GETTING USED TO ONE ANOTHER

J.J. McGawn

I am more comfortable being here at Pegasus because I can be more expressive, more honest, and more me.

– Liz Ortiz, Physical Education Associate Teacher

By nature, Pegasus students are wired to challenge the adults around them. Especially when the world feels unpredictable and confusing as it suffers through a pandemic and labors under nation-wide protests for social change. Their innate curiosity makes them aware of these issues and motivates them to talk. Part of the Pegasus mission is for teachers to build trusting relationships that foster difficult conversations and inspire critical thinking. Our faculty also aspires to equip students with the empathy required to make a positive impact on society. Giving students the vocabulary to discuss diversity, race, and different cultures fits squarely within that mission.

As Kwame Anthony Appiah, Princeton professor, philosopher and author puts it, “Conversations begin with the sort of imaginative engagement you get when you read a novel or watch a movie or attend to a work of art that speaks from someplace other than your own [ . . . ] And I stress the role of imagination here because the encounters, properly conducted, are valuable in themselves. Conversation doesn’t have to lead to consensus about anything especially not values; it’s enough that it helps people get used to one another.”

Several years ago, Pegasus teachers formed a Diversity Committee in an effort to increase cultural awareness and diversity at the School. Protests around the treatment of Black Americans in the spring of 2020 accelerated the need for guidance. How should our teachers talk about color and ethnicity? How could they help students confront these issues in healthy and productive ways? Trevor Ikes, seventh-grade social studies teacher, clarifies that after the protests, teachers came to the leaders of the Diversity Committee asking, “Where do I go? How do I learn more about talking about diversity and color? Teachers are reaching out and want to be a part of this.”

In response, the Diversity Committee gave the faculty This Book is Anti-Racist, by Tiffany Jewell, an optional read over the summer. Out of approximately 115 faculty and staff at Pegasus, at least 50 chose to read the book and discuss it over Zoom. The Diversity Committee used Zoom breakout rooms to facilitate small group discussions, allowing teachers to share personal stories and experiences involving diversity and color. This impromptu “book club” was so successful that the committee selected two more books about race for faculty and staff who chose to delve into these topics more deeply during the first semester.

The smaller group discussions among the faculty and staff have been fruitful. “In those discussions, we learned about experiences you never knew other faculty members had gone through, and they were able to share,” says Ikes. Liz Ortiz, physical education associate teacher, agreed. “I never knew where to start to talk about my experiences with race and color. The group has been empowering for me. I am more comfortable being here at Pegasus because I can be more

expressive, more honest, and more me.” What could be better than feeling comfortable in your own skin?

Seeing In Color

The topics of race and heritage can feel taboo in a culture where many of us have been taught that skin color and ethnicity shouldn’t be acknowledged; rather, we were told, we should be color-blind and treat everyone the same. This outlook is what Nicole Roady, first-grade teacher, heard from many of her friends and family members. Roady acknowledges that “it is uncomfortable for adults to talk about race and color because of how we were raised. But framing race and color for students as traits that make them unique helps students discuss cultural differences. It is important to give students that vocabulary.”

Roady grew up with parents of different races, experiencing ethnicity from two different cultures. She learned first-hand that “when we acknowledge a person’s ethnicity and heritage, we acknowledge the whole person and what they can bring to the table.” Roady went on to explain, “acting color-blind feels like a safer way to go, but by doing that, we fail to acknowledge what that person can contribute. When you don’t look at my color, you aren’t looking at what has made me, me, and what makes me whole. Recognizing those differences is actually a way to make a deeper connection.”

Walking In Another’s Shoes

“I believe in Pegasus students,” says Stephanie Veravanich, Kindergarten associate teacher. Veravanich graduated from UCLA with a major in history and is passionate about teaching students about leaders of color who helped change unjust social systems. Parents have noticed and are thrilled to see their students engaged and excited about what they are learning. Discussions about social leaders in Kindergarten inspire further dialog at home where parents are learning how to talk with their children about color and ethnicity. “Everyone walks in a different way,” explains Veravanich. “We can better understand humanity by learning about each other’s experiences, then we are more accepting of other cultures.”

The overarching theme for kindergarteners at Pegasus is to “be kind” explains Veravanich. “Be kind to yourself, be kind to one another, be kind to your future self.” And as Veravanich says, “the students get it,” and they know what it means to be compassionate and treat others with respect.

The “Famous Friends” unit, which has been part of Kindergarten at Pegasus for years, teaches the students about leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, Jackie Robinson, U.S. Presidents, and others. The students discuss these leaders and their impact on society. For example, when the kindergartners learned that Rosa Parks sat down on the bus after a long day at work and was asked to move to the back of the bus, they said, “That’s not fair, she shouldn’t have to move, she got there first!”

The students also learned about Cesar Chavez, a labor leader and civil rights activist. Chavez spoke only Spanish as a child, but the school he attended required that students speak English. When Chavez spoke Spanish at school, the teacher put a clown sign around his neck. Veravanich asked the Pegasus students how their teachers treat them when they don’t understand something and how they might treat Chavez if they were his teacher. The kindergarteners explained that they would be patient with him and teach him the new language so that he could learn more at school rather than shame him with a sign.

Kindergarteners also learn about Ruby Bridges, a Black American who at six years old qualified for and attended a previously white segregated school in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1960. When the Pegasus students learned that adults yelled at Ruby as she approached the school and tried to prevent her from going in the building, they said, “That isn’t kind. Why would adults yell at a child?” Learning these stories about people of color who became leaders of social change helps the students have empathy and compassion, putting themselves in other people’s shoes.

In a fifth-grade Battle of the Books (BOB) lesson taught by Head of School Jason Lopez, the class discussed what it would feel like to be one of the twelve Black American high school students who integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee in 1956. Discussing The Promise of Change by Debbie Levy and Jo Ann Allen Boyce, students talked about different roles that characters in the book played in supporting or challenging the

Black American students’ actions. Fifth graders discussed that in order to be a supporter, that character had to take a risk. And sometimes support can be shown by a gesture as little as a smile. The fifth graders also talked about the difference between being a “bystander” and watching unfair actions happen or being an “upstander” and making the choice to do something about the harms they are witnessing.

Mirrors And Windows

Reading stories with a variety of unique characters and individuals allows students an opportunity to connect with people of races and cultures different from their own, but also helps them reflect on their own background and traditions. “Students need mirrors as well as windows to learn about themselves and see other cultures and experiences. It is important for them to see themselves in books, but equally important for them to get a window into other cultures and experiences too,” explains Roady. To that end, Pegasus teachers are working together to provide students with more opportunities to learn about different cultures through diverse literature.

Roady found that in first grade, “read-aloud opportunities are great places to plug in books that show a different lens or culture where students of different backgrounds encounter daily life issues.” The BOB book list is another great example. Carin Meister, the school librarian, has been an incredible resource for Pegasus teachers to learn about more books that help strengthen their classroom libraries and enrich options for students. Meister, in fact, audited all of the books in Pegasus library through a Library Journal program to enrich the library’s diversity.

Roady is currently pursuing a PhD. in Curriculum and Culture at Chapman University and understands that in creating lessons, teachers don’t always feel confident facilitating discussions and lessons on culture. “But the teachers actually have two beautiful legs to stand on to talking with students about color and ethnicity. We want to give them the tools to do that so that they feel prepared to tackle these discussions head on.”

Teachers are asking members of the Diversity Committee about ways to add more mirrors and windows to lessons and conversations in their classrooms. To that end, even the Committee had to reflect. “Within the Diversity Committee itself, we have some teachers who are more conservative, some more liberal, and we realized that we need to drop some of our own personal biases to do what is the best for the greater good and for these students who are the next generation,” shares Roady.

“You see a need for cultural literacy once you talk about diversity with the students. And then you see, wow, the students have a lot to say and really want to talk about this,” explains Kelly Barlow, fourth-grade teacher. One student told Barlow that she had a hard time getting her parents to talk with her about her questions regarding the protests in the spring of 2020. But once the student brought some of the classroom vocabulary and discussions home, she was relieved to be able to talk together with her family about her questions. The parents also reached out to Barlow and thanked her. For Barlow, “it comes down to being more intentional and open to change.” And maybe being a bit brave too.

Future Impact

Trust lies at the foundation of any meaningful relationship. It’s particularly critical between teachers and their students. Once students recognize they’re safe and their ideas are valued, they develop the confidence to ask hard questions, to tackle uncomfortable territory, and to challenge the status quo. That’s where learning and growth inspire change. That’s when future generations can make a lasting impact. As Veravanich explains, “Pegasus students get an excellent academic education, they learn strong public speaking skills, social emotional skills, and with the addition of cultural awareness, these students will be the change makers.” Pegasus students are rising to the immense challenges of our time with the support of trusted teachers and parents, all of us getting used to one another.

J.J. McGawn, mother of Brady McGawn (’20) and Janie McGawn (’22), practiced law for several years in Colorado before moving to California with her family. Contact: jjmcgawn@gmail.com

GROWTH MINDSET at Pegasus

“This year, it felt more important than ever to preserve some of the traditions of a uniquely Pegasus experience, not only for the students, but for me as a teacher, as well. That meant a lot of planning on the part of our team and cooperation from the parents for pick ups and drop offs, but we pulled it off together. Converting a very hands-on, experiential program into this hybrid version has had it’s challenges, but it’s quintessentially Pegasus to shift and adapt. At this stage in my career, I never envisioned having to reinvent myself as a teacher, but here I am, struggling to do just that and giving it my best shot. Reimaging myself and this program is admittedly the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my professional life, but it’s also strangely exhilarating to grow in such unexpected ways. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!” —Keri Gorsage, Fifth Grade Teacher