There was so much that resonated for me from yesterday’s conversations. There were definitely some good conversations and collectively people talked about the different things that assisted them in shifting their practices:
- Critical Friends – Mentors – Femtors (thanks Julius :)) Racialized friends and people we learn from (DrawntoIntellect, Amit, Sumir, Kevin, Stephen4Equity (your prof), Mrs. T, Jordan,
- Critical self-reflective practice (Deb, Antonella, Pamela, Lisa P, Paolo (moving from teaching rooted in fear), Ms Dhillon, Dawn, Beverly, Ms. Fernando & Tracy (building on past/personal experiences)
- Knowing ourselves in relation to the students we serve (Lisa, Michelle, addressing our own egos and learning to be vulnerable (Naya M)
- Struggling with how and knowing we have to interrupt, lead, feeling like we have to “pretend” (Sayema), dealing with “impostor syndrome” (Ms Rodrigues- I felt you on this one and I could sense your struggle as you engaged; been there, been through it- Hiren & Danielle, I also know it all too well!)
- Rooting ourselves in our purpose (J.Efthymiadis)
- Listening to our Students – Listening authentically and thinking about who students are and what they need to be successful (Chi, Sangeeta -your story almost had me in tears; kidsconnect – really anchoring yourselves in the perspectives of children, Derik, MadameRT, Cary, N.Faroogh, D.Grant )
- Looking at the data differently and asking the right questions (Krista, Teralyn,
- Rethinking “curriculum” and what/how we teach
- Utilizing CRRP as an to support students (ALL students) (Lisa,
- Learning from our students AND families (Redknine, Nyma)
- Relationships with students and environments that allow students to flourish (Vulam)
If i missed anyone – I do apologize – flag it for me and I will make sure the next time 🙂
Many people talked about areas of advocacy they’ve become passionate about – whether it was from a space of their own lived experiences or specific groups of children they’ve become passionate in their work to make sure they can reach their highest potential. Because they realized that their approaches or the structures were NOT in fact helping students.
No space is an inclusive space – the structures were created by some people based on their understanding of who and what was important; it was incorrect, incomplete and shortsighted – if we simply do what has always been done, we will continue to get what we’ve already gotten. In these colonial systems, they were constructed from the mindset of colonizers, who thought, led and behaved in a certain way. This allowed some people more “currency” (privilege) to be successful vs others.
So if we can begin with knowing these things- it begs another question – why is it difficult to talk about privilege – AND more specifically some forms of privilege more than others? (answer from the perspective of your role – and if you’re worried about how it will be taken up- send me your answer composed with the right number of characters and I will post it on your behalf)
