Care: Building Belonging

Building Belonging

Description:

Tune in, turn on and tap into the power of cultivating unconditional belonging. 

In this course participants will learn how bringing awareness and curiosity to our practices creates a culture of connection and belonging. When students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom, it transforms the social and academic conditions in schools for students, educators, and the community. Participants will learn effective ways to implement equity strategies that make a difference.

Course Dates:

Live sessions will be held on Mondays, March 11 and 18, and April 1 and 8, from 4-5:15pm CST. The sessions will be recorded and made available to you in case you have to miss any.

Course Facilitator: 

Thais Perez has 19 years experience in education. She has worked with special education students in grades K through 6 for ten years, and as a behavior and special education coach. Thais moved into administration as an interim assistant principal, special education administrator, and now serves as Director of Equity and Inclusion for a large school district in the northwest suburbs. Outreach and belonging is a driving factor in the work Thais has done which also expands to serving on community DEIB committees and teaching graduate level courses on equity and social justice. With a passion for supporting kids at risk, Thais has always been grounded in social justice and restorative practices. During her free time she enjoys hot yoga, reading, and giggling with her three children, Olivia, Giovani, and Alexander.

Topics covered will include:

Session 1:

Building capacity to identify and disrupt bias

Discovering ways my instruction can help student learn about themselves and others

Session 2:

Recognizing the impact implicit bias plays in discipline.

Reflecting on patterns within the classroom that could create inequity

Session 3:

Exploring challenges and gain practical tools to enhance your own listening skills 

Session 4:

Expanding interpretations of student behavior to include different displays of learning and social interaction

Examine the cultural competency of the professional learning community and the equitable student academic and behavioral impact