Happy New Year, Scholars!

Scholarship Updates

Mentorship Program

This note about the mentorship program is for any Scholars who have not yet found a mentor. As we begin the new year, we’d like to give every Scholar the opportunity to find a mentor. It’s not too late! We will be collecting information from our mentor pool to see who is available and interested in being matched immediately. So if you have any trouble, we can use this list to help you connect with some quickly. 

You may not be able to find a mentor that has exactly the same professional interests or that is from the same area, but don’t let that discourage you from finding a mentor. All Charles Butt Scholar mentors are accomplished principals with something to offer. 

We are still encouraging virtual meetings, so explore expanding your professional network by choosing a mentor that lives in a different part of the state. You don't have to stay with this mentor forever. You are welcome to change mentors next school year. 

If you’d like any support finding a mentor, we are here to help. If you’ve reached out before, but didn’t hear back, please try again. We now have a dedicated staff person monitoring communication about mentorship. Please don’t give up! Email us at RaisingTXTeachers@ryht.org. 

Learning Series 

The next Learning Series workshop is: “For the Culture: an Introduction to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”. The workshop will be held on Zoom on Saturday, January 9, 2021 from 10 am – 12 pm. Attending the workshop is optional.

Register here if you’d like to attend.  If you can’t attend live, the workshop will be recorded and uploaded to the Scholar Portal (password CBScholars). Description below: 

You may have heard people mention culturally responsive pedagogy when they say things like, “Meet your kids where they are." or "Make sure they see people who look like them on your bookshelf."

 Yes...and there is so much more to providing the education our students deserve than can be captured in any well-intended one-liner. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) is a dimension of teaching and learning described by its first champion, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, as "a pedagogical framework grounded in social justice, equity, and multicultural education." 

Participants will learn the components of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (as well as what CRP is not) and will be equipped to begin auditing their own principles and practices through this lens. The result will be the launch of a career-long journey of action and reflection putting students at the center of your instructional choices.

This workshop will be an introduction to CRP. If you’re interested we will have an advanced workshop on culturally responsive pedagogy on February 20, 10 am - 12 pm. More information to come.

Chat & Chill (Wellness Gathering)

As we start the new year and a new semester, we invite you to join us for an afternoon Chat & Chill on January 21st, 5 - 6 pm. This is an optional, informal gathering for Charles Butt Scholars to come together and share. We want to hear from you about your challenges and the ways in which you are meeting them. We'll also plan to have some conversation around wellness. 

Email fhooks@ryhtfoundation.org if you have any questions. 

Register here for the link. 

Scholar Support Services 

The Charles Butt Scholarship team has launched Scholar Support Services to support Scholars experiencing hardships, financial or otherwise, that put them at risk for dropping out, pausing their studies, or facing extreme distress. This enhanced support will be available during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To request support, please submit this brief request form. You will receive an invitation to schedule a call within two business days. 

Spread the Word!

Applications for the Charles Butt Scholarship are open, but many are coming to a close! See the table below to find your university. 

Please help us by encouraging aspiring teachers to apply. Visit www.charlesbuttscholarship.org to learn more.

Opportunities 

Mentorship Content Request

We would like to invite you to be part of a new content campaign to promote the Charles Butt Scholar Mentorship Program. The content will be used to recruit new mentors and show stakeholders how valuable the program is. Content from this campaign will be featured on social media and at the Scholar and Leadership Symposiums. 

 We believe sharing your stories is a powerful way to promote the mentorship program. We’d love to hear directly from you about the impact the mentorship program has had on you and your professional development. 

Your participation is optional, but we’d love to hear from you! 

 There are a number of ways to participate. Read carefully to choose the option that you feel able to complete. All of the options require you to upload something into a Google Folder. Please create a folder with your name so we know who the content belongs to! 

1. Submit a photo or photos of you and your mentor to this Google Drive folder “Mentorship Photos”. If you’d like to include a Google doc with some context about when and why the photo was taken, that would be great! 

2. Submit a screenshot of a positive or uplifting text message your mentor sent you to this Google folder.

3. Schedule a time to meet with your mentor via Zoom. Record you and your mentor answering the questions below. The video should be 5 – 10 minutes total. Upload your recording to this Google Folder. 

4. Use the voice memo app on your phone to record your responses to the questions below. Recordings should not be longer than 3 minutes. Find a quiet place to record. Upload voice recordings to this Google Folder.

 Questions for Zoom Recordings & Voice Memos

*Keep in mind some questions are only for Scholars,  only for mentors, and some are for both.*

1. [Scholar] What is one thing your mentor has taught you? How has that lesson impacted you? (be as specific as possible)

2. [Both] What is your favorite thing about your mentoring relationship?   

3. [Both] How does participating in the mentorship program add value to your life? 

4. [Mentor] What would you say to other Raising School Leaders alumni who are not yet a part of the program to encourage them to join? 

5. [Both] How much time does it take to have a meaningful connection?

Thank you! We are so excited to showcase you and your mentor! 

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Share your anonymous feedback about the Charles Butt Scholarship, the mentorship program, the newsletter, the Scholar Symposium, or any component of the scholarship by clicking the button below. Please provide specific feedback with context, to the extent possible. Thank you!