A to Z Anti-bias/Anti-racist micro moments

If our first response to student behavior is to look for something punitive to do to kids, we are not looking for relationship. We are interested in regulation. No one likes to be controlled.   – Tamara Russell (Mrs. Russell’s Room)

• Know your triggers. Understand how your beliefs and views about a situation influence your reactions in the situation. Get meta and reflect on the root causes of your triggers. BE HONEST and go beyond surface level thinking. Is there something about race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, and/or other lines of difference that influence how you respond in a given situation?
• Listen to student perspectives. I solve 99% of issues with students by listening to their truths. There are times when we aren’t aligned and times when I realized that I’ve made an error, but students should be allowed to share their perspective and teachers should recognize that we miss things in the classroom.
• Make a plan for what to do when triggered. After digging deep and reflecting on your triggers, make a plan for what you will do if you encounter that trigger again AND steps you can take to restore relationships that might have been impacted by your response when triggered.
• Normalize and celebrate differences and individuality. We are all unique and have unique experience, backgrounds, and personalities. This is the fabric of life that allows us to connect, agree, and disagree with others. It’s who we are and to be seen, we have to recognize difference. Regardless of the physical makeup and demographics of your classroom, there are differences.
• Observe and address negative student interactions and bullying. The students are watching and noticing how we react to their interactions. They are wondering if there are bright light lines and given age and grade, sometimes challenging one other. As educators, we have to be vigilant and responsive to student relationships.
• Provide a space for students to gather their emotions (e.g. Calm corner). We all need moments to chill out and gather ourselves. The stresses and dynamics of any classroom can be overwhelming. A non-punitive space for students to reflect truly humanizes the spirit of being a kid and needing time away from others.

Click here to see full the post

• Quit holding grudges, they’re kids.
• Represent differences as strengths. In the last few years the tag #representationmatters has trended on social media. Personally, we should always reflect on how we are holding space for diversity. This is regardless of the demographics of our classroom. 

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.    – Audre Lorde

• Stop with all the student v. student, student v. teacher competitions. A little competition isn’t the worst thing. Be mindful of FERPA guidelines and how we are pinning students against one another and sharing data. Additionally, I believe it’s never a great practice to include classroom “management” practices that pin the teacher against students. Yes, I get the difference between a staff versus students basketball game. I’m thinking of the old school point for the teacher if a student does something that breaches a classroom expectation. This creates a negative form of peer pressure that can lead to bullying. 
• Teach the truth. For years, the country has suffered from a fantastical view of history. From Christopher Columbus “discovering” lands that were inhabited by people, to Martin Luther King being solely rooted in nonviolence and kindness. We have sensationalized history and erased the truth about hardships and perspectives. Teachers play a critical role in providing students a pathway to analyzing historical events with truth, not rose tinted lies.  If you are a primary teacher, LaNesha Tabb and Naomi O’Brien are doing the work, run check them out. 
• Use learning activities that allow students to share and shine. Students learn in different ways and have different strengths. Consider activities that give students an opportunity to show what they know. Think about how lessons can incorporate different learning styles. 
• Value and plan for wait time. It might seem like a small action, but giving students time to process before requiring an answer can go a long way!
• (e)Xamine the messages. What does your classroom say to students. Whether you are someone who color coordinates with a full theme, or minimalist with only the essentials, take time to consider what the environment says to students.

Click here to read the full caption

• Yes, see color! It is 2020, colorblindness isn’t a thing. Stop with the, “I treat all my students the same because I don’t see color” beliefs. That’s crazy! Kids with the same racial backgrounds see color. Please view this post on colorism for more information. 

In a colorblind society, white people, who are unlikely to experience disadvantages due to race, can effectively ignore racism in American life, justify the current social order, and feel more comfortable with their relatively privileged standing in society (Fryberg, 2010). 

• Zoom in on who/what is centered in your classroom.  Evaluate your curriculum. Who is being silenced, and which voices are being uplifted? Why? How are you challenging dominate and factually incorrect historical events (hello Thanksgiving and Christopher Columbus). Do you celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, Juneteenth? If yes, are you highlighting the achievements and major contributions of individuals and groups, or exploiting their pain and suffering?

Fryberg, S. M. (2010). When the World Is Colorblind, American Indians Are Invisible: A Diversity Science Approach. Psychological Inquiry, 21(2), 115-119.