Though my focus for this year’s newsletters have been on classroom
strategies, I have decided to end the year by addressing the recent events of
our community and how we can be more mindful and intentional in teaching
critical literacy with our students. As Brazilian educator and philosopher
Paulo Friere writes in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, it is not enough just
to teach our students to read words, sentences, and books. We must teach
them to read the world. This month’s newsletter will focus on how we can
better commit to doing this within our classrooms.
To start
with, teaching our students to read the world assumes that we, as teachers, are
learning alongside them. It is important that we are acknowledging the
ways we have been socialized into racist assumptions and beliefs that have
influenced the way we see other people. We are reading. We are
reflecting. We are engaging with and listening to voices that have been
suppressed and silenced. We are standing in our discomfort and
recognizing that no matter how upsetting it might be to hear what is being said
or to see what is being done, it does not compare to the daily experiences of
Black people in our society today. As Drew Mons has stated before, this
means that we must listen with the purpose of understanding, not with the purpose
of defending or excusing or arguing. A good deal of our struggle today
stems from an unwillingness of many to truly listen to the pain and hurt that
has been so often expressed by the Black community. Becoming more anti-racist
means that I begin my journey by dedicating myself to constantly checking my
own biases and assumptions and being open to hearing what those biases and
assumptions might be without taking offense or shutting down the
discussion.
Once this
first step is in motion, the rest falls into place. Dedicating yourself to
becoming more anti-racist will put you into contact with others who are also on
the same journey. It puts you into spaces where you become more aware of how
you can bring these thoughts and concerns into your classroom. It puts
you into books and resources that help you to think about how you might address
race and become a little less uncomfortable doing so, with the knowledge that
there will always be a level of discomfort when addressing white supremacy and
racism in your classrooms.
Regardless
of the content area, there are steps that we can all take to foreground racial
equity. To start with, make a concerted attempt to honor Latinx History Month,
Black History Month, Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth. It could be
as simple as five minutes once a week during those months where you spotlight
an important figure, concept or event. I also take these opportunities to
find people or events that are new to me. This helps to expand their
exposure beyond just the small cannon of civil rights figures that we typically
use. Additionally, consider finding discipline related materials that
complement lessons already in your curriculum. In reading and English
classes, for example, assigning one or two articles a trimester that address
race not only fits the curriculum, but also helps to normalize conversations
about race. The artwork and artifacts that decorate our rooms could also be an
opportunity to expand representation of people of color and to disrupt some of
the stereotypes that students may have. Finally, have regular
conversations with classes about things that matter. Conversations this
winter about Kobe Bryant were important. Giving students of the color the
chance to share a little about their feelings on his passing allowed them an
opportunity to share their grief, while giving the rest of us a little insight
into what he meant beyond the basketball court. To do this, however,
assumes that we have done our work ahead of time. Conversations about
race require some preparation. I encourage you to read Glenn Singleton’s Courageous
Conversations for more information, but in general, ask students to stay
engaged, expect discomfort, speak your truth, and expect / accept a lack of
closure. Beyond that, know that it is not acceptable to call on a Black
student to speak on behalf of an entire community, or to ask them to respond to
comments made by other students. A poorly run conversation about race can
actually do more damage than good if we haven’t been thoughtful in how we
approach them.
This is
definitely a tough time to have a conversation about race, especially if we
have never had one with our students in the past and because we cannot be with
them face-to-face. Moving forward, however, it is necessary that we do so
on a regular basis.
In closing,
I also think it is important to address our own reactions to George Floyd’s
murder and the protests that have ensued. Numerous Black people have both
expressed frustration over our silence and over the ways that people have
attempted to discuss things online. Here are some things that have been
suggested. Do not re-post images or videos of these deaths. For
many Black people, these images can trigger trauma. Forcing them to
re-live a reality that they encounter in real life is tremendously disturbing.
Speak out unequivocally against racism and white supremacy, but then create
space for Black voices. Do not speak over or for them. Take this
opportunity to elevate the voices of others versus elevating your own. As
Uzo Ngu (Class of 2019) once stated, our job is not to speak for the voiceless.
It is to pass them the mic.
We should
also be asking, “How we can support our Black students?” It does not need
to be much, just a word or two when possible to tell them that you are thinking
of them and that you hope that they might find some comfort and peace amidst
the pain and suffering today. Even this is not going to be enough, and it
will not be exactly correct or easy. But, silence will only make our
Black students feel even more invisible.
As Halima Badri (Class of
2019) tells me, know that you, as a white person, will always be an imperfect
ally. Start with the assumption that we have been socialized into these
biases and beliefs, that we will always be incomplete in our understanding of
what it means to be Black in today’s world, that we will never be completely
free of these deeply ingrained, racialized thoughts and responses. And
with that understanding, we humbly approach each and every day with a sense of
urgency to hear the voices of those who have suffered at the hands of
injustice, to speak out, and to take steps to make our community safe for
everyone.
See the full newsletter here.
