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I like to talk and I like to share stories. I often think about why. Why do I want to share? Why do I want others to hear the good and the bad; the ins and the outs of my life? I have realized this is because I am an educator (and an extrovert). I want to help others learn, and what better way to do this then to share my stories? But are my stories showing diversity, equity and inclusion? I have good intent with the start of my conversation, but does it always match the outcome?
I have come to realize that, as a teacher, I need to look at not only my lived experiences but also those of my students. This is where it becomes tricky, because I don’t know their lived experiences. I believe it is best to work on the assumption that we will never know another person’s perceptions, ideas and stories and that as teachers we should look at diversity through the eyes of a variety of authors, and we need to find texts and readings that are reflective of the students in our communities.
I need to ensure that my stories are not just about me… a white, heterosexual, middle-class female. I need to ensure that I have a “balance of stories” as said by Chinua Achebe (a Nigerian Novelist). I need to make sure that my stories are not diversely incomplete and thus negatively impacting those around me. I have begun to wonder, ‘in what ways do I impact people and am I even aware of it’?
Listening to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, reminds me that I have the power to tell or share a story and an even bigger power to impact a number of growing and developing girls at my school. I need to ensure that I tell both sides of a story and be consciously aware that I am not creating an “Authentic Culture” such as an “Authentic African” or “Authentic Mexican” within my stories.
But I still want to share. So, I approached my Advisor Group this week with a (socially distanced) community circle and I shared some personal stories and an article that I thought related to our community. The Elephant in the Room: recognizing and reconciling my internalized racism is a story about a pediatrician who, because of Covid, had to move to online sessions and consciously removed cultural artwork from his camera view. Ripudaman Singh Minhas asked himself, “Why was my initial thought that something less brown, less representative of who I am, denoted “more professional?”
I found the article to be a good segway into our class conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion, and about our own inner awareness of racism. Amazingly, students started to share their stories. The statement that struck me the most, “I don’t take pictures in front of my Mom’s ‘black art’ on the wall because I don’t want to appear too black”. Is there such a thing as too black? She said it’s a fine balance between accepting your culture and fitting in with your peers.
I openly acknowledged to my students that talking about diversity was fairly new for me. I realized that because I don’t know other’s lived experiences, I don’t always need to have a response and that the point for me right now is to ensure open communication and dialogue. To let my students see me being vulnerable, reflective and demonstrative of an inclusive environment.
I realized that we need to choose bite size pieces (thanks Michel Shah for this analogy) of a much larger issue in order to find the bravery and create brave spaces for both my students and for me. Every story deserves an audience and every voice deserves to be heard.
What a thoughtful reflection on what it means to work for a more inclusive classroom and school community. I think it’s okay to acknowledge that despite our best efforts, we will sometimes exclude others. It won’t be intentional or done with malice, and we may not even know the exclusion occurred. It’s impossible to be all things to all people. But the willingness to be vulnerable and the ability to accept that we are all less than perfect is what brings us closer toward a community where exclusion can be talked about and rectified without fear of retribution. Thanks, Penny, for sparking such good conversations.
Penny, a sentence that really resonated with me in this post was “I don’t always need to have a response and that the point for me right now is to ensure open communication and dialogue.” We are constantly inundated with information from social media and other news sources, often that is highly politicized, and it can be difficult to navigate the truth. Sometimes, it’s ok not having an opinion or initial reaction in order to leave space for further understanding or, as you’ve put it, communication. Reading a variety of stories and perspectives can help us make meaning, seek out truth, and engage in meaningful dialogue.