Many of you have probably seen the piece of writing by Leslie Dwight on some social media outlet...
What if 2020 isn't cancelled?
What if 2020 is the year we've been waiting for?
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw--
that it finally forces us to grow.
A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us
from our ignorant slumber.
A year we finally accept the need for change.
Declare change. Work for change. Become the change.
A year we finally band together, instead of
pushing each other further apart.
2020 isn't cancelled, but rather
the most important year of them all.
"Become the change" is the line in her writing that I reflect on most often. It inspires me. It gives me hope. It hovers in the shadows of my mind and keeps me asking the questions...
'What is my part in becoming the change?'
'What can I contribute to help heal humanity in this most important year of them all?'
At first, I was overwhelmed. The answers were elusive and out of my grasp. It seemed there was nothing I could do. After a bit of quiet reflection, a few thoughts came into my awareness--'I am a learner, a teacher, and a role model. My actions, my words, and my lessons impact kids, and kids are they key to creating a world with new perspectives and new ideas.'
So, for the past few weeks I have been reading magazine articles about the Black Lives Matter Movement, listening to podcasts created by black people who are speaking about their life-experiences, as well as listening to podcasts created by white people speaking about anti-racism, unconscious bias, and white privilege. I am reading the much talked about book, White Fragility by Robin Diangelo and the realistic fiction book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Diangelo's book is helping me understand the vocabulary terms and the facts about racism, while Thomas' book is allowing me to feel the effects racism has on black lives.
While much of what I am reading can be difficult to "swallow" and heart-breaking, my compassion for others seems to be at the forefront of my awareness and stronger than ever. I want to show my students how amazing our world can be when we "band together rather than push each other further apart," as Dwight states.
I will start where I feel the most comfortable, the most secure and possibly the most effective--my classroom. I am researching ways to make my lessons more diverse, more inclusive, and more mindful about the way we view and treat others. The most impactful thing I have discovered, thus far, is the importance of exposing my students to literature that celebrates the work black people and people of color have done, and reading stories with diverse protagonists. Diversifying the stories we read, allows everyone a chance to see themselves in the learning and also learn about others.
It is now more important than ever that I gain a deeper understanding about my students' cultures and weave them into my lessons, classroom management, and academic activities. These are small steps I can take to deliberately support anti-racism.
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| 100+ Free Anti-Racism Resources |
Below are some links I am using as resources when I create new digital and in-person lessons for my third-graders. My goal is to create lessons that will impact my students' perspective of humanity and our collective connectedness. I will share my first one with you all soon.
Teaching Tolerance
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| Edutopia--full of excellent resources. |
I am a learner standing on tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding anti-racism, implicit bias, and my role in supporting change. I have a lot to learn and unlearn. I am going to make many mistakes, I am going to say the wrong things, but I will always humbly apologize and continue to expand my awareness, acceptance and learning.
Kim
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