(1) acts as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS
(2) attends school events and student performances (i.e. arts, athletics, social)
(3) participates visibly in the daily life of the school
(4) recognizes and supports diversity in all its forms
(1) acts as a strong and positive ambassador for EPS
The most obvious ambassador opportunities are those where I am officially representing EPS. These include fall harvest, coaching responsibilities, field trips, and service opportunities. During these excursions and events my primary focus is on accomplishing whatever the purpose of the event is. However, I’m also always looking for opportunities to share with others the unique aspects of EPS. At fall harvest that is to connecting with parents on a more personal level. For coaching events its ensuring that our students behavior represents us well and looking for opportunities to share and learn from others.
The less obvious opportunities to be an ambassador for me is anytime I’m doing things with my kids. They are currently in 1st and 3rd grade so all of their classmates and the parents of their classmates may have an interest in EPS. I look for opportunities to share the fact that I teach there and help others to understand how we live our mission.
(2) attends school events and student performances (i.e. arts, athletics, social)
I love to attend all the events at school. Just like service opportunities or EBC week, they give insight into the student perspective and experience that is very difficult to get in the classroom. If I could, I would live at school and attend them all, but that’s not possible for a couple reasons. One, it’s important to take a break from school and be involved with other things. Not only does it provide you with an opportunity to be an ambassador, but more importantly it keeps you balanced. It can be a chance to add a different dimension to your perspective and to recharge your batteries so you’re able to come to school inspired.
The other challenge I have is to maintain balance with my family and responsibilities at home. I look for opportunities to bring my kids to school so they are known in the community and so I can share time with them while also being supportive of the school outside the regular day. I will also look to identify events that are right after school or where I might be able to attend part of them to show my support and make a connection. This often happens with basketball games right after cross country practice or sometimes just walking through the basement of the TMAC on the way out to have a quick conversation with anyone working down there.
I also do my best to pay attention to major events that my students might have. When possible I adjust workload in class to minimize pinch points in their schedule, but I also make an effort to talk to them about their event. That might be a question in advance or a follow up afterwards with them. When appropriate I also share what it was that prevented me from attending.
(3) participates visibly in the daily life of the school
The daily life of school is a pretty broad category, but I see this as mostly about making sure that you don’t get caught in a rut of your own classroom and loose connection with the big picture of campus. The relatiohsip picture we’re building is a collage of all the little things we do, Assemblies, lunch, before and after school are all natural places to make this connection, but it’s important to look for other opportunities as well. There are many, but here are just a few:
- Arrange in advance with teachers to drop in. Sometimes I’ll do grading while sitting in the back of another class
- Take a walk around campus and visit a new place every time. You never know what you’ll find
- Keep an eye on the calendar and look for lunch meetings or guest speakers that you can drop in on
I look for opportunities to make every interaction positive and open the door for a future exchange. Some of the more interesting conversations and connections I make both inside and out of class come from just being open and present to let the unexpected develop.
(4) recognizes and supports diversity in all its forms
The current protests across the world serve as a backdrop to highlight how important this is. There is no question in my mind that society needs to make some major changes. There are many ways this can be addressed, but the most important is to recognize that it will never be finished. Staying open and actively seeking different perspectives is the most important principle. Here are a few of the things I’ve been doing over the past few years.
- member of the equity and inclusion club
- surveys and meetings with students to understand their perspective
- summer and breaks reading books and actively learning about different perspectives.
There are many of these lists out there right now. I have collected those that are most helpful for my perspective which is that of a cis white male. Many of these were sent to me by members of the EPS community. They get shared with me because of the many conversations and connections I make doing the various activities described above. Here are a few that I found helpful List 1 List 2 List 3