Walking in My Shoes

Icebreaker
Time: ½- 1 hour

Welcome

Objective: To enhance teacher empathy for underrepresented student population that often falls through the cracks.

Goals: Through this activity you can feel young again. Hopefully, you will leave feeling more comfortable and relaxed about your students, more familiar with what some of their thoughts and feelings are, and better equipped to direct them towards getting a college degree that interests them.

Inititate with demonstration of person walking in clown shoes
Ask person: Was that different for you? Are you used to walking in someone else’s shoes? How did you feel?

Go over icebreaker
You ( teachers) will be role playing – and gain insight into the perspectives of students by putting yourself in their shoes.

1. Each station has a written description of a student-type.
2. Teachers will distribute themselves evenly among the 6 stations and begin identifying and role-playing the student description.
3. Leader will proceed to ask several questions, which will help teachers become more aware of the barriers that prevent the participation of their students in clubs.
4. Groups will report to large group after each question.
5. There will be a final whole group reflection at the end (Musical Duets)

Begin: Have teachers evenly distribute themselves around each station
Student descriptions at each station:
1. African-American
2. Caucasian
3. Bi-Racial
4. Rural
5. Gay or Lesbian
6. Latino

Leader Asks teachers questions: First, tell them they have a few minutes to brainstorm/record their answers for each question. Then 1 minute to report to all. They are hereby “walking in the person’s shoes” and sharing with everyone. (Let the role-playing begin)

Question 1: What stereotypes do teachers and administrators at school have about you?

Question 2: What concerns you about going to Summer Institute?

Question 3: What could you contribute to a HSTA club?

Reflection-Bring Groups Together -

Question 1: How did you feel during this exercise?

Question 2: What did you learn?

Question 3: Do you feel this is useful in expanding/diversifying your approach with students?

*NOTE: Attendance Expected-Approximately 40 Teachers

HSTA Multicultural Education Home