Wednesday, May 21, 2025
It’s 8:20 on a Friday morning at Wedgewood Park International School. Classes don’t begin until 9:05 a.m., but Principal Elhadji Ndaw has an announcement. “Thank you for being here. Book study is 8:25. Make sure we get there on time.”
Ndaw leaves his office for room 139, a book tucked under his arm. The title: “Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom.”
Twice a month, staff at the International Baccalaureate middle school meet to discuss hot topics, teaching approaches, and relationship-building strategies. Schools districtwide do this during staff meetings and professional development events.
Wedgewood Park’s early-morning meetings are based on books. Specifically, nonfiction books about language and culture, neuroscience and economics, and other issues affecting teaching and learning today.
Ndaw is an avid bilingual, biliterate bibliophile who reads in English and his first language of French. He began Wedgewood Park’s book study in 2020 when COVID-19 sent schools worldwide into remote-learning mode. Faculty at the close-knit school on Milwaukee’s southwest side felt isolated from each other, Ndaw says. Like teachers everywhere, they worried about their students.
“The pandemic made us more aware of our own biases,” Ndaw says. “We wanted to find new ways to support our Black and Brown students.”
The reading group’s first selections:
Five years later, book study continues. Sixth- through 8th-grade staff split into groups by title and meet twice a month. They share ideas and insight from their own reading, answer discussion questions, and even trade jokes and tips. Ndaw hosts an event every May in Wedgewood Park’s Library Media Center. Called “Celebrating the Learning,” the event is an opportunity for staff to reflect on another year of reading, learning, and working together — emphasis on learning.
“Reminding students that we are always in a position of learning is important,” an English language arts teacher said during a discussion of “Choosing to See.”
“I want them to know I’m learning, too.”
Supporting language learners
Two doors down, educators analyzed chapter 3 of “Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom,” by Lisa Delpit. This discussion brought together orchestra, English language arts, and bilingual educators. Wedgewood Park is home to a large bilingual dual-language program; nearly 24 percent of its students are English learners.
Oscar Bohorquez recently moved from Colombia to Milwaukee to teach 6th-grade social studies and English language arts. He said that learning a new language requires bravery, and creating a classroom community where students are supported, never laughed at, is necessary.
“Students’ cultural background is a big piece of their language,” added 8th-grade teacher Ingrid Fernandez.
“I’m from Mexico, and you’re from Colombia,” she said to Bohorquez. “Even between our shared language, Spanish, there are differences in how we speak.”
“It’s been a language journey for me,” noted Wedgewood Park music and orchestra teacher Philip Garret. “Playing instruments is an anchoring point that doesn’t always require words.”
When a book changes outlook
Reading and discussing “Other People’s Children” has changed how English language arts teacher Julie Panetta hears her 6th-grade students. One example: Being called “bro.”
“That’s how students talk, but when they bring that language into the classroom, I used to get offended and think, ‘That’s not scholarly.’ ”
Now she’s creating more space for language diversity in the classroom. She considers how a student’s cultural background affects their linguistic choices. She’s slower to correct students’ basic English- or Spanish-language errors. Doing so builds trust and encourages participation and conversation during lessons and projects, Panetta says.
“I try to pull ideas from every book we read to build stronger relationships with the kids. If we don’t have that relationship, we can’t have a great lesson.”
Eighth-grade administrator Kelly Sobek likes to read and values twice-monthly conversations with colleagues across Wedgewood Park International School.
“Book study really brings us together,” she says. “Getting expert opinions on different grade levels and subjects builds community among our staff and is good for students.”