We believe:
- Every child deserves access to a quality education.
- Every teacher deserves access to quality support and development.
- We're all doing the best that we can with the tools and resources we have.
- We all have blindspots and biases that impact how people experience us,
- AND stress impacts how we show up in the world.
Our big goal is to decrease teacher burnout, interrupt patterns perpetuating the school to prison pipeline, and strengthen habits of self-reflection, raising awareness of the impact biases have on our everyday decisions.
In order to meet our goals and address the root cause of these challenges, we believe we must talk about how unconscious bias drives our behaviors on individual, systemic, and institutional levels--AND how stress impacts our behavior.
We understand how full teachers' plates are; that’s why we created an app, which will be like a coach in their pocket, to provide a holistic system of individualized support.
The S.P.A.R.K. APP will partner with and empower educators, strengthen habits, and equip educators with daily tools and reminder to lead and teach for equity with intentionality.
This is going to be a journey of continuous engagement, feedback, and improvement. That's why phase 1 starts with supporting teachers and schools.
The sooner we can get to phase two, the better, because that's when educators will gain access to our S.P.A.R.K. coaching curriculum learning modules that correspond with each goal, group coaching sessions, and the S.P.A.R.K. Community at large so they have responsive, relevant tools/resources that meet their individual needs and support them where they’re at.
We cannot do this work alone, and we need your support.
- When you contribute financially to this movement, you’ll impact thousands of teachers, which therefore impact thousands of students in transformative ways.
- When you offer to share your energy, time, and talents, (sharing this link and joining our instagram page) you're helping us expand our movement and make progress on our goals at a faster rate.
- When you use your voice to help our cause and spread the word, you’re helping us reach more educators and ultimately have a positive impact on more students' lives.
- Lastly, by contributing, you’ll be a part of a movement with a purpose dedicated to supporting teachers, leaders, and communities committed to serving the next generation.
Together we can spark the conversation that will make the world a better place.
About the Creator, Rachel Rosen...
With a Masters from Stanford, and extensive training in leadership, coaching, and organizational development, Rachel developed S.P.A.R.K. experiences that are grounded in theory and practice. After teaching and studying at Stanford, Rachel had the opportunity to work with a leadership coach from the National Equity Project, an organization that had a profound impact on her leadership. Ever since then, her commitment to supporting educators and equity has been unwavering. Two years ago she created the Kickstarter-Backed product, S.P.A.R.K., which facilitates an inclusive team-building experience for diverse teams (embedded in the game is also a strategy for counteracting unconscious bias), and she has been facilitating SPARK Leadership courses and workshops and holding space for courageous leaders to gather for years. If you have specific questions for her, feel free to email her at [email protected]
“This is a great tool for creating greater self-awareness, which is often missing in our conversations about equity. The app is non-threatening, and good starting place because it’s about teachers' emotional health and normalizes that equity work requires emotional health” Justin Mori, Middle School Principal
“I think if all teachers were using this App at my school it would be hugely beneficial for the culture of our school. Love that we’ll get a weekly recap at the end of the week celebrating our progress and reminding us of our goals. The truth is, we’re our worst self when we’re not successful. When we’re deeply unhappy somewhere in our lives, it impacts kids. That’s why we need a moment to reflect on how we’re showing up. This will change the game for teachers’ emotional health and well being” Jessica Newburn, Elementary School Principal
"So excited to use this App. It helps teachers reflect on the students who push our buttons in a safe way, AND get a picture of all the things we’re experiencing so we can be the best version of ourselves. I can also see how this could be a helpful tool for HR teams working on having more equitable hiring practices and checking blindspots there” Laura Espino, ESOL Teacher
"I’m excited to use this with my teams and teachers. It’s going to change the equity conversation in a big way." Lia Shepherd, Director of Student Services + Supports
“This app will be groundbreaking for our work. It would be a way for teachers/coaches/admin to spend a few minutes every morning reflecting on their own unconscious bias and equity lens. This data could then eventually be compiled so that a whole staff could come together to work collaboratively with the data. I’m so ready to pilot it that I already told all my colleagues about it." Nova Katz, Math Training Specialist + Teacher Coach
“Sometimes in schools we treat reflection as though it’s a luxury. With all the demands placed on us, we don’t have time to do important reflection--especially about how we’re showing up as equity educators. I also like that this App addresses how stress + health + wellness + sleep impact how we show up. That’s innovative, because typically in the conversation about EI stays on the surface. I’m ready to pilot the App already!” Jillian Roth, Education Facilitator & Data Researcher
"This is so needed. We as educators have to be able to hold a conversation and demonstrate self-awareness--in order to connect with our diverse colleagues--if you want to succeed as a leader. This app can really succeed in being personalized for each person’s unique situation" Nora Gardner, Spanish Literature Professor
“This is going to be a powerful tool for learning about my blind-spots, addressing my biases, helping me be more aware of how I’m showing up.” Justin De Leon, Associate Partner at Education Elements
“I love that this App holds space for daily reflection and for educators too reground in their spark. It’s so necessary for us to think daily about our commitment to education, and how we are committed to education. AND how we protect time for self care in the face of struggle. It’s critical that we reflect on how we’re showing up as educators” Maureen Benson, Founder & Ed. of Education Is A Vital Sign
"Self-awareness work needs to be ongoing, and while many educators and leaders have conversations about their goals with colleagues, this is a great way to keep the self-reflection going in between those spaces." Yanira Canizales, K-8 Principal
