This quote rings so true. It reminds me of the phrase be kind as you are unaware of the struggles that others have been through, which speaks to the concept of common decency and healthy interpersonal relationships. The phrase "we are all cracked pots follows this sentiment. We all have some sort of imperfection, but it is what we do, or what the imperfection causes us to do. Are we going to hide behind it and cover it by being offensive to others? Prejudice is born in fear. WE all need to accept our fears and imperfections and recognize them as a source of strength rather than motivation to lash out at others. 

I absolutely LOVE that quote. I use it often. 

In addition to incarceration of youth, mental illness, we need to explore and collect data about how many are incarcerated related to crimes that were influenced or drugs were a part of. When you commit a crime in most states they do not look at addiction as a contributing factor when in fact it impairs our judgement so much more than people realize. Then those individuals are sent to prisons that are full of even more drugs and run the risk of overdosing, trying harder narcotics, being assaulted for debts, etc. When they seek addiction services while incarcerated just like on the outside they are put on long waiting lists and not given services generally until they are "closer to their release date". In addition, mental health, trauma, abuse, etc all play into addiction as a whole. 

To maintain my anonymity as to where I work, I will say that I have worked directly with youth who have made decisions based on life experiences dysfunctional or nonexistent home lives. The students I work with have had little opportunity to develop healthy relationship skills, and the current living situations can exacerbate the problem. This being said, the solutions are hard to find. With the disproportionate wealth in our country, coupled with the questionable national priorities that exist, the funds need to be allocated and we need to go all in to reverse the pattern of incarceration. 

 Hi Melanie Bishop ! All good points. Unfortunately, many people still look at addiction as a choice to use drugs or alcohol and treatment has developed in parallel to the standard doctor/hospital system, rather than in cooperation. We have much to do to grow our capacity for mental health and addiction treatments, the first of which is to demystify and embrace people that come forward for treatment.

I realized that some students were not doing work because they had to take care of family members when they got home. Parents were working 2-3 jobs so they had to take care of younger siblings. Rather than penalize students, we created a work schedule that would allow them to succeed. My room opened at 6:00 each morning so students could come eat and have a quiet place to work. It was open at lunch as well. They didn't have to work on my content, it was just a place they could go. We still had deadlines, but there was flexibility and we worked together.

I took a good look at what I assigned and whether it was necessary for students to succeed. Assignments became compact with a lot less fluff, but meaning. I thought I was doing this before, but found I could pack even tighter. 

We also had to focus on skill development. Students who were in honors were not the same as honors students I had previously, so I had to break things down and build up those skills. It wasn't a matter of lowering my expectations, but building a ladder so students could achieve them. This really forced me to take a good look in the mirror and evaluate my own thinking and teaching practices. 

Thank you. I've read so much this year, I admit I'm waiting on Just Mercy...but this quote is a great unifier for me. Whether it is in the classroom as a way to get students to trust me, or to give a reluctant learner the trust-push they need, simply acknowledging that life has some characteristics that can help us all relate, is a great humanizing starting point. Its Empathy 101, once we realize we all are broken or have been broken, some of the biggest barriers to learning and trust go away. Nailed it Eman Elshaikh , thank you! looking forward to reading the book, just can't after a year in which I immersed myself in this both academically and in real life.

Thank you. I've read so much this year, I admit I'm waiting on Just Mercy...but this quote is a great unifier for me. Whether it is in the classroom as a way to get students to trust me, or to give a reluctant learner the trust-push they need, simply acknowledging that life has some characteristics that can help us all relate, is a great humanizing starting point. Its Empathy 101, once we realize we all are broken or have been broken, some of the biggest barriers to learning and trust go away. Nailed it Eman Elshaikh , thank you! looking forward to reading the book, just can't after a year in which I immersed myself in this both academically and in real life.

I'm also reminded of this video: 

Just Mercy // Week Three Questions

• How do the topics and concepts in Just Mercy connect to your work with students? 
• What lessons from Just Mercy or Stevenson are you taking with you as you prepare to welcome students back to our school communities in the fall? 
• Do know of a specific person (whether they are a personal connection, colleague, or something else) that would benefit from reading and discussing Just Mercy with you? What makes you think that and what lessons might they learn?

Erik Christensen , are you planning on getting the young adult version or the original book for your students? Just curious since I know you have students with a wide range of reading levels. The young adult version also looks good based on the reviews I read online.