Newtown Public Schools educators participated in a virtual professional development day on November 3.

The day ran from 8:30 am to 3 pm, with blocks of time reserved for different sessions.

The keynote speaker, Dr Derrick Gay, began the day by focusing on inclusion. According to his website, derrickgay.com, he is a “diversity and inclusion strategist who consults with organizations, both domestically and abroad.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue opened the event saying the workshops would focus on topics of equity and diversity.

Other breakout topics slated for the day addressed embedding social/emotional practices into the classroom; diversity and inclusion; increasing student engagement in the COVID-19 learning environment; mindfulness; growth mindset; using technology; and yoga and breathing. Two antiracist workshops were also held, one for middle and high school staff and one for the kindergarten through sixth grade staff.

Rodrigue said she was “truly excited” to welcome Gay as the day’s keynote speaker.

After asking the educators to share what was on their minds — with the current presidential election environment, the pandemic, and teaching — as comments to the Zoom meeting, Gay said that the large worries of current daily life have led to opportunities to reevaluate the way things are done, like some of the language that is used.

Districts, Gay said, strive to have inclusive environments for staff, families, and students while aiming to have graduates who can adapt and have cultural competency, along with other abilities.

The ability to empathize with people, he said, starts with a journey of self-discovery. He then surveyed the educators to see if they feel they are included when they hear the word “diversity.” Exactly 50 percent of the responders said they felt included. Challenges Gay said he has found include the fact that “diversity” has been interpreted as a word for historically marginalized groups, when everyone is different and no individual is diverse.

“You have to have inclusion as well,” Gay said. “People have to feel like they have a sense of belonging... Diversity is about differences, and we all have differences.”

Throughout his keynote presentation, Gay invited the educators to participate by sharing input and their perspectives.

He spoke about challenges people perceive when thinking about what to share with others, how humans identify their own personalities, and how those perspectives lead to how others are perceived.

“We need to be able to see more and acknowledge that we all have blind spots,” said Gay.

Schools, Gay said near the end of the presentation, are critical in forming open and closed mindsets, and diversity should be redefined to mean “differences” rather than “different.” He also encouraged the educators to continue to learn about themselves to better connect with others.

The following evening, Rodrigue told a meeting of the Board of Education that the day was a “positive” one for staff. Rodrigue said she thought the day’s programming was well received, and a survey was sent to staff to learn what they would like to see as “next steps.”

“It will be interesting to see how we move forward,” said Rodrigue.