I am Black. My students are white. The issues we discuss in class...not so much. As a #LivingPoetry and Humanities teacher, my students and I are frequently engaged in hard conversations. Class content focuses on the experiences of marginalized groups and we spend much of our time reflecting on how those groups and individuals have been impacted by race and racism. Learning how to effectively navigate these discussions can greatly improve classroom community and students’ cultural and racial awareness. Here are three key considerations for engaging your students in critical conversations about race and racism: Students’ Experiences Matter Growing up, I was one of a handful of minority students in my school. However, I remember always being called upon to be the voice of all the world’s minority population. Don't do this. Ever. Students should be encouraged and empowered to speak up but never forced to speak up. Instead create opportunities for students to share their experiences and understanding on their terms. Give students a safe platform for using their voice and support them when they do. As we all know, students come from vastly different backgrounds and have vastly different experiences. Bring them into the classroom through discussion, through content, through curriculum, through anything and everything. Students are often more than willing to share their experiences with their peers, initially, in small doses. Discuss the Issue, Not the Person I am an adult, a grown man, sometimes childish but mostly grown, and I still struggle separating issues from people. For students, this can be an even bigger issue. Tensions can often run high when students discuss race related issues and that’s okay. Students should feel strongly about their emotions. When discussing race and racism, it is important to establish an expectation of discovering where our emotions come from rather than try to shut them out of the conversation entirely. As educators, it is important for us to raise students' voices in favor of our own. I typically have students discuss hard conversations in a Socratic seminar-like setting where I serve as a facilitator of the discussion, and students’ emotions. The goal of these seminars is to reach an understanding or common ground with our peers, not to change minds. My role is to put hot emotions on ice and let students talk, let them lead. At the end of the discussion, students reflect on new perspectives that challenged their beliefs and why they did so. Color Blindness
Every year, I teach Clint Smith’s poem, What the cicada said to the black boy, and Jose Olivarez’s poem, (Citizen)(Illegal). Both of which dive deep into the lasting and lingering impacts of race and racism on our society and both are deeply loved by students. This year, during a discussion on Smith’s poem, two students (both well-intentioned) provided an excellent example of why color blindness is harmful: Student 1: Okay...so...how do we all become colorblind? Student 2: We can’t. Student 1: I’m colorblind. I don’t see people’s color. I see a person. Student 2: What color is my shirt? We see color and we should see color. I tell my students that if they don’t see color, then they don’t see each other. Race and ethnicity are critical parts of who students are. Choosing to ignore color does not negate the existence of color based issues. In fact, it only works to perpetuate societal ills that disenfranchise and disadvantage people and communities of color. My students, in this instance, not only saw the color of the authors, but they were able to discuss the poems through the lens of members of the Black and Latinx communities. They were able to contextualize the poems’ more effectively and gained a better understanding of how race and racism impact their own lives and, potentially, those of their peers. What If I Fail? Then you fail. But, don’t teach in fear of engaging students in difficult conversations. Reluctance to do so often comes from the fear of backlash or a fear of saying the wrong thing. I understand. I, on many occasions have stumbled over my words, said something that needed further context than what I offered, or flat out didn’t know how to respond or what to say to students. It’s okay. These conversations need to happen. As educators, we cannot shy away from engaging students in race discussions because they may make us uncomfortable. We need to continuously improve our own knowledge and understanding to help students be more prepared for the diverse world they will enter once they leave our classrooms.
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