• Model Responsible Anger Management. Children have an impaired ability to understand emotion when adults show a lot of anger (Denham, Zoller, & Couchoud, 1994). Adults who acknowledge, accept and take responsibility for their own angry feelings in nonaggressive ways provide a great example for children. • Help Children Develop Self-Regulatory Skills. Teachers of infants and toddlers do a lot of selfregulation “work,” realizing that the children in their care have a very limited ability to regulate their own emotions. As children get older, adults can gradually transfer control of the self to children, so that they can develop self-regulatory skills. • Encourage Children to Label Feelings of Anger. Teachers and parents can help young children produce a label for their anger by teaching them they are having a feeling and they can use a word to describe their angry feeling. A permanent record (a book or chart) can be made of lists of labels for anger (e.g., mad, irritated, annoyed), and the class can refer to it when discussing angry feelings. • Encourage Children to Talk About Anger-Arousing Interactions. When emotions are explained, children are better able to understand how to explain the emotion (Denham, Zoller, & Couchoud, 1994). When children are embroiled in an anger-arousing interaction, teachers can help by listening without judging, evaluating, or ordering them to feel differently. • Use Books and Stories about Anger to Help Children Understand and Manage Anger. Wellpresented stories about anger and other emotions validate children’s feelings and give information about anger (Jalongo, 1986; Marion, 1995). It is important to preview all books about anger as some stories teach irresponsible anger management. Challenge Question: How will I gather information to determine the root of a child’s anger and what influences may be triggering this emotion within the child? What areas do I need to improve to help the child manage this emotion? Sense of Purpose: Conscious and committed educators have a strong sense of purpose and view schools as environments that foster a commitment to diverse communities. This requires incorporating the voices and resources of community stakeholders to engage them in value-added ways for the best interest of students. Without a strong sense of purpose, an educator can easily become a perpetrator of the very injustices they initially sought to dismantle. Educators that have the capacity to tap into their sense of purpose and commitment to deliver a highquality education for all students are on the right track. He or she will further their understanding of the huge responsibility of creating and sustaining equitable classrooms and schools. Challenge Question: Is my approach to teaching and learning aligned with my sense of purpose? In what ways do I infuse equity into my teaching strategies? What are 3 ways I can grow my skills? Conclusion The wave of the future requires reimagination of the delivery of the public education school model. This article provides a few ideas and references educators and those in supportive roles can use to gain additional insight into the unique ways to better teach and support Black students. You will no doubt need to do further reading, seek education and training to grow in this effort while learning from your own personal experiences. Each student deserves to succeed---Black students included. Written by: Debra Carr, LMSW, ACSW, CFSW – Adapted from: Sharif El-Mekki, Principal of MasterySchool Shoemaker Campus – Neighborhood Public Charter- Philadelphia, PA Debra A Carr is a life-long learner, cause-minded socialpreneur, social justice advocate, mom, fashion lover, executive coach, business consultant, counselor and social worker. The URBAN EXPERIENCE | 2020 23
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