DEIJ Training at Post Oak

As the calendar turned to 2020 and we returned from our winter break, Post Oak employees used the January 6 in-service day to prep for your students’ return. As we often do, we had planned an all-staff activity to get our juices flowing. One of our exercises included DEIJ training, dedicated to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work.

Over the past three years, Post Oak has dedicated time and resources to focus on DEIJ work to help us understand its importance and identify ways in which we can move this work forward. One of these efforts includes sending 12 faculty and staff to the NAIS People of Color Conference—a forum for exploring these issues in the independent school world. Teachers returned with a new perspective, resources, ideas, and lesson plans to put into practice in the classroom with our students. Attendees also shared their learning with the rest of the faculty. At an administrative level, the staff has attended workshops about equitable hiring practices and the Board has added DEIJ work to the strategic direction of the school.

Since August 2018, Post Oak has been working in conjunction with Jen Cort, an educational consultant who works around the country and has presented for Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)—three of our collaborative educational organizations.  Jen has been working with us to initiate conversations that need to take place and give us the tools to reflect and learn about our own biases and privilege. Inspired by conferences and workshops and in collaboration with Jen, we created a staff DEIJ planning committee, which is leading the employees through the slow and careful work of creating a vision for our school in the future.

The team began by sending a survey to all employees asking what these four words—diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice—mean to them. From the answers, we have created definitions, which are still under construction. These definitions were shared with staff at faculty meetings and at lunch meetings throughout the fall. We continue to work on these (in English and Spanish). I share their latest iteration here:

• Diversity is the continuous and intentional process that assures the representation of an array of identities, beliefs, thoughts, experiences, and practices in our community.
• Equity is the fair treatment of everyone by ensuring access to resources to meet a person’s needs and providing opportunities to strive toward their highest potential.
• Inclusion is the intentional practice of assuring that diverse groups and systemically marginalized peoples possess agency, representation, and belonging within our community.
• Justice is the recognition and understanding of historic and present inequalities, the affirmation of the dignity of all people and the environment, and the correction of imbalances.

During the January 6 in-service, members of our DEIJ team led us through a presentation that covered topics such as implicit bias, privilege, and microaggressions. As individuals, we were invited to reflect on these things and identify one area of growth or a topic we wanted to learn more about. Lastly, we formed learning networks with our peers based on areas of interest. Topics included race, sexual orientation, bias, mental health, body image, and gender identity, to name a few.

How is all this trickling down to the students? In a direct way, there are student discussions on topics of equity and inclusion that permeate the Middle and High School. Middle School service-learning brings topics to the forefront organically as the students interact with the diverse culture in Houston. At the High School, more intentional efforts, like the American Unity Movement (AUM) club, capture the attention of our teens who are focused on social justice. At all levels, teachers aim to represent many identities, cultures, perspectives, and abilities, using a wider lens through which to see our students and better serve their needs. Teachers are more aware to give the bigger picture of human culture in a way that will not perpetuate stereotypes. 

Our work is ongoing, so what comes next?

• Engaging parents and students in the discussion with plans to have you contribute your thoughts, energy, and commitment to the work.
• Integrating a whole-school statement of commitment to this work into our school mission and values.
• Forming the vision that we want for the future and creating the steps to get there.
• Creating more opportunities for student and adult engagement around these topics.

This is work that we are passionate about and are ensuring moves forward.