While taking a break from teaching and creating SmallBites, I have had time to reflect, recover and re-evaluate priorities for the coming school year. Moreover, I have created space to enjoy time with family and friends. That joy leaves me ready for whatever ’21-’22 brings my way.
A crime has been committed, a hijacking, right under our noses. The American Flag has been hijacked. I used to feel a certain kind of pride when the flag waved, my mind calling up memories of playing the national anthem under Friday night lights at dusk; singing the anthem for a European league basketball game; watching my son play it in orchestra. But lately, that pride has been replaced with trepidation. Seeing the US symbol of liberty and unity flying from the backs of trucks along side Confederate and political flags; seeing it used as a symbol of extremism branded as ‘true patriotism’; and the horror of the January 6th insurrection in which the world watched our flag being used to beat the Blue instead of back them; all of these displays make me cautious, hesitant, afraid. These are people who are not for me, who are sometimes even actively against me. These are people who defaced a creek underpass near my home, tagging it with “Go away nigger, we don’t want you here”. They also spray painted swastikas, Confederate signs and the American flag. While everyone flying a flag isn’t an enemy, many who have declared enmity with diverse populations fly the flag. They’ve hijacked it and that makes me sad.
E pluribus unum.
Out of the many, one. The US flag symbolises a nation founded on principles of liberty and justice for all its citizens. That means all stories matter. That means discovering wrongs, talking about them and righting them, painful although it may be, will take us further down the road of realizing the ideals this country was founded on. The founding fathers owe a debt to every civil rights activist, every anti-racist educator, every ally. Those ideals can be realized, but only if we fly our flag for what it was designed for.
E pluribus unum.
Out of the many, one. The colors of our flag; white for innocence, red for valor and blue for perseverance and justice, need to be called to remembrance. While our past deeds may not qualify us for innocence (whose do?), we can celebrate greatness by being courageous enough to fight forces that want to deny the rights, stories and history of the many. We can be vigilant and persevere in the fight for justice for all; in our classrooms in our communities. When we go back to school in fall, we can be forthright in our conversations with our students and our parents, letting them know that the only way to teach the whole child is to teach the whole truth. As we learn more, we teach more, embrace more show empathy for more. What parent can argue with E pluribus unum? What parent can argue with educators respecting the flag by teaching students about the glorious past and also the not so glorious ways we have looked over the accomplishments of many?
In the next 12 months, I plan on intentionally seeing my flag for what it really is. It is my symbol of unity and hope, a symbol that reminds me that the enemies of truth and e pluribus unum cannot stop this nation from becoming what the framers of the constitution designed it to be, not as long as I , as we, keep learning, keep teaching truth–one small bite at a time.
A Black colleague from the LGBTQ community said recently that at least folks know how to celebrate #Pride.
It really made me think. It’s not like the LGBTQ community does not have to fight bias and discrimination on a daily basis. Still, it seems like that as a community they make a conscious decision to celebrate the wins, at least for 30 days.
The Black community may have only 28 days, but that’s still 672 hours in which to take pride in how far we’ve come, in what we’ve already overcome. To really celebrate, I hope we can catch the #pride spirit next February and celebrate the wins. March 1st, we can go back to singing We Shall Overcome and Glory. But how about we relish, for example, Black Wall Streetbefore the angry white mob burned it to the ground? How about we celebrate how many patents Granville T. Woods had (60!) for inventions recognized by Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and companies like Westinghouse? How about we celebrate Simone Biles and UCLA’s fabulous gymnasts integrating culturally relevant music and movements into their routines? What about finding those old photos of our grands and great-grands in fine Jazz clubs in Harlem, Chicago, D.C. and yes, even on the chitterling circuit in the South? And what about, not confining that pride to those 28 days in winter?
If you have ever been to a #pride event, it often feels a lot more like Brazilian Carnival than an ode to Stonewall, although each has its place. I want that for the Black community too!
The #tulsaburning was NOT the main idea of Greenwood’s story.
This week my ask is, as you learn about Black moments history, look for the joy and achievement, those moments that often get lost as we talk about the struggle, oppression and the many, many horrific lynchings and burnings. You may have to dig a bit, because the search engines are still not so full of artifacts, but places like Blackpast.org or History.com are good places to start and there’s treasure there.
Note: Welcome to Summer!! After a year to beat all years, I’m on vacation–sort of! Be on the lookout for SmallBites summer #shorts on YouTube & co., as well as the regular Monday podcast and mini-blog, #SmallBites Lagniappe, on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform. If you miss me too much, feel free to contact me for fall PD or consulting.
Look for SmallBites Live again in August with lots of back to school fanfare!
While I won’t be teaching you about 50 ways to leave your lover, I do want to let you know that #SmallBites season 1 ends with tonight’s 50th episode. You’ll still find me on Apple podcasts, Spotify and wherever podcasts are heard each Monday, but I will spend the needed time off recovering from the Hardest Teaching Year Ever and getting my Solution Tree book on educational strategies ready for an early winter release.
Thank you for coming each week, listening, learning and most importantly, for putting your learning into action. If you’d like to learn more before season 2, catch up on earlier episodes and please join me for back to school PD or one of 2 June book studies.
For now, here are my top 10 resources to take you through summer:
SmallBites 50th Episode Top 10
10. Watch Jay Smooth’s Media Literacy crash course that delves into media strategies, our reactions to those tricks and our biases. And use Allsides Media to check the lens through which your favorite news outlets operate.
9. Use this Precious Children article from PBS to help you understand why teaching acceptance is important early on, then prepare at least one of the activities for your class or personal kids and grands. My favorite line, “If your group is not diverse, display images of diversity in your community or in U.S. society.”
8. Explore 3 Steps to Civil Discourse in this 8-page socialstudies.org document containing strategies for grades 4-12. It’s intended for older students but many of the strategies can be adapted to younger classes. Begin with the first strategy, start with yourself.
7. Go to Project Implicit and pick a test or two. Use the insights to guide you in mitigating behaviors grounded in bias.
6. Watch episodes of this season’s Grey’s anatomy and Station 19, both Shonda Rhimes shows that explore issues of race, bias and survival in the face of them. Both shows are on ABC and Hulu. Here’s an article on their weightiness. If you need to laugh while you learn, consider Black-ish or Mixed-ish, both found on the same platforms.
4. Watch this TEDx Talk as Dr. Michelle Chatman explains the difference restorative justice practices can make in a child’s life, and how Black children are perceived as older, angrier and less in need of nurturing than their White peers. Here’s a PNAS article on bias and racial disparities in school discipline provide context.
3. Use Ballotpedia to keep up with politics in your area–and vote. This is the best way to advocate for your students and your community. Vote411.org and whenweallvote.org are also excellent resources.
2. Read up on the stuff we only touch on in our textbooks on the Voices of a People’s History website that include videos, lesson plans and a full teacher’s curriculum guide. Special for this month, there are resources entitled “Women, Gays and Other Voices of Resistance”. Learning about other civil rights struggles is a great way to acknowledge the oft unheard voices from the LGBTQ community.
1. And of course, no “best of” collection would be complete without Learning for Justice. With articles, lesson plans and even teaching standards, it’s your first stop for everything that relates to identity and inclusivity.
As I said in #SmallBites, I am grateful for so many things. Closing out the school year, surviving this harrowing time and challenging school year and, of course, you, for investing in our students.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. See you in Season 2!
Watch on YouTube or listen on Anchor, or wherever podcasts are heard.
20-30m – Review the #SmallBites episode 33 blog Words Get in The Way. Pay special attention to the linked PBS eugenics article and the healthcare in the Black community article. Healthcare is one other system that shows evidence of discrimination and systemic inequities.
15-20m – Read this 2020 Investopedia article from Jean Folger to understand the systems that prevent homeownership and wealth building in minority communities. (Hint: These are not the historical practices of a bygone era.) Be sure to scroll down to the related terms at the bottom and if you have more time, also research the articles and links in the Indian Fair Housing section. The poverty statistics are shocking.
5-10m – Read this Harvard Business Review article about the ways that AI discriminates across gender and color lines. Thanks @brittanypresten @jakesilberg and @McKinsey_MGI. Civics teachers will find an excellent ProPublica article linked there on justice system AI bias and they have included learning resources for anyone who’d like to learn more.
0-5m –https://youtu.be/6T__NKPCkJw the look #talkaboutbias P&G campaign. Finally, the strongest systemic inequities come when we get together in our groups and other people. At the core of every system is one person willing to say it’s ok or willing to topple the top down structures.
I just spent the day with my son. It was a good day. we laughed, had lunch, coffee, fresh from the oven cookies. All that while celebrating him passing his drivers test, moving (finally, thank COVID) from learners to provisional and getting that picture taken at the DPS. It was exciting, I am proud.
As the day nears its end, I am also praying and swallowing down fear. I sent him, on the rite of passage maiden voyage, to get milk. He’s driven over 100 hours while waiting on the DPS appointment. And I sent him, a Black man, in a car alone. Google it. Driving while Black. There are too many tales.
I put his paper provisional license in the glove but wanted to leave it on the seat so his hands would never have to be out of sight if he gets pulled over.
He drives a very unflashy car.
He’s a very safe driver who has had a lot of parctice.
He’s going to be less than 10 minutes from home.
We have had “the talk”. He’s polite and well mannered. He’s about a 36 regular, so not too big or too tall. He is not wearing a hoodie or even dark colors. (For the record, none of these things should matter.)
Yes, all of these things cross my mind because the systems in this country so often disadvantage those who look like my son. How do we dismantle those systems so that moms like me can breathe easier when their kids go for milk? I’ll tell you. Change the one part of the system you can change: yourself.
Your bias and the way you accept or reject the biased attitudes of others around you who teach, storekeep, educate, police, practice medicine, pastor and provide service in every sector in every building in this country will take down systems put in place long ago. Those systems still hold hostage the wealth and well-being of communities throughout our land.
I understand that it is hard to feel like the accused, that never feels good. But can it feel good to NOT be accused while standing within earshot of even the possibility of inequitable treatment of others in our communities? Imagine acting as though you believe there is deep seated racial bias in our country, even if you don’t. Where’s the harm? Will you hurt others? Or might you find yourself lending a hand, an ear, your heart to those who see life from another perspective?
One thing is true, if you have not walked a mile in the shoes of others, you cannot know whether racial inequities exist or not, and all the resources in the world will probably not change your mind. But…if you know you can make someone’s life easier by acknowledging their journey and experience, that makes you a better person, not a worse one. And if you find some truth in the experience of others, that too is a good thing that brings us one step closer to one indivisible nation.
My ask this week, as I sit and wait for my son to get home safely, is for you to be that better person.
20-30m – Review the stuff you slept through in econ and government with this Lumen course. Approach the information with a clear mind and decide, if you could choose, whether you would still choose capitalism, based solely on the description of its merits.
15-20m – This is helpful for those thinking the socio-economic card is in play rather than the race card. Read this short pamphlet with your classes. Enslavement and forced labor might be responsible for the cheap jeans you are wearing.
10-15m – Watch this epic von Mises vs. Marx rap battle from The American Institute for Economic Research. If you can decide which is better by listening to their arguments, let me know, because it seems there are fine points on both sides. The big take-away is that neither system is inherently good or evil.
5-10m – Figure out why people are crying Marxism with this history.com article on Karl Marx, who he was, who he became and how he became our Big Enemy. Watch the video as well. Spoiler alert, it all started with him spurring on workers to organize for fair wages and conditions, and even advocating that the working class be the ruling class (gasp) since they were doing all the work anyway.
0-5m – Read last week’s blog and choose to include everyone’s stories in your teaching. You may not embrace every part of CRT, but you can’t reject the part that advocates for maintaining a world view that embraces diverse historical perspectives and cultural ideologies.
After I had spent every school year being taught about the supreme democracy practiced in the US contrasted with the evil ways of the Red Commies, Sting, in one pop song, taught me to consider the fact that the Russians love their children too. I remember the song and how it caused me to think about whether nations could be good and evil. “There is no monopoly of common sense on either side of the political fence”, he sang. The poignancy accelerated my burgeoning quest for truths and answers to my through-a-glass-darkly questions, yet unasked.
Commies were evil, and the people who headed up sundown towns, burned Black Wall Street and put young Native American children in “Indian Schools” to “Kill the Indian and save the man”, were the good guys. Somehow, the duplicity all came crashing down to the message in this one song. As the questions began to form, I started to seek answers and to realize that no one system is inherently good or evil. I remember thinking that Jesus and the parable of the fishes and loves of bread seemed a lot like communism or socialism. Now, am I ready to trade free market living for a spot in Cuba? No, not even for a 1955 Chrysler convertible. But, do I think that the same greed that makes communism an ill-advised system also makes capitalism an unfair system for the common man? Mebbe so.
Many of the murky questions have formed over the years; why does the wealth gap never close, if America is “the land of opportunity”? Why wasn’t back pay given to the enslaved when they were freed? Why haven’t we done more to honor treaties and land agreements that were dishonorably handled with Indigenous nations? Yes, many questions but not many more answers. And if I come up with answers, what will my part be in the solution?
This article is less a spot for you to pull information and answers from, and more a place for you to begin questioning. Is our way the only way? Are our systems right and the systems that do not mirror our own wrong? Or have we been given the blinders of indoctrination so that we can see our systems for right in order to be satisfied with their offerings?
Only you can decide how much questioning you can take before feeling uncomfortable and perhaps even disloyal. My ask this week is that you wade just a little ways from your shore of comfort and take a look at what’s out there. Maybe, just maybe, you can see our system as flawed, as any human system is. Maybe you’ll learn to accept those flaws and maybe that will make you a better patriot than those who insist on looking away. Ask a few questions, consider a few ideas that are new to you. At the least, you’ll learn something you did not know. At most, you may gain understanding for a different perspective and that is a win for us all.
Watch on YouTube or listen on Anchor, or wherever podcasts are heard.
Small Bites Friday Five 5-14-2021
20-30m – Watch this video that explains the Truth Commission of South Africa and the process they used to confront racial violence and inequities. Compare and contrast the similarities of the Apartheid system and issues with our own system
10-15m – Read this Phi Delta Kappan article from Antony Farag on why we do students in schools with predominantly White populations a disservice when we do not teach them to explore varied perspectives and experiences.
5-10m – Read this American Bar article from Janel George that explains some of the basics of critical race theory and its implications.
0-5m – Read this article on confirmation bias from VeryWellMind. Remember, you will be tempted to find information on critical race theory that supports what you already believe. If you have some extra time, read articles on CRT written by those who do not espouse your opinion and take note of valid points. Every argument has them.
Watching TV with my grandmother and great-grandmother in our multigenerational household meant that I grew up on a LOT of old Hollywood movies. At that time, movie directors were still selling Elizabeth Taylor as a North African and White extras speaking broken English as ‘Indians’. On the screens I grew up watching, people who looked like me were mostly invisible. Even though the doctors I saw were Black, all the pretty young women I knew in my community were black, the lawyers and stage actors I knew were Black, the amazingly talented musicians I knew were Black and the hard-working everyday heroes I knew were Black; the message mainstream media presented to me was that if you were not White, your story, your accomplishments, were not valuable and not worthy of being visible.
When you see don’t see yourself in history, stories and achievements represented in textbooks, magazines and on screen; when you are taught through classical education that the great philosophers and composers were White and mostly from Western European civilizations; you internalize a message of being less than because society constantly tells you who is greater than. That is what “White supremacy” is at its core. It’s not people being mean or even discriminating against others. It’s an acceptance of messaging that values whiteness and white cultures over others. That value—and lack of value for diverse cultures— plays out in a million ways in education, economics, healthcare and other sectors. If you are White, you may not notice. If you aren’t White, it’s your norm. Now, if I were White and reading this, I might read this and feel angry, accused or even feel I was being guilted up about something I have no control over.
It is not my intention to make anyone feel guilty about the systems that value western White cultures above others. I just hope you can imagine what it’s like for those of us who are from the many great societies that do not get the airplay that White ones do: I want you to think about what it would be like to live, for example, in China where you see Chinese stars and Chinese scientists and Chinese inventors, and where you are taught about the great ancient Chinese societies and philosophers and great Chinese achievement. You, however, are not Chinese. Can you imagine feeling small and insignificant? Can you imagine the energy it takes to develop and maintain your own sense of self-worth, when you rarely see people like you being touted for their contributions? That is what happens when society values one culture over others, when one culture is rated as ‘supreme’. Conversations about White supremacy are not some politically motivated reverse racism. They are simply a struggle for acknowledgement and needed change: non-White stories and cultural achievements have not been valued in the way that White ones have, and that puts us at a disadvantage.
If you are an educator, especially one skeptical of critical race theory or curricula like 1619, I get it. It seems to upend everything you’ve learned. But, as my great-grandma said, what we don’t know can fill a big book. The world was once believed to be flat, but we’ve evolved. Is it possible that knowing the truth about Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears, Japanese war heroes or the enslaved man responsible for the path that led to vaccine success can help us evolve and make us stronger, better, greater?
I have one ask: Consider how your students feel when they only hear about their historical greatness through the stories told in their homes and at family gatherings. If there is even one student feeling small and insignificant, can you make a difference? Can you be responsible for telling stories that change how students see themselves, which will change learning outcomes and contribute to transforming economic and health outcomes for whole communities? Can you divorce yourself from the rhetoric of critical race theory and just concentrate on the humanity of inclusivity?
Consider the power that you wield as an educator open to evolving as we learn more. The important questions have nothing to do with critical race theory or identity politics. The only important question is, are you willing to do the very best for each student whose life you touch. If you are, start by asking yourself, “who else was there” whenever you teach. By starting on a truth finding mission, you will be able to understand more and begin to reduce the size of that big book my great-grandma talked about. I wish you a wonderful journey of discovery, a journey that will be exceptional in its simplicity and transformational in its impact.
Watch on YouTube or listen on Anchor, or wherever podcasts are heard.
SmallBites focuses on issues of belonging and identity, and intersectionality is one of those topics. This week, I will focus on intersectionality in a unique way:
So many of us who are in the classroom are dedicated to our kids–our personal kids and our school kids. I know my personal kid has displayed sibling rivalry a few times throughout the years, and he’s an only child. Of course he knows that he is my kid, but he knows that they are too. That is how us mamas, us parents are.
I am a teacher, I am a parent, and a big part of who I am is at that intersection.
While the resources here are mostly geared toward educators, shaping the world starts in our own personal corners. So if you are a mama, a grandmama, a surrogate mama, a play mama, or simply a person of any gender who mothers all the time or from time to time, this blog is for you.
Small Bites Friday Five 5-7-21
Before – Before you become a mama, think carefully about your own ideologies and beliefs. Does your stance leave room for the beliefs and ideologies of others? How do you meet ‘others’ in the real–and virtual–world? Are you respectful and ready to model being a good person by your own highest definition? Armed with intentionality, prepare yourself to model being the person you hope your child will one day grow up to be.
Littles – If you have ever watched littles bonk each over over the head with a toy they just took, you will know that humanity in it’s best form, has to be taught. Begin with these tips from Jen Cort’s conversation with Sarah Hershey and this wealth of resources from NPR. If you have experienced discrimination or if your kids are mixed race (code for Black, ask Barack Obama), Kamau Bell has some tips and resources to help you navigate the spaces we find ourselves in.
Middles – My book “What is Anti Racism?” from Cherry Lake Publishing is an excellent place to start. Although it talks primarily about anti-Black racism, it opens talking about how we other and treat people because of their identity. Throughout the book there are reflection questions and activities so that you can your kids can talk or go beyond just talking.
Young Adults – With summer reading lists on the horizon, how about a family book study? Here is an allyship lesson plan from Bryanna Wallace and Autumn Gupta called Justice in June. Even if you are planning on binge watching more than reading, you can pull from this comprehensive resource to do more than ‘have conversations around race’. Further, this Rich in Color list links to several other sites and lists to expand your horizons.
Solo Flyers – By now, you have done your job as a parent and hopefully you have raised thoughtful, empathetic children who care about others. Maybe you and your children share values, maybe you have divergent beliefs. If so, this is where you practice acceptance and embrace them for who they are. Still, if discussions tend to get heated at family gatherings, here are a few tips to help you keep Mother’s day celebratory. And if relationships are strained, you are not alone, but just know, there is no reason they have to stay that way.
15-20m – Read this short pamphlet with your classes. Enslavement and forced labor might be responsible for the cheap jeans you are wearing.
10-15m – Watch this VOX video from Ranjani Chakraborty on the impact of bias on the medical treatment of Black and economically disenfranchised patients. While you’re at it, look up ‘Mississippi Appendectomy’ and follow that rabbit hole down a ways.
5-10m – If you only have 10 minutes, click on the PNAS article from above and scroll down to the section marked Beliefs about biological differences between Blacks and Whites measure. Answer the questions yourself and reflect over your answers—and theirs.
0-5m – Find one educator to share a resource with in a non-confrontational way. Share what you’re learning, a content resource or even a book or podcast, if you think it can be received and not perceived as arrogant or pushy.
I am a Gen exer. I played video games and learned to use a computer in school, albeit a fairly large one. My childhood pics are faded but they are in color, not sepia or black and white. I learned about Woodstock just like Gen Y and Millennials, from history books and the internet. And yet, I was born in a Negro hospital. I went to the Black pediatrician who treated most of Houston’s children on my side of town. I lived in a Black neighborhood and went to a Black church. As a matter of fact, years later, after I had my own child, I buried my momma in a Black church using a Black funeral home who took her to a Black cemetery. That was in 2005.
When we talk about discrimination and challenging our biases, we have to realize, knowing better today does not negate what has been imbedded in us for generations. Most people over 30 were born to parents who lived in mostly segregated areas and led mostly segregated lives. In many places that hasn’t changed much. Redlining and redistricting have kept wealthy areas wealthy and often made poorer areas poorer. In this country, wealthy is still equated with White communities and poor with non-White communities. Further, the mindset for generations has been White=good, not White=bad. That was the perception at our country’s inception and we have yet to shake it.
Generations of viewing the world through that lens makes it hard to divorce ourselves from what we learned growing up. This does not mean we divorce ourselves from people who are close to us who still have no desire to shake off “the old ways”. But this means, that as we learn about implicit bias, diverse stories and the need for greater representation in all segments of society, we cannot forget where we come from. The only way to unlearn wrong thinking patterns is to acknowledge their existence.
If you were lucky enough to be born in an integrated hospital, grow up in a diverse neighborhood, worship in a diverse house of faith and be surrounded by family and friends who have always espoused trust and inclusivity of others, you are rare. For the rest of us, let’s acknowledge that the foundational systems, power structures and most of all, thought patterns, have been with us for a long time and that their influence is far reaching.
Yes, “the old ways” are closer than we like to think. But as soon as we give into the horribleness of things we’ve been taught as right, we can begin to shake them off in hopes of a better and more inclusive new way.
Name 3 ways that you can make room on your campus for respectful discourse on divisive topics?
How can you change from leading discussions to mediating discussions?
The weekend before the trial verdict, the video footage of the police shooting of 13 year old Adam Toledo was released. And before the verdict could be read, Ma’Khia Bryant was killed in Ohio. Some people see police doing their jobs. Some see criminals being killed unjustly, instead of stopped in some less lethal way. Hopefully, everyone sees tragedy.
Unfortunately, these are the times in which we pull out our own violent instruments. If, indeed, the tongue is mightier than the sword, than we kill each other a million times over by attacking each other instead of the problem. Racist. Woke lord. Misogynist. Homophobe. We judge and rail against behaviors and even people themselves; those making, in our estimation, questionable choices. It’s not that there are not behaviors deserving of these labels. The question is, will calling a spade a spade help someone gain a different perspective?
There are many more and less logical viewpoints to every argument. Who gets to decide what is more logical? Unfortunately, most of us always think we are in the right. And mostly, we all equally hate to be told we’re wrong. So then what? Now what?
We have seen humanity prevail. Sadly, through a trial that retraumatized many. What if Derek Chauvin had instead apologized, pled guilty and offered himself up as someone who made a horrible mistake that he wanted to make amends for? What if the officers who beat Rodney King had set that precedent in the 90s? What if someone had reminded them that they hurt someone and had to find a way to make amends. What if we all believed in an eye for an eye, not as revenge, but for restoration?
As educators, it’s imperative that we teach our students to listen with empathy, apologize when wrong and make amends when we can. Pointing out how a behavior impacts another should be a regular part of what we do. Explaining how a wrong can be righted and how that benefits us all should be a daily occurance in our classrooms.
Yes, there are racists, homophobes, misogynists, woke lords and generally mean-spirited people. But calling them those things will rarely bring about a change of heart or a desire to right wrongs. When we stand in our classrooms and on our campuses ready to hear opposing viewpoints with respect–even for those viewpoints we find unworthy of respect–we are teaching respect, civility and empathy. And when we resist the urge to call out our students and colleagues in favor of pointing out wrongs that can be righted, we miss an opportunity to inch a little closer to a more equitable society.
This week, start making plans, in your corner of the educational world, to promote unity. Not the Kum By Ya pretend we all get along kind, but the kind that allows for respectful discourse even in a room full of vehemently divergent viewpoints. Explicitly teach your students and staff to opt for respect over righteous indignation. Teach them to consider how others feel and build a foundation based on civility and humanity, if not commonality. As long as empathy is the centerpiece, we’ll get there.
