Difficult Conversations: A Toolkit for Educators in Handling Real-Life Situations

Educators have many job descriptions. One of those descriptions includes the idea of customer service or professional communication, especially when engaging in difficult conversations. Difficult conversations are conversations that may be argumentative, combative, or otherwise contentious in some way. Every educator has or will have difficult conversations in their professional life. The difficult conversations may be with a family member, a student, a colleague, or an administrator. Regardless of the person, difficult conversations can influence relationships. While the idea of difficult conversations originated in the business profession, difficult conversations are also applicable and abundant in the field of education. Therefore, developing a toolkit of resources and strategies to engage in professional conversations with various stakeholders is imperative and the goal of this book. Throughout the toolkits introduced in this book, real-life examples and reflection questions are inserted. Overall, this book moves from defining difficult conversations, understanding the unconscious reactions to difficult conversations, and the tools to build positive relationships through communication.

Education & Teaching

Reinking, Anni K.

Schools & Teaching

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Review\nIn this insightful book, Reinking, a specialist in early childhood and multicultural education, and Bouley discuss how poverty impacts children in school. They assert that poverty is experienced by students who cannot afford to pay activity fees, have housing or food insecurities, and may have hygiene difficulties due to a lack of necessities, such as running water. Further, the authors cogently argue that children living in poverty suffer from trauma, which, when sustained, impairs their ability to learn because it affects brain development, cognitive ability, and behavior. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize that students living in poverty are best served when educators build positive relationships and safe school environments through intentional and culturally responsive teaching. They astutely offer resources and practical strategies for developing lesson plans essential to intentional teaching. The thought-provoking questions posed in each chapter challenge readers to rethink their understanding of poverty and how to work with students living under those circumstances. Although short in length, this study still manages to adequately cover the issue of poverty and its effects on students. This timely work is a must read for preservice teachers, in-service teachers, and school administrators. Highly recommended. 
― Choice\nThe book fills a void in teacher education that has remained vacant for far too long. Teachers are not always aware of the impact that poverty has on their students because they are so focused on content and testing. The book did an excellent job of making educators aware of the many complexities that their students who live in poverty face. The most poignant part of the book for me focused on the idea of chronic toxic stress and how this will affect student achievement and development and is a key to impress upon educators. Additionally, I felt that this was a book for a veteran teacher more so than a teacher education student or novice teacher. There are so many variables discussed in the book that I could see a novice educator feeling either overwhelmed or guilted into despair. I feel that the goal was to make educators aware of the issues their students face, but it came off so strong that it may cause some to think that there will never be a solution. 
-- John Essington, Education Professor, Blackburn College\nThis book blends research, theory, and practical opportunities for educators to reflect on their own beliefs and practices when working with children and families that experience poverty. Reflection questions prompt readers to apply the knowledge and concepts to classroom experience. Concepts such as implicit bias, anti-bias curriculum, and culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy are explained based on current U.S. perspectives and global trends. Educators are encouraged to examine the cultural, social, and economic aspects of poverty and the impact of poverty on brain development, resilience, and academic achievement. Highly recommended for professionals across educational settings seeking to engage in inclusive practices and improve school climate. 
-- Jami L. Swindell, MS, Doctoral Candidate in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership\nChildhood poverty has been a stain on the United States for decades, and the anger, resentment, and problems it causes are bubbling up more now than ever before. Reinking and Bouley not only diagnose the problem, but also offer practical, evidence-based solutions. They show that we don’t have to settle with having so many children living in poverty in our country, feeling like strangers in their own communities. We can do better. Their book is required reading for anyone concerned about the direction our country is heading in. 
-- William Lugo, PhD, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology and Social Work, Eastern Connecticut State University\nThis text is a ground-breaking introduction to

The Economic and Opportunity Gap: How Poverty Impacts the Lives of Students

Politics & Social Sciences

Bouley, Theresa M.

Social Sciences

The Economic and Opportunity Gap has a great deal of information, ideas and resources focused on children and families living in poverty. Specifically, how teachers and other professionals working with students can reflect, improve, and implement inclusive practices. The information in this book is based in research, such as the foundational starting piece that nearly one-fourth of our children in the United States are living in poverty, a whopping 21%. This number, one that is doubled in some communities and does not consider children in families near the poverty line, is striking when compared to other similarly situated countries. Understanding that many students and families are on the trajectory of poverty will come to light as readers make their way through from statistics, to research, to definitions, to action items.

The Economic and Opportunity Gap

Rowman Littlefield

Implicit Bias: An Educator’s Guide to the Language of Microaggressions

Review\nIn today's political climate, notions of implicit bias and microaggression are received very differently. Some people respond by embarking on serious reckoning and widespread human resource trainings; others respond with disbelief, pushback, and even conspiracy theories. This volume by scholars Bouley and Reinking provides a comprehensive introduction to the varied manifestations, impacts, and counter strategies of implicit bias and microaggressions, serving as a natural bridge to connect people with different opinions. The book's focus on education is particularly helpful for connecting young generations. From discussing explicit misconceptions and stereotypes to languages of implicit bias; impact on students; and practical recommendations for creating an equitable, anti-bias environment, the authors discuss seven forms of microaggression—racial, gender/sexuality, religious/spirituality, economic, linguistic, ableism, and family diversity—which offers a unique intersectional lens on the racial reckoning of equity among existing educators…. [T]he book has well-crafted reflection questions and working tables to guide readers of any level. Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates. ― Choice Reviews\nDr. Theresa Bouley and Dr. Anni Reinking tackle the deep and nuanced subject of microaggressions from every angle and discipline: cognitive science, psychology, sociology, and history. They break down its complexities into basic understandings and actionable steps that educators can take on a path to self-reflection, realization, and continual improvement. Just as microaggressions are layered, this text is layered with a wealth of knowledge and resources for anyone seeking to learn more about anti-bias, anti-racist education. -- Allison Segarra Hansen, MSEd., director of clinical experiences and assistant professor, Marian Universit\nIt can so easily be said that “when we know better – we do better.” But perhaps that is also the inherent goal of this book. Written in an easy-to-digest style, this book seeks to inspire the educator to more carefully see the bias, stereotypes, and microaggressions that are likely being enacted all around them. While Part I builds our vocabulary and understanding about these subtle and not-so-subtle actions around us, it also empathically helps us understand the historical and psychological basis for many of our own actions and how those actions – intentional or subconscious – truly impact the children we are called to teach and support. With gentle reflective moments and exercises throughout the book, an amazing list of accessible resources to extend your learning and self-understanding, and a Part II that is able to break down the roots and impacts of bias and microaggressions into chapters dedicated to special topics (race, gender, religion, economic resources, disability, language, and family composition), this book reminds us that adult life can be the perfect time to pause and reflect on the explicit and implicit beliefs that we learned and were exposed to as a part of the systems in which we grew up, and take stock about whether or not those beliefs are both still relevant to us and ones that we choose to maintain in our actions toward others. Bouley and Reinking guide us on a journey to gently help us know better…are you ready? 
-- Jennifer Kemp Berchtold, MS, CCLS, DT, CPST, CEIM; manager infant studies certificate programs, Erikson Institute\nWhile written for educators, I can attest that most non-educators haven't learned about all the facets of bias and microaggression discussed in this impactful book. But they should. This is a comprehensive book, based on research and facts, that dives into not only racial and gender microaggressions, but also lesser discussed microaggressions such as linguistic, family, economic and spiritual. This book has left me with a greater respect for the challenges faced by each and every teacher to create a truly inclusive, non-biased

Educator implicit bias is often experienced by students of varying identities as microaggressions. In this book the authors define implicit bias and microaggressions, identify ways students of varying identities such as race, gender/LGBTQ+, religion, socioeconomic, ability, linguistic and family dynamics, experience microaggressions in schools, and offer an educator's guide to using culturally responsive teaching as an antidote to microaggressions. We also provide specific ways to interrupt microaggressions in schools.&nbsp;

Not Just Black and White: A White Mother's Story of Raising a Black Son in Multiracial America

"What is race? How do we define identity? How does education affect our life and relationships? Welcome to Anni K. Reinking's world, where even the smallest occurrence of everyday life raises new questions and reflections, involving sociology, anthropology, religion and psychology," writes Elisa Di Benedetto in the Foreword to Not Just Black and White. "This is Anni's emotionally and intellectually moving memoir of her life as a white mother raising a black son in multiracial America--but it is so much more than that. While her story is based in the U.S., this is a global story. This book is an extraordinary journey towards awareness and learning. That's how the world changes for the better--one story at a time that touches us and makes us realize we share far more with our neighbors than might seem to separate us." America is a racially divided nation. All of us are familiar with the headlines in recent years of white Americans anxiously calling police about innocent black Americans they encounter. Among the troubling news stories are incidents sparked by black young people simply napping in a dorm room, shopping for clothing, touring a campus or holding a business meeting in a coffee shop. National reporting shows that black drivers are more likely to be pulled over by police than white drivers. In some tragic cases, young African Americans have been killed in encounters that were fueled by mistaken impressions or outright racism. Reinking has spent years as a researcher, scholar and educator. Her roles as mother and researcher come together in this important new book. She shares her family's life in the hope that these stories will foster learning, discussion and new places for reflection and growth. She is honest even about her own occasional stumbling as a mother through cross-racial experiences in which she discovered how much more she has to learn. In telling those true stories, she invites readers to open up their own lives. Writer Christine Michel Carter, who specializes in working with black families and consumers, encourages readers to embrace Reinking's fresh perspective in this book. "For years I have researched and written for the general public, advocating for equality, uncovering the challenges of black motherhood and revealing the many cultures that reside in our country," Carter writes. "However, Dr. Anni is doing something I cannot: using stories of her own ignorance in hopes that it will push her colleagues outside of their own comfort boundaries and foster within them a place for growth and reflection." Ultimately, for millions of Americans, this is a family story for our time. Anni's father, a longtime Presbyterian minister, encourages all parents and grandparents to enjoy this book, writing, "I think that every grandparent hopes for a better future, not only for their children, but for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Read the Spirit Books

"What is race? How do we define identity? How does education affect our life and relationships? Welcome to Anni K. Reinking's world, where even the smallest occurrence of everyday life raises new questions and reflections, involving sociology, anthropology, religion and psychology," writes Elisa Di Benedetto in the Foreword to Not Just Black and White."This is Anni's emotionally and intellectually moving memoir of her life as a white mother raising a black son in multiracial America--but it is so much more than that. While her story is based in the U.S., this is a global story. This book is an extraordinary journey towards awareness and learning. That's how the world changes for the better--one story at a time that touches us and makes us realize we share far more with our neighbors than might seem to separate us." America is a racially divided nation. All of us are familiar with the headlines in recent years of white Americans anxiously calling police about innocent black Americans they encounter. Among the troubling news stories are incidents sparked by black young people simply napping in a dorm room, shopping for clothing, touring a campus or holding a business meeting in a coffee shop. National reporting shows that black drivers are more likely to be pulled over by police than white drivers. In some tragic cases, young African-Americans have been killed in encounters that were fueled by mistaken impressions or outright racism. Reinking has spent years as a researcher, scholar and educator. Her roles as mother and researcher come together in this important new book. She shares her family's life in the hope that these stories will foster learning, discussion and new places for reflection and growth. She is honest even about her own occasional stumbling as a mother through cross-racial experiences in which she discovered how much more she has to learn. In telling those true stories, she invites readers to open up their own lives. Writer Christine Michel Carter, who specializes in working with black families and consumers, encourages readers to embrace Reinking's fresh perspective in this book. "For years I have researched and written for the general public, advocating for equality, uncovering the challenges of black motherhood and revealing the many cultures that reside in our country," Carter writes. "However, Dr. Anni is doing something I cannot: using stories of her own ignorance in hopes that it will push her colleagues outside of their own comfort boundaries and foster within them a place for growth and reflection." Ultimately, for millions of Americans, this is a family story for our time. Anni's father, a longtime Presbyterian minister, encourages all parents and grandparents to enjoy this book, writing, "I think that every grandparent hopes for a better future, not only for their children, but for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Reinking, Anni K.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Reinking, Anni K.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Reinking, Anni K.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Difficult Conversations: A Toolkit for Educators in Handling Real-Life Situations

Difficult Conversations: A Toolkit for Educators in Handling Real-Life Situations

The Economic and Opportunity Gap: How Poverty Impacts the Lives of Students

The Economic and Opportunity Gap

Implicit Bias: An Educator’s Guide to the Language of Microaggressions

Implicit Bias: An Educator’s Guide to the Language of Microaggressions

Not Just Black and White: A White Mother's Story of Raising a Black Son in Multiracial America

Not Just Black and White: A White Mother's Story of Raising a Black Son in Multiracial America