Part 1: Blind Spots

This topic is such a hotspot issue today yet seems to me that we need to extend this concept outside of education as much as possible too. Asking people to reflect on the things that make them react negatively (sorry, the word trigger triggers me😉) needs to be an exercise done by many adults I run into. Maybe this could help undo some of the division around us. 
As they spoke it was thinking of students I have had in my classroom and thought back to my relationship with some that were challenging. Was it my perception of them more than the things they actually did?  Could I have done some things differently to alter a tough teacher/student relationship? Probably yes. 

I really appreciate the distinction Nicholas gives between the most common labels we use to identify people's prejudices versus considering our blind spots - many people will say that they are not a certain type of person without realizing how many blind spots or biases they have.  So I think as she says, many of us move through life without slowing down to take the time to think about these preconceived notions we have or these triggers that already exist for us.  I think this concept is important to helping us understand implicit bias because we are most likely unaware of these ideas or subconscious thoughts and reactions we have, which leads to the unintentional and automatic judgments or decisions we make.  I also liked the discussion around the notion of "doing the work" and being responsible for the things we can control and take action on - I think the questions in this podcast are a great starting point for being a culturally responsible educator!

In order to effect positive change, we need to understand our blind spots and how they are causing us to react in certain ways. When we can address the reason behind our judgements we will be able to reframe our mindset and assess the root of our own problems or areas of need. This understanding will allow us to create a more mutually respectful classroom that values the diversities of its students.

As humans we naturally create a judgement on every situation we live through. In order to get through it we need to be able to understand what have we gone through in the past to make us feel this way. Completely makes sense as we will have students from all backgrounds, races, religions, etc. Getting to understand out “bias” can only help us become better teachers. 

As people in general, implicit bias really affects how we see others in our community. When we can better understand why we have the bias' that we do, we can better understand our reactions. One of the biggest takeaways I took from this part of the podcast was thinking about who we consider "us" versus who we consider "them". We have to give every student a sense of belonging in our classroom and ensure we are using culturally responsive measures in our daily teaching. 

Blind spots are essential in helping us determine our implicit bias. Examining these areas of our life open your eyes to things we may not typically think about. It help us see generalizations we may make and analyze our judgements of others. This an important step to take before moving forward in this work. 

This was an extremely powerful podcast and one of the first inservice offerings where it truly forced me to stop and reflect on my own upbringing and actions.  This is such a timely topic! By knowing our triggers and blind spots, it can lead to us examining why we react a certain way and how we feel.  These triggers can directly affect the way we build relationships with others and our students.  My oldest brother Mike is a psychiatrist- he has used the analogy of "working on yourself" first to the airline's suggestion-- put your airbag on first before aiding others around you. 

I want to start by saying this podcast was truly eye-opening.  Everyone has a place in them that rarely gets examined; a blind spot.  These spots cause us to react a certain way. Throughout your life, the events that you observed and/or participated in, gave you a certain point of view and a bias about someone.  These experiences cause us to tell ourselves stories about people.  Whether or not these stories are true, they are oftentimes our first thought. We need to make sure we stop and view these blind spots in order to react.

 I want to start by saying this podcast was truly eye-opening.  Everyone has a place in them that rarely gets examined; a blind spot.  These spots cause us to react a certain way. Throughout your life, the events that you observed and/or participated in, gave you a certain point of view and a bias about someone.  These experiences cause us to tell ourselves stories about people.  Whether or not these stories are true, they are oftentimes our first thought. We need to make sure we stop and view these blind spots in order to react.

First off, I do appreciate the discussion and importance bestowed in this podcast on responsiveness and responsibility.  I am confident most people understand the concept of being culturally responsible.  Not everyone may act in this manner but I believe they understand the concept.  I value that this podcast pushes for more proactive responsiveness.  Thinking about actions before taking them and self-reflecting on not only the consequences for oneself but for others involved.  Simple premeditative actions like this can make such a difference in comfortable and safe classroom atmospheres.The “blind spots” mentioned can also be viewed as “triggers”.  This is a much more common buzz word referring to words/actions that almost “set you off”.  These are things that we should reflect on to get to the root of issues.  Why am I upset?  Why do I automatically feel attacked? Why is my reaction different? This is important in understanding implicit bias in that we unpack the roots of our own which is a tool to help understand the possible bind spots of others. Additionally, I think people should take the extra step of investigating how their blind spots have changed over time and what factors may have contributed to this change.  The evolution of our blind spots is very telling and can shape our interactions with students.

Responsive is great, it means you are responding to some stimuli that happens. But Responsible =ownership and you thinking about something before it happens. I like the idea of being proactive instead of reactive.

Your “Blind spot” is something that might be a trigger that you might not have considered “Why has this upset me?” or “Why am I reacting the way I am?”  By being responsible about this way of thought, you will move it from being implicit (unintentionally) and you can understand it and be more aware of it.

Nichols makes a distinction between being "culturally responsive"  and "culturally responsible". The former implies taking action and the latter refers to the forward thinking of being inclusive and culturally literate. I like that she encourages us to think first, then act. When we ask "why do I think that way" or "why did my brain go there," it's not to condemn one's own thinking, but to understand it and potentially act sensitively in the future.  

The word "bias" has quite a negative connotation. Our biases are made up of our experiences and they're part of who we are. Instead of suppressing or denying such biases exist, having a greater awareness our these biases might influence how we as educators interact with our students and teach can produce healthy introspection.