We the Teachers: Cultivating Classroom Connections & Leadership
As a new school year begins, I’d like to encourage you to nurture connection
with your students and to continue developing your leadership skills. Let
me share a few examples that have worked for me in these two areas.
Connections in the Classroom
At the start of a recent school year I tried something new. Realizing that
students are excited to see one another and catch up, and wanting to cultivate connections from our first shared moments together, I developed a
way to accomplish both of these starting on the first day. While pointing
to the “Every Human Is Unique” shirt that I wear on that first day, I tell
students that we are going to spend our first day together nurturing relationships and learning about one another. I encourage students to talk
with one another and ask them to visit Redbubble to search for “DNA
sticker” or “science sticker” and find one that resonates with them. While
they are doing this, I individually greet each student and write their name
phonetically with the goal of never mispronouncing it, thus showing that
I value each student from the moment we meet. Also, I spend time interacting with each student in a one-on-one conversation. Once students settle on a favorite sticker, they copy and paste it into a Google doc, write a
few sentences about why the sticker resonated with them, and share that
document with me so I can learn a bit more about them. This seems to
work; the room buzzes with positive energy and “science talk.”
In 28 years of teaching, this new opening-day activity has become my
favorite because I meet each student, engage in individual conversations
with them about topics such as favorite summer memories, writing
screenplays, sports, cliff diving, being stuck in a hurricane, family reunions, a grandmother’s 80th birthday celebration, siblings, breeding dogs,
concerts, scuba diving certification, overcoming fears, and so on. I purposely do not discuss the course content on the first day of class; rather,
my focus is on each individual with whom I will share time and space
the next several months. Some might see this as a waste of “valuable teaching time,” but I have found that it pays tremendous dividends in setting
the tone of valuing each person in our classroom community. As research
has documented, and as we educators know, students learn far more
when they are working in a safe, caring environment while also engaged
in a positive, healthy relationship with their teacher.
During the year I take a picture of each lab group, which I give to
students at the end of the class. I remind them that their fondest memories
of the class will likely be those associated with their lab partners as they
bonded over debate and conversation in the completion of activities. As
the class finally ends, I address each student by name as they leave and
ask, “Would you like a handshake or hug?” As I reflect on our time together,
I always feel a bittersweet tension in letting them go but hope they felt
valued and recognize that shared experiences extend far beyond the class.
Leadership
In addition to providing competent and caring classroom instruction, it
is equally important that teachers develop as leaders, a goal NABT sets
for each member. One element of the important work of the NABT
Board of Directors is to protect and nurture teacher autonomy in pedagogical decision making through position statements related to teaching
expectations, such as the ethics associated with our profession, cyber-learning, and sustainability. Recently, the board spent significant time
creating the new “Teaching Climate Change” position statement and
others devoted to teaching evolution and the use of animals in the
classroom.
As the leader in life science education, NABT spent time this past
spring defending a teacher’s right to include dissection in the classroom
coupled with a student’s right to opt out. After talking with many of
our members, NABT wrote a letter opposing California Assembly Bill
1586, which called for the total elimination of dissection in K–12 class-
rooms. A portion of NABT’s letter reads as follows:
NABT maintains that the professional biology educator is
responsible for designing meaningful learning experiences
that promote positive attitudes toward science, help stu-
dents better identify as scientists, and protect those students
who refrain from dissection. The state’s Education Code
does this, while AB1586 as written presumes that dissection
has a negative impact on student learning and effectively
eliminates both teacher and student agency. . . . The proper
and ethical use of animals in science classrooms must
always be matched to the explicit standards and objectives
for the course and contribute to the educational outcomes
for students. Ultimately, it is the professional educator in
the classroom who is in the best position to make the deter-
mination about using non-living animals for dissection.
One of NABT’s value statements explicitly states that “by empowering the individual educator and by fostering a supportive professional environment, we have created a community of educators who
continually improve and enhance biology education.” NABT’s members strive to become excellent classroom instructors while providing
leadership as advocates for science education in their schools and
communities. Our organization will continue to assist in developing
teacher-leaders at all levels. Our annual conference in Chicago
(November 14–17, 2019) is an excellent opportunity to nurture leadership skills by networking with other biology educators while learning content and pedagogy.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2019.81.6.385
THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER GUEST COMMENTARY 385
GUEST COMMENTARY
Sherry Annee, NABT President
