Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Burtch
Hi Derek, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Erase the Space started as an unnamed project between two teachers, myself and Amelia Gordon, in the Columbus metro area in 2016. We had met earlier that summer during our first year at the Bread Loaf School of English in Ripton, Vermont. Both of us were there on fellowships and the requirements for the fellowship was to participate in a classroom exchange with another fellow over the following school year. Many of the exchanges we saw or learned about were long-distance exchanges (i.e. a classroom in Boston exchanging with a classroom in Kentucky). We developed our project around the idea of a short-distance classroom exchange as we both taught in the same metro area, this would also allow our students to meet in person at the end of the exchange. I was studying democratic discourse for an independent study course, and we took some of my findings to create our framework for the exchange. Eventually we developed a curriculum that included three pillars for our exchange: narrative exchange, shared learning (sometimes we refer to it as shared purpose), and in-person collaboration. These pillars reflect the necessary components of democratic discourse: relationship building, work to do together, and in-person meetings in public space.
Since our first exchange that finished in May 2017, we have been working with teachers across Central Ohio to engage their students in discourse across difference, challenging the segregative boundaries of school districts so students can engage in collaborative learning and dreaming together. Our work is teacher-created, teacher and student-centered, and continues to be directly impactful in classrooms and in the Central Ohio metro area at-large. This year we are facilitating 22 exchanges across 44 classrooms in Central Ohio. With over 1,000 student participating, this is our biggest year yet.
Much, if not all, of our success is built on our ability to link arms with teachers, community partners, and school districts. The relationships we build with districts and teachers is reflective of how we ask students to engage in with one another. As a current classroom teacher, I continue to be plugged into the current concerns and challenges in education which goes a long way with building trust with other teachers.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think one of the main struggles as we started the program was building a framework for this program that addressed the power dynamics that existed between students due to the inequities baked into the education system while at the same time finding a way for students to connect beyond those barriers. Many of the exchange programs we looked into failed to address these systemic issues and many times it ended with one group of students, usually those already marginalized by the system, being emotionally harmed. These exchanges either perpetuated the power dynamics created by the system or created a voyeuristic dynamic for the students to “peek” into one another’s lives without finding a shared purpose or “work to do together.” Creating our curriculum forced us to think outside of how we viewed ourselves as teachers and to unlearn a lot of things that we thought to be true.
Beyond that, the challenges of a system that was built on separating these students was difficult to navigate by its very nature. Getting students to learn across schools that were intentionally segregated presented logistical problems, issues with understanding the mission of our program, and just plain old racism and bigotry. Some parents did not want their student participating because they did not want their student to meet someone from the partner school, so I guess another thing you could say we battled was the mythology baked into place and into schools specifically.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think what sets my work apart from others is this really specific position I have where I haven’t left the classroom to do educational transformative work. I still teach part-time in the mornings at Olentangy High School. I have three senior English classes this year and then I leave to do my other part-time job with Erase the Space as the executive director, co-founder. What this allows for is to, for one, maintain the pulse of what’s happening in classrooms. My classroom is like my lab where I’m trying new things, but I also I’m doing the work that I’m asking teachers to do, so when I asked them to join or when they hear about it, I can talk about the thing I’m doing this year right now rather than what it used to be like or what I used to do. Often, if you leave the classroom, you lose the pulse of education and things changed so quickly. I think my position as an on the ground, in the classroom teacher is different than a lot of other executive directors or people who leave the classroom to work for nonprofits because I also wake up in the morning and come into school. I’m with students every single day and then going out and supporting teachers in this work as we try to expand what we’re doing. I think the thing I’m most proud of is creating this really specific job where I’m part time in the classroom and part-time and other people’s classrooms because education is notably an inflexible field where you have pretty regimented hours. But I work in a district that allows me to job share–so somebody else comes in and teaches in the afternoon in my classroom–and so it’s kind of this little oddity. I’ve never met anyone who is in the classroom teaching and then also operating or facilitating and running a nonprofit in their afternoon time. I think what sets me apart from others is that this allows me to lead through example. I’m in the classroom doing the work and then also being a leader in the field where we’re connecting teachers and students across these districts to create relationships. Not only am I working working in the field in a theoretical sense doing this transformative work, but also very much in a lived experience of being a teacher that is still in the classroom.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Persistence and self-reflection are probably the two key qualities to my success as a teacher and the success of Erase the Space. Persistence is something I think has been with me since childhood. My mom used to say, “Derek, someday your persistence will pay off, but right now it’s tiring.”
Self-reflection and being honest with myself is something I have developed in my adult life. It is not something that comes natural to me because it requires slowing down and my ADHD brain wants to always keep running. I don’t think I would be in the position I am in, nor Erase the Space for that matter, if I hadn’t worked really hard on slowing down and reflecting.
Pricing:
- Erase the Space exchanges are free!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Erasethespace.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erasethespace/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-burtch-575540192?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
