Talk It Out with the Middles
Talk It Out is something we started this year in the Middles. It’s our weekly half hour on Thursday afternoons to sit together and talk about what’s going on. For our first Talk It Out, we hiked up to the top of Grasshopper Hill, sat in a circle, and discussed the options for naming our two classrooms. From there our conversations ranged from how to create equitable rules around camp chairs, to the impact of blurting in the classroom, to how anger feels in our bodies. There are only two guidelines to Talk It Out: one voice at a time and everyone gets a chance to talk before anyone shares for a second time. Talk It Out is an idea I borrowed from my favorite mentor teacher at a small progressive elementary school in Los Angeles. I wanted to start it in the Middles as a way of intentionally reflecting each week and working to build a community of care and respect in our classroom.
In January during Talk It Out, we began thinking about the idea of prison abolition as a lens through which we could talk about community care and conflict resolution. We began by reading Abolition is Love by Syrus Marcus Ware. This book sparked fantastic discussions around our criminal justice system, racial bias, crimes of poverty, community responsibility, and healing when we make mistakes. One section of the book talks about the idea of “each one, teach one”. It reads, “The Black Panthers had the idea that when you know something, you have a responsibility to pass that knowledge on.” We paused for a while on this page, talking about who the Black Panthers were and why spreading knowledge can be an important tool in fighting oppression. We talked about freedom schools, buy-nothing groups, and skill-sharing workshops as ways to strengthen communities and create opportunities for individuals. The Middles were especially excited to think about skill-sharing and all of the knowledge we have access to in the Middles.
We decided to lean into the Middles’ skill-sharing interest by creating skill-sharing groups. Each student wrote down three things that they could teach others and three things they were interested in learning. We made a skill-sharing board that showed all of the things students could teach and all of the things students were interested in learning. We also made groups based on similar skills and tasked students with making a plan to teach their skill to the Middles. Some students worked in small groups, others chose to work alone. After February break, the Middles began to share their skills. Our first group taught us two different collaborative dance moves. One student taught the class how to draw a favorite character from a TV show. A few Middles took their love of soccer and taught us 3 different types of power kicks. One group taught us how to draw cars, while another showed us how to do improv. Most recently, a group of Middles shared running tips, like pacing yourself and breathing through your nose, before our Friday run. Many students have really stepped up and taken ownership over their skills, teaching with confidence and kindness.
We’ve mostly wrapped up our skill-sharing in Talk It Out, a few students will share in the coming weeks. We’ve returned to more traditional topics, talking about the elements of a positive friendship and sharing something we are proud of at school. I am grateful to have had the flexibility to be able to follow student’s interests and spend a few months focusing on skill-sharing. Many students stepped out of their comfort zone to teach their classmates things they are passionate about. For other students, stepping into the role of teacher was easy. Throughout this process, we learned skills from each other and also gained an appreciation for each other’s interests. I am looking forward to finding ways in the future to incorporate more student-led teaching in the Middles.
