Lessons for Teachers From George Floyd's Death & Black Lives Matter
‘I need to challenge my white friends’
I have worked for 15 years as a white teacher in a school where the majority of students are students of color. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and numerous others, plus the Black Lives Matter protests, confirmed what my students of color had told me for years. These current events push me to reflect on the biases that prevented me from hearing them, to change my mindset and to alter the ways I teach.
Read More-here has been a plethora of books outlining our nation’s history of white supremacy. I have made use of my summer vacation to read several of these books. Robyn DeAngelo’s White Fragility was a wake-up call for me, but change did not happen all at once. It took me a while to sit with the ideas in order to identify my defensiveness. There is plenty more for me to read and process as I continue to challenge my biases, develop humility, and open myself to learning the lived experiences of others.
Reflect More-Reading alone does nothing unless I let the ideas sink in, understand them, and allow them to change me. I find structuring time for reflection useful. The meditation practices outlined in Ruth King’s book Mindful of Race is one way to make time for self-reflection. Talking with colleagues, attending webinars, and following teachers of color on social media provide structured time to reflect on the ideas I have read. But this is not easy work. I am learning to get comfortable with discomfort and understand that discomfort is a necessary good to make things better. As Ijeoma Oluo says in her book So You Want to Talk About Race, “You have to get over the fear of facing the worst in yourself. You should instead fear unexamined racism. Fear the thought that right now, you could be contributing to the oppression of others and you don’t know it. But do not fear those who bring that oppression to light. Do not fear the opportunity to do better.”
Hear More-Many times my students of color shared their mistrust and mistreatment at the hands of police. But I did not hear it. It was only after the too-long-list of people of color murdered that I finally got what they were talking about. I am ashamed that people had to lose their lives for me to finally hear what my students had been saying. I now give the lived experience of my students of color primacy. I also take into account all their identities and how they intersect to create the young people they are. I attempt to define my students beyond the identities I see or assume are most important to them. I listen to what they are saying and trust it. I need to remember to stay quiet, let others speak, and focus not on listening but hearing what they are saying.
Plan More-Our school curriculums are places of systemic racism. As an English teacher, I have the chance to address this by including more authors of color, by providing more contemporary writers, and letting my students choose the texts we read. I follow what Christopher Erdmin calls reality pedagogy: “about reaching students where they really are, making sure that their lives and backgrounds are reflected in the curriculum and in classroom conversations.” This applies to all my students in light of all the unique and varied ways they identity themself.
Challenge More-My goal is not to just care about the Black and Brown students but to change the systems that continue to oppress and marginalize them. As Bettina Love writes, “So, the question is not: Do you love all children? The question is: Will you fight for justice for Black and Brown children? And how will you fight?” I need to challenge my white friends and teachers when they share racist ideas, question systems that continue to perpetuate racism, and engage all my students in discussions that explore assumptions and biases.
I know this is not going to be easy work for me, nor for many of us teachers. We’ll make mistakes. But that is a risk worth taking.