HACKING SCHOOL CULTURE: Bullying prevention and character building programs are deepening our awareness of how today’s kids struggle and how we might help, but many agree: They aren’t enough to create school cultures where students and staff flourish. This inspired Angela Stockman and Ellen Feig Gray to begin seeking out systems and educators who were getting things right.
Read it today—fix it tomorrow
Their experiences taught them that the real game changers are using a human-centered approach. Inspired by other design thinkers, many teachers are creating learning environments where seeking a greater understanding of themselves and others is the highest standard. They’re also realizing that compassion is best cultivated in the classroom, not the boardroom or the auditorium. It’s here that we learn how to pull one another close. It’s here that we begin to negotiate the distances between us, too.
Ready to begin but uncertain how? Here’s what you’ll find inside:
Compassionate classrooms are built one learner at a time. Be that learner. It’s time.
Preface 5
Introduction 7
One Learner, One Teacher, One Classroom at a Time
Hack 1: Grow Your Own 14
Developing Self-Compassion First
Hack 2: Seek Diverse Perspectives 33
Becoming Other-Centered
Hack 3: Craft Your Classroom Culture 49
Shaping Attitudes, Values, Beliefs, and Behaviors
Hack 4: Distinguish Blame from Response Ability 66
Building Equity
Hack 5: Extinguish Shame 80
Reframing Vulnerability
Hack 6: Design Curriculum that Cultivates Compassion 97
Beginning with Empathy
Hack 7: Embrace Experiential Instruction 111
Living Our Learning
Hack 8: Teach Them to Talk Back 125
Coaching Critical Questioning Skills
Hack 9: Inspire Activism 138
Teaching for Social Justice
Hack 10: Resolve Conflicts 151
Restoring Compassion with Protocols
Conclusion 167
Be the Change
Other books in the Hack Learning Series 171
Hack Learning Resources 187
About the Authors 188