When I consider the question “How can I talk to my family,
friends, and colleagues about what I have experienced and learned during this Challenge”,
I think the main impression is that I shouldn’t worry so much about the how and
just do it. I’m not really good at talking about potentially divisive topics. I
am definitely not a lets-talk-about-politics-and-religion type. But I think the
topic is important enough to merit a “hey, guess what I learned?” when something
relevant happens, like the pastor making an uneducated comment about race. And with
colleagues, I will recommend this course. The resources were really valuable,
and I think every SCSD educator would find something that resonates.
Several times in this course, the question of “what evidence of inequities and systemic and structural racism have I seen in my school or community” has come up, and even after much reflection, I cannot think of a single instance where the SCSD has been racist. I have been sensitive to the fact that I have felt less valuable to the schools where I’ve worked because I’m a girl and white. I fit the profile of basically every other teacher, and I feel like those in hiring positions are really eager to hire diverse candidates and men. I hear all the time how necessary it is to have male role models in the classroom, etc., but rarely how good it is that female white me has stuck around instead of bailing for a cushier suburban position. But I care about these kids too, so I’m not going to lie, it smarts a little. This course helped me internalize better that whatever advantages people of color are seeming to get right now, what I’m not seeing is the privileges that I’ve gotten along the way that they haven’t been privy to. When you look at the big picture, I’m not as disadvantaged as I may feel sometimes.
Several times in this course, the question of “what evidence of inequities and systemic and structural racism have I seen in my school or community” has come up, and even after much reflection, I cannot think of a single instance where the SCSD has been racist. I have been sensitive to the fact that I have felt less valuable to the schools where I’ve worked because I’m a girl and white. I fit the profile of basically every other teacher, and I feel like those in hiring positions are really eager to hire diverse candidates and men. I hear all the time how necessary it is to have male role models in the classroom, etc., but rarely how good it is that female white me has stuck around instead of bailing for a cushier suburban position. But I care about these kids too, so I’m not going to lie, it smarts a little. This course helped me internalize better that whatever advantages people of color are seeming to get right now, what I’m not seeing is the privileges that I’ve gotten along the way that they haven’t been privy to. When you look at the big picture, I’m not as disadvantaged as I may feel sometimes.