TR@TC Induction and Beyond I Monthly Newsletter I February 2021

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Subject: TR@TC Induction and Beyond I Monthly Newsletter I February 2021

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Induction and Beyond

February 2021 I Monthly Educator Resources

A message from TR@TC...

February is many things in the world of education:

It is the second month of the second quarter of the school year
It is around the time in which teachers prepare summative assessments that will inform them about their students' progress and readiness for the upcoming spring exams and/or PBATs
It is a time in which schools may be flooded with hearts, balloons, and all manner of Valentine's Day decorations (or GIFs and virtual backgrounds)

February is also Black History Month, and while we agree that it is important to celebrate black culture and contributions this month, we also believe that it is important to amplify black voices and accomplishments all year long. As Teach For The Culture shared in a recent Instagram post, it is also our duty to communicate that "black history did not begin with slavery." As educators, we can help to disrupt this single-story by creating curriculum that includes a diverse representation of the many accomplishments of African Americans, within every content area, throughout the school year.

To that end, in the following we offer resources that will help you build cultural competence, while also enriching your pedagogy and supporting your mental and physical health. We also encourage you to share this newsletter and resources with your colleagues, and to invite your students, and their families, to participate in the variety of wellness workshops shared below.

Yours in appreciation,

Julissa Diloné

TR@TC Induction

Special Announcements

APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER 2021 ARE OPEN!!!

The Teaching Residents @ Teachers College program is actively recruiting the new cohort for the Summer 2021 semester.

Applications Due on March 15th

For more information, email teaching.residents@tc.columbia.edu or visit our website to apply.

APPLY

LET US SUPPORT YOUR SEARCH!

School Leaders: Email us your teacher vacancies for next year at teaching.residents@tc.columbia.edu with "Teacher Vacancy" in the subject line.

Teachers: Visit our job opportunities page to view new postings weekly.

Raising Consciousness

BLACK LIVES MATTER: A YEAR OF PURPOSE, A LIFETIME OF PRACTICE

RSVP

Tune in LIVE on February 10th at 12pm PST/3pm EST for Combating Oppression with Radical Self-Love: How Loving Our Bodies Unapologetically Can Change The World with Sonya Renee Taylor, author of The Body is Not An Apology.

Click here to register (Sliding Scale)

Fri, February 19, 2021

12:30 PM – 3:30 PM EST

"...introduction to our signature Learning Partnership framework and draws from the work of our colleague Zaretta Hammond (author of Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain). Moving from “big picture” conversations about equity to effectively changing classroom practices can be a big hurdle for schools, districts and the individuals who make up those organizations..."

Wed, April 28, 2021

12:30 PM – 3:30 PM EDT

Implementing racial affinity structures is a strategy for implementing racial justice throughout organizational structures, cultures, and programs. This workshop explores National Equity Project’s AAA (Alone, Affinity, Alliance) Affinity Protocol, which draws from the work of Greg Peters at San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools (SF-CESS)...

Wed, May 26, 2021

12:30 PM – 3:30 PM EDT

This workshop explores how advances in neuroscience are helping us to understand bias – how it is formed, how it “sticks” in our consciousness, it’s role in individual, institutional and structural oppression, and what we can do about it....

Mindful Allyship: An Intro Course for

Heart-felt Racial Healing

4-Week Introductory Course

First in a series of offerings for Racial Healing Allies

February 9 - March 2, 2021

3:30PT, 5:30CT, 6:30ET

Sharing Credits: Zarretta Hammond CRT Newsletter

Induction Spotlight

This post is a little late (2020 kept us busy), but it's never too late to reflect on how far we've come, and all that TR@TC Alumni have accomplished. This year, we are looking forward to reconnecting with graduates from TR@TC1 (Classes of 2010-2014), and learning more about their pedagogical endeavors. This month, we are thrilled to include updates from two graduates, Tania Mohammed and Olivia Drabczyk, Class of 2013.

If you are a graduate from Cohorts 1 through 4, and would like to connect with us, please email us at teaching.residents@tc.columbia.edu, with "Newsletter Connection" in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you!

Tania Mohammed, winner of the Pulitzer Center Teaching Fellowship for Arts, Journalism, and Justice! You can check out her unit on Photo stories that explore the challenges that Black Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants face in the United States by clicking here.

My name is Olivia Drabczyk. I was a member of TR@TC and graduated in 2013 from one of the earlier Secondary Inclusive Education cohorts. Since then, I have remained in the NYCDOE as a teacher, trainer, and mentor. Like all of you reading, I have worked tirelessly to also always be an advocate. For our students, for their families, and for our fellow teachers and school staff. When becoming a mother brought me back to Staten Island, it took some time to reimagine how all of that looked in a different context than we'd been prepared for. Although I believe deeply in the power of the changes and impacts we each make in the classroom, this section will be about the ways we stretch ourselves beyond them. Into spaces of discomfort, and disappointment, but above all of activism and change.

Olivia is running for City Council District 51, in Staten Island, and will be contributing to a new section of our monthly newsletter (Teacher as Activist), beginning in March of 2021. If you are a TR@TC graduate who is engaging their students in activism or participating in specific social movements related to education and equity, we would love to hear from you!

Teacher Grant Opportunities

LAST CALL FOR ALUMNI GRANT APPLICATIONS! We are thrilled to announce another year of TR@TC Alumni Grants! Please email jad2222@tc.columbia.edu with subject line: Alumni Grant Inquiry, to learn more about how you can take advantage of this funding. FUNDING WILL CLOSE ON MARCH 15TH, 2021

Curriculum Planning Tools

From the desk of Christian Wu, our in-house Educational Technology Guru. In addition to completing his Doctoral studies, Christian has been hard at work developing a variety of resources for teachers who want to integrate technology in the classroom. Click here to access his extensive list of tech tools. We will repost this resource monthly, as it is a live document, and will be updated periodically.

This groovy educational song and music video was shared by Teaching Artist, Harold Simmons, along with a downloadable coloring sheet for students. You may also purchase a full lesson plan and quiz to support with teaching about the women featured in the song.

Harold Simmons is a Bronx based music artist and teaching artist with Dreamyard and Building Beats. He is open to suggestions for future topics. Connect with him: hsimmons@dreamyard.com - @fyutch
dreamyard.com - twitter - facebook - instagram

Teaching for Black Lives grows directly out of the movement for Black lives. We recognize that anti-Black racism constructs Black people, and Blackness generally, as not counting as human life. Throughout this book, we provide resources and demonstrate how teachers connect curriculum to young people’s lives and root their concerns and daily experiences in what is taught and how classrooms are set up. We also highlight the hope and beauty of student activism and collective action.

Source: Rethinking Schools

Teaching a People’s History of Abolition and the Civil War is a collection of 10 classroom-tested lessons on one of the most transformative periods in U.S. history. These lessons encourage students to take a critical look at the popular narrative that centers Abraham Lincoln as the Great Emancipator and ignores the resistance of abolitionists and enslaved people.

The collection aims to help students understand how ordinary citizens with ideas that seem radical and idealistic can challenge unjust laws, take action together, pressure politicians to act, and fundamentally change society.

Source: Rethinking Schools

Teaching through the 6 Elements of Social Justice - This resource came to us via our partners at Montclair State University, and we hope you'll take a moment to click here and learn more about how you can integrate the 6 elements of social justice into every content area, at any age.

Building Forum Scenes Online

Dates: 8 sessions beginning March 8, 2021 ending April 1, 2021

Time: Mondays & Thursdays, 5p - 7:30p EST. Location: Zoom

Facilitators: This online training will be co-facilitated by a team of jokers led by Liz Morgan

Whether you’re an experienced Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner looking for ways to adapt in-person techniques to a digital performance platform or you’ve never taken any training in Forum Theatre, this workshop is for you!

This (Re)Introduction to Forum Theatre is for community organizers, artists and engaged community members who plan to apply Forum Theatre to engage groups in action towards social change. Participants will experience TONYC's process of creating forum troupes and engaging spect-actors in online Forum Theatre. This training will share brand new content that TONYC is using in video and audio rehearsals.

During the workshop, participants will build and perform Forum Theatre scenes. This includes playing our Zoom-adapted Theatre of the Oppressed games; telling and choosing stories of oppression; asynchronous assignments in Aesthetics of the Oppressed to explore the story and the issues; and applying rehearsal exercises. We will examine the theory and politics of the work while staying firmly rooted in practice. Participants will have the opportunity to practice jokering their own Forum scenes as well. We will take time to address a variety of questions that arise when facilitating this work. Participants will receive several resources from the training including games, exercises, and an outline for jokering a forum performance.

Please note - because this training is a collaborative process with other members of the workshop, we request that participants attend for the full training time.

For any questions about this training, please contact Liz Morgan at elizabeth@tonyc.nyc. To receive updates about future trainings, sign up for our mailing list at: http://www.tonyc.nyc/newsletter

Rates:

This training is priced on a sliding scale. You can apply to pay based on your financial means, the value you wish to receive, or your desire to support.

Standard Rate: $400.00 Half-Price Scholarship rate: $200.00 (limited availability)

Supportive rate: $600.00 (for those who have the personal privilege or institutional backing to subsidize our wider community learning)

Application: Please apply using this Google Form. Applications are due February 3rd.

Applicants will need to confirm their spot and send a non-refundable $50 deposit by February 15th. Training fees paid to TONYC are non-refundable during the 7 days before the training, and may not be credited to a future training. Exceptions will be considered at TONYC's discretion.

Sharing Credits: Laura Marie Thompson

Pandora Choice Box: Special thanks to educator, Eleni, for allowing Induction Mentor, Jim O'Toole to share this wonderful resource with us.
SSS Teaching: Visit this site for virtual reward and game ideas to increase engagement in your blended instruction
Shake up learning: Interactive games
Teach.Create.Motivate: Community building games

Virtual Watch Parties are a great way to bond with your students after school or during advisory. Edpuzzle also enables you to share clips of films connected to your curriculum, along with assessment questions. This month, we are highlighting a few movies connected to the celebration of Black History. Most of these are available through PBS.org and the NYPL. Others are available through Netflix and Prime Video. Simply use zoom, google meets, or a similar platform to share your screen with students, and let the chat feature do the rest!

A Most Beautiful Thing

*Be sure to check with admin and/or parents as you determine which movies are most appropriate for your students.

TR@TC Literary Spotlight

Visit Bookshop.org to learn more about the following books, and support local bookstores in the process.

EXPERT FROM SYNOPSIS:

"Just As I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by His hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say." -Cicely Tyson

EXPERT FROM SYNOPSIS:

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe. Her poem "The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country" can now be cherished in this special gift edition. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.

EXPERT FROM SYNOPSIS:

Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

EXPERT FROM SYNOPSIS:

My Busy, Busy Brain: The ABCDs of ADHD, provides practical tools for children struggling with controlling their emotions, impulses, and concentration. This book is a beginner course for children curious about mental health and the challenges we feel but can't see.

Author, Nicole Russell is also an NYCDOE vendor, therefore, educators and schools can order directly from her on shop.nicolerussell.com, and receive a discount on bulk orders.

In stores 4/13/2021. Pre-Order Available Now

EXPERT FROM SYNOPSIS:

Which acts by educators are "racist" and which are "antiracist"? How can an educator constructively discuss complex issues of race with students and colleagues? In Everyday Antiracism, leading educators deal with the most challenging questions about race in school, offering invaluable and effective advice.

EXPERT FROM SYNOPSIS:

What does it mean to “go to work” when you don't actually leave the house? This is the ultimate guide for remote workers who want to stay engaged as team members, maintain robust work relationships, and keep an eye on their long-term career goals. This book is not available on bookshop.

Publisher Link

Professional Learning

We have 2 more spots left for this PLC, please email us by Monday, February 8th to join.

Facilitated by Mental Health Professional, Vanessa Paula

Participants will have a chance to enter in the "Cuppa Love" raffle

Click here

MOFAD PRESENTS BLACK HISTORY MONTH (VIRTUAL)

This February, join the Museum of Food and Drink for a series of programs highlighting themes from our upcoming exhibition, African/American: Making the Nation’s Table, the opening of which has been delayed since March 2020. In honor of Black History Month, six online programs will celebrate the contributions of African American chefs, distillers, activists, innovators, and inventors to our nation’s shared culinary identity.

MOFAD’s Black History Month programming will feature chefs, mixologists, and culinary historians, and include cook-along demos, virtual reality short films, and conversations with the food and beverage industry's leading experts. In addition, MOFAD will launch two interactive experiences related to African/American at mofad.org

Wellness

Be honest: Do you get plenty of sleep but still feel exhausted? You might need a different kind of rest! Here’s a checklist to help you identify what’s missing.

Learn more about the 7 types of rest here: Source

Article Link

The Nap Ministry: Rest as Resistance

This playlist has been on heavy rotation, several months now. Check it out for some peaceful beats that will help you focus, mediate, or simply take a nap!

Rest is NOT something you earn, it's something VITAL to your wellbeing.

BTF (Black Female Therapists) is a mental health resource hub that includes a directory of black female therapist. Click here to learn more about the services they offer

Cynthia Branch is a psychotherapist and transitional life coach that is enthusiastic about helping people find, reveal, and honor the best of themselves. She has honed her skills working with various populations in therapeutic settings in the boroughs of New York. Source link

Therapy for Latinx is an online platform- Mental health can be challenging, finding a therapist shouldn’t be. Source link

Gregory A. Birchett, LCSW offers a full range of counseling services, including relationship, stress, LGBTQ, and depression. Click here for a free consultation.

Disclaimer: While we are not qualified to make referrals, we are able to share some resources passed on via our network channels. Please exercise due diligence as you explore them, and note that we are not directly endorsing any of the professionals listed above.

To sign up for any of these workshops, email jad2222@tc.columbia.edu AND/OR use meeting IDs provided below, as applicable. ALL SESSIONS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Meli will also be offering monthly Restorative Yoga sessions through the end of the school year. Visit habityogi.com to sign up.

UFT Corner

Education in the Time of COVID - We want to be sure that you are feeling supported as you navigate all the uncertainty surrounding this school year. To that end, Amy Nelson, TR@TC Induction Mentor, Seasoned Educator, UFT Chapter Leader, and Teacher Sustainability Advocate has created a #KnowYourRights guide. Click here
Businesses Who Love Teachers - Special thanks to Stephanie Rivera (TR@TC Class of 2019) for sharing this amazing list of discounts for teachers. Click here to access.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION - Are you ready to apply for your Professional Certification? Email jad2222@tc.columbia.edu for more information about this important career milestone.
ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS - The process of adding certifications to your existing NYS licenses can be daunting. Let us help you! Email jad2222@tc.columbia.edu to connect with your certification department.
NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION - After completing your 3rd year of teaching, you may want to apply for this advanced and prestigious certification. Devon Shaw, a TR@TC Alumnus, is leading National Board Certification workshops, through TR@TC. Email him at shaw.dts@gmail.com for details.

Did you know that the NYCDOE offers FREE, over-the-phone interpretation services, in over 250 languages? Click here to access step-by-step instructions, and begin connecting with the families of your students, regardless of the language they speak at home.

*Speak to your school's Language Interpretation and Translation Coordinator for information on how to translate documents and other materials.

Get Your TC Alumni ID and Stay Connected!

Reserve rooms in the TC Library (once campus re-opens)
Activate your permanent gmail account
Access partner discounts

This newsletter is continuously evolving.Your feedback helps us make it a meaningful and relevant source of information. How are we doing? Anything else you’d like us to include in the newsletter? Click here to give us your feedback.

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Subject: TR@TC Induction and Beyond I Monthly Newsletter I February 2021