I am instilled with a number of privileges, but I have also faced a number of hardships that I don't usually talk too much about. I understand that presently, I'm less privileged than many of my peers in my age group in a socioeconomic sense. After I finish my degree, I know I won't be rich, but I will have worked my way to a greater level of privilege than where I once was. Despite my hard word and everything I have sacrificed to be here, I remember the barriers I faced and I know that there is no way I could have overcome them if it weren't for everything I am privileged with. It has become impossible for me to look at a situation at face value because I remember the people who were suffering along side me, and I know they still suffer because they didn't all have the same path of escape as I did. This is where I was able to grow an empathetic heart. This is what drives my career path. I can't save everyone, but I must use my privilege to do whatever I can to give back to the communities that supported me when I had nothing. We have advanced forward to a place in society where there is a blind association between schools and equality, so I have to instill my disadvantaged brothers and sisters with the funds of knowledge gained through my higher education that they were never able to access. This is why I am a teacher.
I've experienced co-teachers in the past criticize families over what was packed in a child's lunch, or what the child was dressed in to school. This is harmful to the child because they hear us doing it and they understand what we are saying from an incredibly young age. It makes a mockery of their families' struggles, and tarnishes a piece of their identity. There was a quote from W.E.B. Dubois that stuck with me. "Ignore the school's unprofessional principle and the other, less well-educated teachers. Your real duty is to the Child." I agree with this idea in the sense that we cannot let teachers like this, exhibiting empathy limiting mistakes, get our stress levels accelerated. However, we can't just shy away from these conversations either. They are poisonous, and by ignoring them we allow stereotypes to become perpetuated that harm the children. I think the best way we can do this is by telling personal stories. If we can create circumstances around these situations that are relational for 'unprofessional teachers,' it could have a greater chance of changing their perception on the issues.
So what lengths will I go to do right by all children? I will keep confronting these issues when they arise, and never shy away from tough conversations because it is my duty to the child to defend their identities. When I hear swift judgments, I will counter with personal stories and accounts of what I have experienced around me. As hard as it is to relive those stories, my past could help someone else. I hope to build rapport with the other teachers in children's lives and their families to see where we might be able to work together to eliminate oppressive systems. We have to wrap our arms around the individual lives in our communities, and listen with empathy so that we can find out what their children need, and give them equity. We won't achieve this without placing ourselves in their shoes and authentically caring first.
Tori,
ReplyDeleteI think I am on the same page with you when it comes do having privileges and hardships. Growing up I was very privileged to live where I did and to be in the socioeconomic status I was but I grew up with many learning disabilities and problems at home. I was privileged in that I never went hungry or had to deal with money problems. I think that it is important to highlight your privileges and understand where they come from but also to understand your hardships and not to discount them. It was really disappointing to hear that you have experienced other teachers criticizing families for doing their best. As teachers we don’t always know what is going on at home and I think that it is sad to hear that in this profession there are those who would do that. I agree with you. At the end of the day it is about the child and as teachers we have no right to comment on their hardships or experiences that the child has no control over. Hopefully taking classes like this one can help stop that.
Hello Kai! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my blog post. The families that we teach usually are just doing their best. When I hear people pass judgments about the children's lives, I have a tendency to get very upset, but I have to remind myself to have empathy for the people judging too. They only judge because they have probably never been there before. They just need to be taught better.
DeleteHi Tori! What an amazing and powerful post! I love that you acknowledge your privilege and how that may have had a hand in helping you through your hardships. But that awareness created empathy. And I think thats an important value to have as a teacher because we are going to be dealing with students whose life may look completely different from ours. And as Kai had mentioned in her comment, we as teachers have no way to know each students life outside the classroom, but an important point that you brought up is we can relate to our students by being personable. By shattering that barrier of a just only being their teacher, to being a human being who struggles too. By opening up the conversation and modeling openness and vulnerability, we can make our class safe places to talk about hard things. And I agree with you that we need to ask children what they need, instead of just assuming, because that brings true equity into the classroom!
ReplyDeleteHello Faith! Thankyou for responding to my blog post! I think family is a very important aspect in a child's life and how are we suppose to get more in tune with their culture if we have never seen how they interact with family? I hope to continue to advocate for teachers building close and personal bonds with parents. Thier children's education is a team effort after all!
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