At this time in history, as the Black Lives Matter movement is taking hold of our nation in powerful and exciting ways, I am reminded more than ever of the responsibility I have as an educator. Our classrooms are sacred spaces, and teachers hold the power in those spaces. Our students look to us with trust to speak the truth. We have to do a better job of making these spaces safe for our BIPOC students.

I am fortunate that my teacher training took place at Mills College in Oakland, California, which had a robust diversity and social justice component and which trained us to use that lens through all aspects of our teacher training. So I started the work of unpacking my white privilege, discussing equity in classrooms, and learning about culturally responsive teaching.

But these times have been a reminder to me that there is more work to be done. So I am dedicating this summer to digging deeper in my examination of my identity as a white female teacher, to taking a closer look at how I can decenter whiteness in my teaching, and to deepening the level of conversations we have about diversity, race, inclusion, and antiracism in my classroom.

I do not claim to be a leader in this work. I am a learner. But what I can do is share the resources that I am finding, support the voices that are teaching me and inspiring me in this work, and do my best to make sure these important conversations happen in my school among teachers, parents, and administrators.

Here's how I am diving deeper into this work:

Courses & Resources

That's the thing about being a teacher, right? We are constantly learning, and there is always more we can do. Here are some courses I've signed up for, from amazing resources that you should take a look at:

• Be About It: A two day conference that focuses on antiracism instruction. I am so excited for this event! Their line up of discussions covers unpacking white privilege, examining biases, better serving Black students and students of color, talking with younger students about racism, and decentering whiteness in our classrooms. I've got my notebook ready! They also have the cutest swag from Trendy Teacherz.

• Monique Melton: an antiracist educator with a huge amount of powerful resources available on her website. She has a podcast, courses you can purchase, and even a series of talks for kids. I enrolled in her “Antiracism 101: A Crash Course”, and I am really excited to support the work she is doing by purchasing some of her other courses.

• Rachel Cargle: Rachel Cargle is one of my favorite people to follow on Instagram right now. She talks about the world in a way that is fearlessly authentic, yet ever hopeful. She started the Loveland Foundation, which helps provide opportunities for communities of color, especially Black women, to access healing and therapy resources. She also has a wealth of resources. Check out some of them here. Also check out her new account, @thegreatunlearn for even more.

• The Kinswomen: Yseult and Hannah are an amazing pair of women who are working together to have meaningful conversations between white women, Black women, and women of color. I signed up for their Allyship course, and it is such a gift to have a space with these knowledgeable and supportive women in which to discuss the lifelong journey towards allyship and putting allyship in action. They also have a Podcast that I highly recommend.

• Conscious Kid: I decided to invest in becoming a supporter on their Patreon website, and it is so worth it! The amount of resources they share is actually more than I keep up with. I've been bookmarking things to go back to, and many of their resources are specifically for parents and educators.

How have you been doing the work to move the world forward
toward greater equity and justice?
xoxo
Laura

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