Marvelous Monday!

Hopefully, you’ve had an opportunity for some rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation! Now is the perfect time to renew our thinking and inspire our professional practice. It’s not too late to begin reading Gholdy Muhammad’s compelling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy.

This week, we are discussing Chapter Five which explains the need to develop all students’ intellect and scholarship. Dr. Muhammad described intellectualism as developing students’ mental culture. This means that intelligence isn’t just about academics, but also emotional intelligence and self and social awareness (Muhammad, 2020). 

Consider this quote from page 113, “Students need to feel valued and loved. They need to know they matter to all adults in the school. And they need to know they are capable of the intellectual greatness their ancestors practiced and promoted. This means teachers need to create a space of intellectualism where students see themselves as the next generation of thinkers. This will come through in their language use, topics taught, and texts they engage in.”

Here are a few conversation starters from page 115. Choose one (or more) and share your thinking!

• Do you identify as an intellectual? How do you enact intellectualism in your personal and professional life?

• How do you cultivate an intellectual school culture for the teachers, parents, and students in your leadership?

• What programs and initiatives do you plan that allow students to put their knowledge into action? 

The Read It Forward committee is looking forward to continuing this conversation with you! Your input is essential to this conversation! Thank you for growing in collaborative professionalism together!