Learn the Power of Yet

caregivers know what their values are and why they are initiating learning around race and racism.

First, identify what you want your students to be able to know and do by the end of the unit, just as you would with any unit of study. For example, “The goal in my classroom is to lay a foundation of understanding so that my students will be able to have more productive, less biased, respectful connections with one another and a deeper appreciation for what it takes to be a changemaker, or to work toward positive social changes in our society.”

Once you are clear on your goals, communicate them to families and ask them what their child knows already about this topic. When I first asked the question, I was surprised to receive a bag of books from one family. These books (The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore [2015], We March by Shane W. Evans [2016], and A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson [2007]) turned out to be the cornerstone of many of my lessons.

Establishing trust in the beginning of the year goes a long way toward working through any missteps or issues that may arise later. This should be a continual process, and one grounded in respect, especially for families who have been traditionally excluded from decision making in educational institutions.

Chapter 8 discusses parent engagement in more detail.

In Sesame Street’s (2014b) “Power of Yet,” a cast of puppets expresses its frustration at not being able to achieve certain tasks. With the help of singer, songwriter, actress, and producer Janelle Monáe, the puppets learn a new way to think about these failures. Rather than saying, “I can’t do this,” the puppets learn to say, “I can’t do this yet.” My kindergarten students have adopted this language, and I often hear them correcting each other. When someone says, “I can’t do it!” another student will call out, “You mean you can’t do it yet.”

As we think about our challenges, discomforts, and doubts about talking about race and racism, and the confusion that can arise among students, it’s helpful to remember that we are often in the pit. The pit is not a bad place to be. Being in the pit just means we haven’t fully understood or grasped the ideas yet. This is not the same thing as condoning biased or ignorant statements in other adults or in our students. It is a way to stay on the “what you said” rather than “what you are.” Luckily, young students present us with plenty of possibilities to focus on the “what you said,” if we are willing to listen.

© 2022 by Solution Tree Press