GOAT Educators

“Willfully defiant” is a term used to criminalize Black students for the way that they express themselves when the teacher takes offense.

Know this, Black students will challenge educators when they believe they are being treated unfairly or don’t understand the lesson that’s being taught.

That is not being “willfully defiant,” it’s advocating for themselves.

The key here is to get out of your feelings and actually listen to what the student is trying to express without feeling attacked.

Too many Black students are being pushed out of school for advocating for themselves.

For information on how trauma shows up in school and functional strategies to teach your most vulnerable students...

Book Reverse the Adverse Online Training for your district, school, or organization....

👉🏽Link in my bio.

It’s that time of year. You know it. I know it. All educators do. 📚
What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing at the moment? Budget cuts? Tight timelines? Unrealistic expectations?
Put all of that aside for a second. Carve out a minute to remind yourself that judging students on first impressions, let alone students dealing with trauma that impacts every area of their lives, is a bad start for everyone.
Just something to think about. 🔔

If you want to see an improvement in your classroom, focus on building relationships...

True learning comes after that.

Comment 🎯 if you agree.