Thread by @ClearTheAirEdu

Thread time!

Thank you for taking the time to lurk or participate in #ClearTheAir this summer and/or Fall. I finally made the time to analyze the data and want to share it with you. 1/

Of all the work we did this summer and fall, the majority of respondents named The Essential Conversation and A More Beautiful and Terrible History as most impactful for their professional and professional growth. 2/

The key learnings from this SUMMER from #BreakRank were:
- Feeling thankful for White anti-racist educators to learn from without having to ask BIPOC for additional labor
- White people have their own specific work to do
- Exploring one’s place in the work as a White person 3/

This FALL, people’s minds and hearts were blown open by our learning! #ClearTheAir 4/

“The session with Joseph Cordova was WILD. The example he took us through made me think so critically about the way school discipline structures are set up to either support or disenfranchise our students. Incredible webinar.” 5/ #ClearTheAir

“The Essential Conversation taught me how to center caregivers instead of myself. It gave me concrete ways to change my practices and those of my teachers.” 6/
#ClearTheAir

“My entire view of the Civil Rights Movement has been entirely exploded, in the best way. “ 7/
#ClearTheAir

34 out of 37 respondents reported that #ClearTheAir was effective or highly effective as a professional learning experience. 8/

Text selection, facilitation, participating in a community that is loving but also holds everyone accountable, and being able to apply our learning to our practice made it effective. To make it more effective we need time (to read and chat) and the opportunity to engage F2F. 9/

“I’m recognizing that I have a voice that is worthy of being heard and that has empowered me to more action. I am becoming more cognizant of my complicit actions, but also the ways in which I engage in small acts of activism every day with my students and future educators.” 10/

We are growing as a community with some people having high levels of trust with at least "some" others. Other people still consider others strangers. I am trying to decide how I feel about that, and how I want to be more intentional because the community is important to me. 11/

Y’all come through for one another, though! 11/

“Without this community, I don’t think I’d truly realize the need for racial justice work in education. It’s been the foundation for all of my learning and work in this area."
(Continued) 12/

"The community itself has been encouraging, challenging, and motivating, and it’s members provide constant examples of what this work can look like in our schools on a daily basis, as well as a consistent push for action.” #ClearTheAir
13/

We did have one respondent who thought we were becoming an echo chamber and were not welcoming for people taking risks with their learning. 14/

This person also thinks there is a “very thick fog of cancel culture in the #ClearTheAir community. For this reason, it's not reaching the people it needs to reach.” This person also did not find the website helpful. 15/

Who is out here canceling folx? Y'all making us look bad. #ClearTheAir

Also, I don’t know which people we “need to reach.” Who are they? Where are they? #ClearTheAir

Clear is kind. Please allow me a moment to be both.

While #ClearTheAir welcomes beginners, it’s not designed to coddle beginners. While #ClearTheAir works to support shifts in thinking, it is not designed to convince anyone of anything. 18/

Finally, while #ClearTheAir has a significant number of White participants, it is not designed for the liberation of only White people. It’s founded by a Black woman who designs it for our collective liberation.

I brought my own choir. Amen. 19/

Ok, back to business.

You all have shared lots of things you still want to talk about, so there is no shortage of work for me. Is this payback? #ClearTheAir

I need to finalize a handful of things before sharing the spring schedule. Hopefully in a day or two. Also, I still need to update the website. I thank *most* of you for being patient with me. 😂 21/ #ClearTheAir

Also, I am super close to announcing our opportunity to spend some time face to face with one another in 2020. It’s not the big all-expense-paid shindig that I want for you all, but it is a beginning, and we all have to start somewhere. 22/ #ClearTheAir

Much love to you all. Thank you for being on the journey with me! ✊🏾 #ClearTheAir 23/23