Reflexive Sketchbook

After reflecting on this week’s materials, I keep coming back to the concept of power: power in the system, power in certain individuals, and the lack of power that so many feel every single day. The systemic racism embedded in American institutions continues to exert a chokehold on nearly every facet of society, from education to healthcare to the justice system. The Brookings research summary by Dhaliwal et al. (2020) illustrates how even unconscious educator bias can contribute to racial disparities in student achievement and discipline. What is striking to me is not that such bias exists (because we have learned that we are all victims of implicit bias), but that it compounds over time, creating a cyclical disadvantage for younger generations who then carry those inequities into their adulthood. A teacher’s low expectations or biased disciplinary practices may seem small by itself, but the compounded effect is powerful enough to shape academic trajectories, limit opportunities, and...

Implicit bias is a sneaky little thing; it’s something that we all have, and sometimes we don’t even realize it. That fact should make me feel better about the implicit biases I recognize in myself–that it’s about how our brains process information, not necessarily a reflection of malicious intent–but it doesn’t. The readings from Pritlove et al. on “implicit bias, microaggressions, and stereotype,” Staats (2016) on “understanding implicit bias,” and Applebaum’s (2019) “remediating implicit bias” all reinforced this idea while also challenging me to consider how biases show up in daily life. I truly believe that mine is genuinely systemic–I have fought these internal biases my whole life. For me, the struggle lies in recognizing my own biases and trying to actively counter them. Staats (2016) makes the point that implicit biases are “pervasive, robust, and often in conflict with our declared beliefs and values.” That line really hit me. I know I believe deeply in equity, kindness, and ...

As a language teacher, this week’s readings resonated with me in a multitude of ways. Mostly, in my head, I was just yelling a huge, resounding “YES!” “Yes” for putting into words what it feels like to learn and communicate in a language that is not wholly yours yet. “Yes” for explaining how language is such an important part of culture and one’s own identity. “Yes” for showing how students bring their own “funds of knowledge” into the classroom, even when they are thought to be “empty vessels” (PBS Video, Funds of Knowledge). I wish all educators could read and understand the concepts put forth in the articles, videos and lectures this week.  My first “yes:” English Language Learners, at least in my experience, often face huge disadvantages in school. It is overwhelming to be immersed in a situation in which one cannot communicate or understand anything that is happening. Not only are our young students “lost” cognitively speaking, the emotional and social disparity they endure is...

This week's readings and class discussion made me really analyze the idea of culture and identity in the school system. Schools tend to "celebrate" diversity during the designated month, yet seem to skim over it the rest of the year, or in the case of dozens of other cultures, never even address it all. My current school makes a big deal about Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, because those are the most represented "cultures" in my school. Other cultures? Not even discussed. We do not even have a "diversity" day, which after reading this week's assigned texts, might not even be as effective as we want. I want to teach in a system that values all students--where all students can find representation in the literature they read, the imagery they see, and the customs and traditions that are valued. It actually leads me to the following question that is discussed in this upcoming week's topic: Even though my school doesn't have a ...

I grew up in (and have since moved back to) a small-ish town in the middle of North Carolina. While I don't consider my area to be the "deep South," it is definitely in the "Bible Belt." For those who don't know, the "Bible Belt" encompasses the southern part of the United States where conservative Christianity shapes almost every aspect of life. Growing up in this environment, there was no way for me to even realize that this kind of culture was not the norm for everyone. It shaped most of my ideals and morals at the time. On the surface, the Christianity that molded me and the people that made up the "body of Christ" were good, kind, and moral. But as I grew up and started to develop ideas and beliefs of my own, the dark underbelly of this "body" started to peek out. Why did I feel guilty about being a normal teenager? Why was I embarrassed and ashamed of my body? Why did the people who claimed to be Christians inside the chu...