Caring as an Authoritative Act

This chapter serves to discuss common perspectives of respect in the classroom and highlight ways to re-conceptualize authority in student-teacher relationships so that respect can be grounded in both authority and caring. The authors believe that through the framework of critical race theory, teachers can learn how to express caring respect in ways that will be validating to their students. Furthermore, because of this reframing of authority, teachers will be able to accept non-authority-based respect. Finally, this chapter encourages teachers to experience and understand respect in the ways that validate their students as people and honor their own abilities as teachers. Rather than using ideas of respect to exhibit and reinforce institutional authority, teachers can instead promote caring respect in their classrooms by highlighting students' voices and reflecting on their own roles as both an educator and a person.

From Caring to Cared For

Special educators dedicate their careers to caring for one of the most vulnerable and historically marginalized populations of students despite often working in environments that do little to reciprocate this care. Amidst an ever-changing education landscape, special education teachers are becoming increasingly stressed, experiencing burnout at alarming rates, and far too frequently leaving the field altogether. In this chapter, caring school leadership is examined in the context of special education. The authors seek to bridge a theoretical stance with practical application to the field. Three necessary conditions for caring are discussed and specific “transactions of care” are recommended. The chapter concludes by upholding the idea that ensuring special educators feel cared for by school leaders has the potential to mitigate issues of poor working conditions, teacher retention, and consequently, promote positive outcomes for students with disabilities.

Creating a Caring High School Environment by Utilizing a Common Visual Language

This chapter will provide a rationale for the importance of implementing a caring culture in the school community, as well as using instructional tools to provide a high level of instruction and care. A summation of ethics theorist Nel Nodding's work is presented to the reader as evidence and motivation for embracing the caring model as an invaluable component of teaching. In conjunction with Nel Nodding's care theory, the author will expand on thinking maps research to demonstrate how thinking maps supports an ethics of care in the classroom, while deepening student learning, enhancing critical thinking skills, and promoting creative thought. Thinking maps are a set of visual tools for supporting instructional practices and improving student performance. It is a language of eight visual patterns each based on a fundamental thinking process. When an educator utilizes this research-based tool, consistently and purposefully in the classroom, the leader is cultivating user independence and fostering a nurturing environment for his/her students.

Addressing the Impact of Trauma in High Poverty Elementary Schools

A positioned-subject qualitative approach was used to uncover multiple perspectives held by elementary school counselors as to how they interpret their work with children affected by trauma in high-poverty schools. As such, school counselors' knowledge of the impact of ecological factors that led to childhood trauma was examined. Findings indicated that complex and systemic trauma were common themes that informed the schools counselors' ability to advocate effectively for mental health programs for children in high poverty schools. This qualitative study also introduces an ecological and social justice (ESJ) school-counseling model for school counseling in high poverty elementary schools that demonstrates how social justice-oriented school counselors seek to meet the needs of their students with mental illness who come from high poverty backgrounds.

Heart-Based Teaching

Heart-Based Teaching, a mindfulness training program embedded in the professional education curriculum of preservice teacher candidates, is described. Heart-Based Teaching prepares teacher candidates to model and teach mindfulness to help their future students achieve social emotional goals as well as to enhance the teacher candidates' own social emotional competencies. Theoretical and research bases of the program as well as specific elements of implementation are included: structure of the two required courses, mini-lecture/discussion topics of each class session, assignments, assessments, and rubrics. Some initial qualitative data that contributed to program development are presented, and parameters of an ongoing robust quantitative study are described. Heart-Based Teaching is presented as a replicable model for other teacher education programs.

It All Begins With Relationships

Understanding choice theory provides a foundation for developing relationships and is the central component of the Glasser quality school model. Choice theory is William Glasser's explanation of human behavior and motivation. It is based on the premise that we all have five basic needs: love and belonging, power and achievement, the freedom to be independent and make choices, the joy in having fun, and basic needs of survival and safety. In a quality school, the goal of administrators, teachers, counselors, staff, and support personnel is to create an environment in which everyone in the system, especially the students, gets his or her needs met in responsible, respectful ways. In this chapter, the Glasser quality school criteria is explained in addition to the behavioral habits that help build relationships and the behavioral habits that break down relationships. Stories that highlight the experiences of administrators, teachers, and counselors who put Glasser's concepts into action are included to illuminate the essence of the Glasser quality school model.

Culturally Responsive Practices in Educational Environments

The current political climate, changes in demographics, and a globalized world call for culturally responsive practices that strengthen the education and development of the future generation of global citizens. The chapter will unfold the meaning of cultural responsive practices in education through the lens of the relational cultural theory (RCT). The discussion will center on the importance of having critical conversations, promoting relationship building, developing cultural competence, and taking social justice and advocacy actions in all educational environments. At the end of this chapter, readers will 1) have a better understanding of cultural responsive practices in education, 2) identify strategies that support meaningful learning environments, 3) reflect on their own cultural competence development, 4) recognize their responsibility in promoting social justice, and 5) identify their opportunities for taking advocacy actions towards more caring and equitable educational environments.

Neuroscience of Connection

Students of all ages develop best in the context of caring relationships, and this chapter discusses why it is true from the neurobiological perspective. The chapter covers the historical highlights of collaborative work in neuroscience and education; the neurobiology of human development in the context of nurturing or problematic relationships from infancy through early adulthood; latest research that shows how supportive and secure relationships stimulate brain development and promote emotional regulation that enhances learning; neurobiology of childhood trauma, and pedagogical and counseling implications; and wider applications of the presented findings in fostering student support in schools and on college campuses.

Raising Conscious Kids

Early experiences in life exposed the author to the harsh realities of racism. These experiences fueled her desire to create a non-profit organization, we are, to challenge and disrupt not only interpersonal racism, but also systemic. Together with a group of parents, educators, doctoral students, and community activists, the author co-created a curriculum for an anti-racism summer camp for children. This camp embodies what Nel Noddings characterizes as caring for the whole child. In this chapter, the author reveals how her experiences with race led to the creation of we are summer camps. She makes connections to Noddings and beliefs about care, provides an overview of the camps, and makes recommendations for parents and educators who are charged with raising conscious kids.

Achievement, Racial Identity, and Connectedness

Literature suggests African American students' racial identity impacts their feelings of belongingness to the school community as well as academic achievement. Researchers, however, have argued that racial identity impairs or promotes student achievement. This study examined the effects of the individual components of racial identity (centrality, regard, and ideology) and sense of belonging on the academic achievement of 105 African American high school students. Quantitative analysis revealed centrality as the sole predictor of sense of belonging for males and a positive relationship between sense of belonging and centrality and private regard in females. These findings support the significance of positive student-teacher relationships as well as the importance of schools cultivating a culture of acceptance of all students.