Tips for Having Conversations about Race and Racism in the Classroom
“We all have a sphere of influence. Each of us needs to find our own sources of courage so that we can begin to speak. There are many problems to address, and we cannot avoid them indefinitely. We cannot continue to be silent. We must begin to speak, knowing that words alone are insufficient. But I have seen that meaningful dialogue can lead to effective action. Change is possible.”
When talking about race or racism in the classroom, there are bound to be times when a student says something that may not be appropriate - whether they mean to or not. How can you hold a firm boundary while also holding the student accountable?
In her new book, Start Here, Start Now, author and teacher Liz Kleinrock (she/her) suggests when appropriate it is important to call students in instead of calling them out. What does this mean and what does this look like?
To call someone in means to “invite them into a conversation in order to educate and hold the person accountable for their words or actions” (42). Calling someone out, especially a younger student, can occur in class, especially when a comment is harmful. However, calling someone in allows a child time to learn and grow from their mistakes and teaches them why the comment or behavior was unacceptable.
Liz Kleinrock provides a strategy first introduced by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, that is quick and effective. She recommends responding to biased remarks by stating: “You know, I used to think that too. But then I learned ___________, and now I think _______________” (56).
The website, Learning for Justice (formally Teaching Tolerance) also has a great resource for educators and students when calling a student in. They recommend using these four strategies: Interrupt, Question, Educate, and Echo.
Interrupt: Try saying, “I don’t like words like that,” or “That phrase is hurtful.”
Question: Try asking, “What did you mean?”, “Why did you say that?” or, “Tell me more.”
Educate: Try saying, “Do you know the history of that word?”
Echo: Try saying, “Thanks for speaking up. That word is offensive, and we shouldn’t use it.”
The goal for teachers is to slowly release the responsibility of facilitator and allow students to take ownership for their learning. In the end, students should not need our guidance to hold these conversations. However, this takes a lot of time and also a lot of practice. Make sure you have set up clear expectations for these conversations. Students should also create a community agreement or “meeting norms” when having discussions surrounding race or racism. These should be student centered and student created.
“In order to nurture hard conversations about race, first we must commit to building conversational safe spaces, not merely declaring them. The foundation of such spaces is listening.”
There are a lot of resources out there for having conversations about racism in the classroom. We really loved Liz Kleinrock’s new book linked above. Her book, Start Here, Start Now would be a great read for elementary and early secondary students, We also are huge fans of Not Light but Fire by Matthew R. Kay. His book is perfect for secondary students. Whatever source you use to start conversations in the class, the important things is that you just start, and start now.
Happy Teaching!