Part 1: Blind Spots

Nichols talks about how blind spots are habits or quick judgements. These blind spots matter because they are in the background and shape how you react to be more culturally responsible. Especially when you’re rushed or frustrated. A lot of those reactions come from how you were raised or what’s always felt normal, so you don’t question them. When you uncover those blind spots, you start noticing when you steer your responses to students in ways you never intended. It’s not about lowering expectations, but it’s about understanding what drives your decisions so you can stay fair and consistent with every kid.

In her podcast, Nichols talks about implicit bias and blind spots. I liked the analogy that she used when she compared it to food- she explain that if you only eat meat and potatoes or hamburgers and french fries, you will only meat and potatoes person and there isn't necessarily anything wrong with it, but you are limiting yourself to trying other "tastes". In order to widen our circle and experience connections with the "other" we have to be willing to "try new foods"- in this she means go to new places with people who aren't necessarily like you- like parks, restaurants, shops. I think this makes it a little more simple at first- in order to widen our circle, we have to be willing to try. 

What also resonated with me is when she explained that humans are wrong, they are just "human people with failabilities" or imperfections and she encourages us to own it. I think many of us try to be open minded as educators, especially in this district, and are try to fight some of our implicit bias or blind spots. However, when she described how we "OTHER" not just different race, religion, gender, cultural groups, we also "other" parents, admin, teachers, and students as generalized groups, I did see how that is done often, even by me. 

Hedreich Nichols offers educators to reflect on their “blind spots” and why that makes a person react the way they do; triggers.  What/why do you suppose that blind spots will be important to understanding implicit bias?

There are always reasons behind why people do and say certain things.  They may be reasons we don't know or even reasons the person themselves doesn't even know.  Hedreich Nichols offers this suggestion because the more we reflect and understand our "blind spots" or bias may help us to better understand why we do, say, and feel certain things, and it's in this understanding that we have room for growth.  The more we understand ourselves, the more we can understand each other.  

After listening to this podcast, I understand that blind spots and implicit bias are one in the same. I feel that using the term “blind spots” will make it more receptive to some. It is when we react negatively to something automatically, without thinking. Then, not stopping to think about why we are reacting to it this way. It is important to understand why we react to things negatively, as it ultimately affects the relationships we build with not only students, but people in general. We as teachers want to cultivate genuine relationships with our students, so they can grow and learn. It will help us as teachers continue to become a better version of ourselves and in turn, help students do the same.

After listening to this podcast, I understand that blind spots and implicit bias are one in the same. I feel that using the term “blind spots” will make it more receptive to some. It is when we react negatively to something automatically, without thinking. Then, not stopping to think about why we are reacting to it this way. It is important to understand why we react to things negatively, as it ultimately affects the relationships we build with not only students, but people in general. We as teachers want to cultivate genuine relationships with our students, so they can grow and learn. It will help us as teachers continue to become a better version of ourselves and in turn, help students do the same.

We have students in our district that come from all backgrounds, races, religions and their home life.  We as educators have to understand and respect all of that.  We have to understand the struggles that many of these students face even before the school day begins.  We have to understand the "bias" so there can be a mutual and respectful relationship in the classroom to ensure that all students are learning equally.

"Blind Spots" can be defined as unconscious biases that can narrow our vision and potentially influence our behaviors. Listening to this podcast really made me reflect on the possible biases in my own life... How diverse my personal circle is/why does it look like it does; How often do I use generalizations; What is my initial perception when I talk to someone different from me (language, religion, etc.). It made me consider becoming more open-minded, more inclusive, more accepting and forgiving of others, and maybe even consuming more cultural literature/TV shows/movies. I need to become more aware of any possible cultural "triggers" that I may have, which may make those unconscious or learned biases come out... Cultural differences, religious differences, political differences, etc.

We tend to think "I'm not biased" and bristle when someone implies we may not be as accepting of certain groups as we think we are. We yell at other drivers and assume negative things about their lineage, gender or ethnic background simply because of the way they drive (maybe they're going "too slow" for our taste or forgot to use their turn signal). Carrying frustration from our drive to work into our classroom can affect our lessons, our attitude and our students. 
Sometimes, we tend to think that the "Special Education" students can't "do" science or math, simply because they have an IEP or 504. Sometimes we think ENL students can't understand content or concepts because they're not fully fluent in speaking, reading or writing English. They may fully understand the content/concepts in their home language, but if they can't answer our questions, we might question their understanding or level of knowledge instead of trying to overcome the language barrier or create resources in their home language.
Navigating our blind spots/bias can result in stronger lessons, a more inclusive and accepting classroom, and a higher student success rate.

Blind spots, according to the podcast, are important to understanding implicit bias because these terms are practically interchangeable. Blind spots are the places in our minds where we haven’t stopped and examined why we think or act the way we do. I believe that it’s important to acknowledge our blind spots as individuals and educators and “do the work” so that we treat all of our students respectfully. The anecdotes shared in this short audio clip were revealing in the sense that sometimes implicit biases / blind spots are not about race. Sometimes they are about a prior experience someone has had and that affects the way they think or act. Acknowledging and dealing with our blind spots are imperative to understanding multiple perspectives and, ultimately, our students’ lives.

All of us have our own blindspots. Our past experiences influence everything that we do and the way we think about all new experiences that we have. Being culturally responsible implies that we need to have ownership over how we act/think in all situations. Do we have empathy and belonging? What are my in groups and my out groups? How do I respond to both of those? Our blindspots are the places in our lives/brains where we react without thinking or knowing why we react in a certain way. How can we make students aware of their implicit biases if teachers are not aware of their own blindspots? In addition to academic material, it is the responsibility of teachers to help students reflect on their own thoughts and behaviors.

Blind spots will be important to understanding implicit bias I suppose because a blind spot is not something we see in ourselves. Since we do not recognize our blind spots, we may be acting out implicit bias towards groups or individuals we consider “other”. Discovering our own blindspots is the start of a journey to broaden our experiences and begin to change our thinking and feelings toward non-mainstream populations. I especially liked the conversation regarding Thomas Jefferson and acknowledging that perfectionism does not exist. We are fallible, broken people and we make mistakes. We run into bias when we label people good or bad because….(fill in the blank). Looking at all the stories surrounding the people and not just one single story helps to help us broaden our circle.