Classrooms Across the Country
Hattie has spent decades in Memphis City Schools and in other districts as a teacher, counselor, school psychologist and psychometrist, school leader, and counselor educator. Initially, she barely received a sufficient educational foundation in the forties and fifties in a three-room schoolhouse, established for Blacks at the time. Years later, she reflected on the lessons learned and strategies shared with students, parents, and teachers that focused on the need to embrace all learners for successful outcomes.
She was aware of needs of learners, including those in regular classrooms. Students with exceptional needs such as excessive energy and attention demands, learning disabilities, behavioral regulations, emotional disturbances, and unique cultural styles and learning modalities all need our loving care and support for “connection and personal-social-emotional-intellectual development.” Teachers’ kind-hearted gestures of care and feedback, unconditionally (not only when they met lessons and behavioral expectations) suggests that they are valued students, worthy of recognition, giving them a stronger desire to be a cooperative student.
Employing effective change strategies for adults: teachers, parents, administrators, and support staff began with faith in students’ ability to achieve and adjust to the learning environment, with teachers modeling high expectations for all learners. Even with some learners needing extra time to accomplish lessons objectives, the teacher communicates a message that he or she has not yet mastered the objectives, but s/he will monitor and assist the student until objective is accomplished. This suggests faith in the student’s ability to learn.
With our newly elected officials, representing a more diverse group of policy makers at the federal and state levels, hopefully considerations with be given to the need for maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), giving many educators the support to better meet learning needs of students.