Read to Lead Academy Update
With Hamilton County Schools now back to 5 days a week in-school, the Read to Lead Academy is now able to attempt normalcy and implement our pre-COVID schedule. With some noticeable changes, such as no field trips or volunteers at the Bethlehem Center, it seems like a concurrent flow is being established with the students. It’s now second nature for them to go to their classroom desks, eat their snacks, and get ready for any of the different topics or programs that are scheduled for the day.
The Read to Lead Academy recently started implementing a program called “Teaching Tolerance”, an anti-bias curriculum created by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Teaching Tolerance is an effective tool to educate children on identity, diversity, justice, and action. This curriculum is broken down into 20 anchor standards by grade levels (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). Though interconnected standards become more complex when grade level increases, it provides a straightforward approach that engages the Read to Lead students in anti-bias, multicultural and social justice education.
For example, my first activity I did after we established the classroom rules was a name game. The rules were simple: talk about why your parents gave you your name, and (if comfortable) if your family have any nicknames for you, and why you received them. A straightforward activity that at first was responded by heavy sighs and groans, but quickly turned into intent listening and laughing if someone had a funny nickname growing up. Through this activity, the children weren’t just learning other student’s names but how each of them were a byproduct of identity, culture, and family history. Each student unknowingly shared parts of their familial identity that usually go unsaid. By the end, the children were excited to have their next lesson and couldn’t wait until next time.
Written By:
Evan Roan
Education & Marketing Specialist at the Bethlehem Center
