While reading the book Every Day Anti-Racism: Getting Real About Race in School, the idea that “at some moments when we think we are caring for students of color we actually are harming them because we are failing to counter a social structure that treats them unequally” (Pollock 29) struck me. Unintentionally harming students or perpetuating racist practices caught my attention, because I feel that the staff at my school, which is predominately white and does not match the diversity of our student population, sometimes does this. Considering and thinking through this idea helped me see my school and myself in a very different way. I would never knowingly hurt my students (nor would my colleagues), and it concerns me that I unknowingly have. Through the reading, I learned that “combining cheerful helpfulness with pressure for producing correct answers is an antiracist strategy for raising achievement and narrowing achievement gaps.” ( Pollock 78) I have tried to keep this in mind and be more aware of my words and actions towards all students, in an effort to ensure that I hold all students to the same expectations academically and behaviorally. Simultaneously, I have tried to be more aware of and respect students’ cultural identities while helping them develop/maintain “pride in their own multidimensional identities.” (Pollock 111)  

 

When keeping these anti-racist ideas in mind, I began to see opportunities to discuss the issue of racism and anti-racism with my coworkers. “Although our environments may be racially unbalanced, we must always attempt to expand intra-group discussions into interracial dialogues.” (Pollock 281) Some people I talked with were receptive; others were not. Regardless of how it was received initially, I am glad to have been able to have honest conversations about this sensitive topic. I believe this is a good first step, and I look forward to future conversations with my peers.  

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References 

Pollock, Mica. (2008). Everyday Antiracism. New York: The New Press. 

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