya Odabas and Jordan Vargas highlighted ways teachers can identify and leverage students’ inherent strengths and cultural backgrounds to create culturally responsive and sustaining lessons.
They shared a bingo game with questions about students’ family traditions, cultures and beliefs. Questions included family food traditions, family attitudes toward crying and favorite family games.
When kids answer the questions, it reveals what “funds of knowledge” they bring to class, makes them feel seen and valued, and fosters community engagement, Vargas said.
“When a student sees themselves reflected in an activity, in a curriculum piece, they have buy-in and they have voice,” said Vargas, a former teacher. “It matters. It goes a long way.”
Zereen Ahmed, an English credential student at CSULB, came to the Summit hoping for some extra professional development before she starts student teaching 11th and 12th grade English at La Mirada High School this fall.
She said she learned a lot about the importance of humanity in education, both tuning into students’ well-being and taking care of one’s own.
“When we take care of their social and emotional needs, when we take care of our own social and emotional needs, everyone can be successful in the classroom,” Ahmed said.
