WHAT IF WE ...
“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be”. ~ Marianne Williamson
Courageous Conversation National Summit
Six weeks ago I had the privilege and honor of attending the 2016 Courageous Conversation National Summit, a three day intensive seminar focused on developing and celebrating equity/antiracist leaders through courageous conversations about systemic racism and its impact on opportunity and achievement in schools. As a DELTA member and one who is passionate about racial equity work, I am extremely grateful to have been surrounded by so many racial equity leaders. The experience left me reflecting on my own racial journey in the context of my professional life. Further, it served as a catalyst for my efforts to reintroduce, if you will, the Courageous Conversation protocol to the district. I believe the protocol is a fundamental component needed to elevate our equity and antiracist work to a new level. It is time to define that level as one in which we will actually see transformation in the narrowing of the gap between our students of color and our white students while at the same time, increasing the achievement of all.
Reflections of our Better Selves
The main theme of the seminar was, “Reflections of Our Better Selves.” Civil rights activist, Whitney Young, Jr. states, “The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.” The Courageous Conversation Protocol is not about changing someone else’s beliefs. It is not about developing the fortitude to tell everyone why they are wrong and you are right. The purpose is to “engage, sustain, and deepen” our dialogue about race so we will be able to broaden our own racial consciousness, and thus learn from one another.
The first condition, focus on “personal, local, and immediate” is about starting with ourselves. As a Korean American woman who grew up with a vast amount of white privilege in a dominantly white suburban city, I have come to the realization that the awareness around my own race and my personal experiences play an integral role in my ability to engage in courageous conversations. By looking inward, I am making an investment in the work of increasing my own racial consciousness. In other words, by intentionally working on building my own racial consciousness, I will build my capacity to engage in conversations which are integral to the learning and experience of our students of color, and thus be able to put out a “reflection of my better self.”
The HOW
As a member of the Personalized Learning department, and a teacher who is passionate about equity/antiracist work, I see the two concepts as synonymous. For me, truly personalizing the learning experience for each student is equity at it’s core because there is no denying or ignoring of the barriers or systems that prohibit each student from reaching his/her fullest potential. That dream for all of the students of Eden Prairie is one in which I hope to see come to full fruition as we journey toward the convergence of personalized learning and equity. Notice I said, all of the students. This is because I believe strongly that when we do this work, we are benefiting our entire student population, regardless of race, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
Often it sound like, “Tell me what to do, and I will wholeheartedly do it. I want what’s best for my students and care deeply about them!” Recently I picked up a binder labeled 2008 and in it were pages upon pages of Equity workshops that I had attended as a part of WMEP. Many of the questions and comments that I had written in the margins and the material in the presentation notes were almost exactly the same as the ones I have now in my current binder. This tells me that the conversation about these inequities and institutionalized racism in our education system have not changed much at all. It’s a frustrating phenomenon because I know as a district we have tried many different approaches.
I’m going to take a risk and speak my truth (one of the 4 agreements). I do not believe that an initiative or program will ever address the gap alone. I don’t believe that simply ‘doing’ culturally responsive strategies in my classroom will reach each and everyone of my students. The reason? Because I have come to the awareness through a decade and a half of focusing on this work, that it lies in our hidden biases, in our system-wide structures and processes, and in our deeply honest belief that each child can achieve at high levels. My belief, after attending the national summit, is that it has to start within each of us.
I believe that we are an outstanding, proud and distinguished district. However, we are not exempt nor should we be immune to the information that our data tells us. If our mission is about ‘each’ and the mission of antiracist/equity leadership is systemic change, then we have a moral imperative to look in the mirror and start having these important conversations. Utilizing the protocol and committing to examining our own racial consciousness is the how to culturally relevant teaching in our district and my hope is to reignite the work in our district. By writing this blog, in this post election moment in history, I am pledging to increase my work around the advocation of our Eden Prairie Black and Brown and Indigenous students. Will you join me?
Thanks for writing the blog post. Just reading it makes me exam my own beliefs and makes me remember to be mindful of what equity means. Equity is not fair or equal but what each individual needs in a time and space.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie for speaking a truth that too often remains unspoken!
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with your idea that this work must begin within all of us. I believe this work is deeply personal and requires a deep look inside to address beliefs, biases, and mindset. But how do we get teachers on board with such personal and sometimes painful work?