Written by The protests of the summer in support of Black Lives Matter reinforced for me that safety is about more than masks and physical distancing. As in previous school years, we also want to ensure that our school protects the emotional health and safety of all community members especially our Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) students who are returning to school in a post-George Floyd world. We must also acknowledge that many in our community face more challenges than others because of (and not exclusive to) race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, religion and socio-economic status. Safety is also about each student feeling valued and feeling like they can be their authentic self each day at school.
In an effort to support our obligation as educators, our Pluralism Committee compiled six strategies for all adults to use to promote inclusion. We created these statements as reminders of the practices many of us already use knowing that we can build on this initial list through consultation this year.
This week, as a member of Upper Canada College,
1. We will learn and pronounce everyone’s names correctly. We will not mistake the name of one student for another, especially BIPOC students.
2. We will model inclusive language. Consider how our language is gendered and race-based. For example: try using “everyone” or “students” instead of “guys”.
3. We will establish ground rules for interaction. Try helping the students craft statements using “I feel safe when…” to help them understand what they need to feel safe in your classroom.
4. We will actively address the moment and be prepared for difficult conversations. Incorporate current events where possible.
5. We will not ask someone to speak for an entire group.
6. We will make mistakes and we will get corrected. We will be comfortable saying “I don’t know” and stay open to learning.
Our next step is to engage many members of our community through small virtual roundtable meetings to conduct a SWOT analysis of our value of Pluralism. We hope to get feedback from students, parents, employees and alumni to help to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities to address as we develop our pluralism strategy with a focus on developing an antiracist curriculum.
What conversations are you having at your school to address diversity, equity and inclusion and how might we as Cohort 21 advance best practices in this area? @mbrims @jstirmas @ljensen @acampbellrogers @kblackmore
These are great action steps that we all must commit to. Thank you for sharing these. At my school we are learning, asking questions and involving our students as much as we are able to, to meet this need. Our conversation recently with Grant Lichtman was enlightening and as we prepared for it, we asked some tough questions of ourselves and of the historical, institutional challenges that we are a part of.
Thanks for helping us continue the journey,
Garth.
I love these six strategies which are deceptively simple, yet extremely difficult to stick with over time. With a fellow staff member and Cohort21 participant, I have started a Diversity book club at our school. We have met once and we’re reading “White Fragility” — so far so good. Would you mind if I shared this list of six strategies with them when we meet again on Thursday? Thanks for sharing. Caroline
Thanks @cfreibauer for your comment and of course, please share our strategy list. I read White Fragility this summer and would love to discuss with you at some point. @ljensen @emartin @kobrien
This is a great list to get started on a pathway to real inclusion, diversity and equity. Thanks for sharing! I really like that the first objective is to pronounce everyone’s name correctly. It sounds like such a simple thing, but all too often this doesn’t happen. Interactions with our colleagues and students need to be grounded in respect and inclusion which can be quickly thrown off course with the mispronunciation of a name.
Hello,
I think @kblackmore also read white fragility.
I love the actions that you have outlined here. They seem so simple on the surface, but are really difficult habits to break – especially the “guys” one. I find myself more conscious of using it, and am working to correct myself in real time when I do use it. Habits are hard, but not impossible. Change is hard, but not impossible.
Thank you for taking action.
Mary-Ellen
This is amazing, Tina! Thanks for sharing these actionable steps. I’ve shared them with our DEI committee for our next meeting. Hearing about the strategies that are being used in our different schools is really helpful as we continue the journey of asking questions, listening and learning. Looking forward to connecting at the next F2F!
This is amazing, Tina! Thanks for sharing these actionable steps. I’ve shared them with our DEI committee for our next meeting. Hearing about the strategies that are being used in our different schools is really helpful as we continue the journey of asking questions, listening, and learning. Looking forward to connecting at the next F2F!