It's March! That means that I am participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge. I am happy to co-host this event with the team at Two Writing Teachers. Everyone is welcome!
The fifth question in last night's Twitterchat about the book, The Civically Engaged Classroom, still has me thinking this morning. When the question was posed I watched my feed, curious to see what others would say, if there would be any responses that provided any sort of aha moment for me. The emphasis on creating safe spaces was there, for sure. Allowing for different ways to process--yes. Private journaling, yes. There were other ideas, many of which I've thought about and weave into conversations when I can.
I've been in several recent conversations and learning spaces where we've talked about the fear and anxiety that exist for Black and brown children. About the constant anxiety and pressure that they feel, even when the curriculum isn't intersecting with their personal identities in painful moments at that given point in time. History hasn't kept many people safe, so this question was especially hard for me.
Maybe for me, the most thought-provoking tweet was Mary Ehrenworth's:
I've read this tweet many times. There's so much to think about within it.
I'm far from finished thinking about these ideas, and I welcome any reflections to further complicate and enrich my thoughts.
Happy Slicing,
I really appreciate your bring this to my attention through this Slice. We can't decide how to make others feel safe. (Now I'm going to be wrestling with this question for a while!)
ReplyDelete"Only safe for those with power." I sit with this.
ReplyDelete"Disruption causes stress." The emotional labor of it - incessant.
Without discomfort, there can be no change.
Thanks for revving the mind. XX
Mary's response and your pondering now has me doing the same. Can't say I can offer a offer my own reflection. When I had Jason Reynold's sign my book after he spoke at the TCRWP Sat. Reunion a while back, I ask after I shared a class discussion that occurred in my classroom. "What can I do. A white lady, reading aloud your book?" He simply said, "You're doing it . Keep reading to them, keep discussing. Together." reading. Writing. Discussing. I do think safety comes from doing these 3 things as a community.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I would choose to spend time pondering these questions. One question that has helped me better articulate the behaviors, mindset and direction I'm aiming for is this: What would you do to design a learning environment that marginalizes others? (Maha Bali) Once we get past the counter-intuitive approach, the question/provocation leads us to both recognize and acknowledge practices that privilege certain norms, backgrounds, habits over others and then consider which systems those privileges are based in. With students I like to think about belonging and how we create that as a community. With systems I want to delve into power relations and put equity under the microscope. For me it's both/and with lots of overlap. Questioning "safety" makes sense in both realms. Your post makes me want to dig deeper.
ReplyDeleteWell. Wow. Now I'm thinking.
ReplyDelete