4 minute read
Reflecting on Your Identity
understand different experiences, we should understand that our ideas may be in first-draft form and not quite perfect.” • Resist perfection: “There is no single perfect way to engage in these dialogues. And there is not one linear path toward understanding identity.
We must acknowledge that this work can sometimes be messy and that messiness is part of the experience.” • Assert that allowing messiness does not give participants permission to be oppressive: “We need to acknowledge when oppressive behavior and experiences have entered the space. We must name and interrupt the behavior and then identify a pathway to recover from and dismantle that oppressive behavior. While we may not intend to be hurtful or harmful, our actions and words might have caused harm. We should take ownership when those moments result from our actions or words.”
• Discuss the difference between unsafe and uncomfortable: “We say, ‘We want safe spaces for dialogues,’ but too often, that really means, ‘We don’t want to feel uncomfortable.’ Discomfort is part of the growth process in this work. Let’s discuss what this looks like in our group.” • Commit to a time limit: “This work is ongoing. We might be tempted to go beyond our allotted session time because we feel the need to come to some sort of resolution. But resolution isn’t always possible in identity work, so we’ll prioritize respecting our time commitment. Let’s create a time limit for the conversation. Knowing that we could spend forever on each chapter topic, we should limit group discussion on a chapter to sixty to seventy-five minutes, after we’ve done the individual work within the chapter.” • Create social opportunities: “This work is serious and heavy, and we can make it more sustainable if we also experience connection, community, and joy. Let’s brainstorm ways to make this work social: Perhaps we can host discussions in different locations. A different person could serve as the facilitator for each meeting. We could have food and drink themes for each event. Let’s make it a priority to bring joy into the space in order to connect our conversations to positive feelings and associations.”
Reading This Book
The Identity-Conscious Educator: Building Habits and Skills for a More Inclusive School gives you the tools to start an identity-conscious practice in your personal life and professional life so that you may, in turn, support your students, your coworkers, and your school community in doing the same. The book uses a three-part structure, which mirrors the model I introduce for developing the identity-conscious practice: (1) build
knowledge, (2) engage in reflection, and (3) move to action. Please note that I use many examples of real-life people to illustrate ideas throughout the book. People’s names and the details of real-life events have been changed to protect their privacy.
In part I, chapters 1 and 2 focus on getting ready for identity work by building knowledge about the identity-conscious approach. Consider it a warm-up section where you’ll reflect on your experiences with having tough conversations in general. Because people commonly feel nervous or hesitant to talk about identity, the goal of part I is to reframe your relationship with conflict as an invitation, rather than a barrier, to doing this work.
Chapter 1 discusses what it means to become identity conscious and how you can open yourself up to the difficult conversations you’ll encounter along the way. You’ll explore essential questions about the impact that identity has on teaching and learning, and you’ll imagine how you might open the door to difficult conversations.
In chapter 2, I point to a helpful shift in perspective from avoiding conflict to inviting challenge. You’ll consider why it’s hard to talk about identity, how avoidance patterns keep you stuck in silence, and how inviting challenge allows you to join the conversation.
In part II, chapters 3 through 7 ask you to reflect on five core identities: (1) race, (2) class, (3) sexual orientation, (4) gender, and (5) disability. Any one person can claim many identities, and each identity is an essential part that helps make up the whole person. However, the scope of this book focuses on these five core identities to give you a starting point for cultivating an identity-conscious practice as an educator. Leaning on the three-part model, you’ll build knowledge about each identity, reflect on early messages you received and how they influenced your relationship to each identity, and build action plans by engaging with the activities at the end of each chapter.
In chapter 3, you’ll examine your relationship to race. You’ll explore what it means to shift from color-blind attitudes to color-conscious ones and see how race shows up in the classroom. And you’ll examine the impact that identity consciousness has on how you create curricula and how you talk to students about race.
Chapter 4 addresses class, socioeconomic status, and money. While talking about these matters can be uncomfortable, your relationship to class is not neutral; it impacts your life and your work. You’ll explore how class differences show up in school, inform how you interact with students, and influence your ability to create greater equity.
Chapter 5 talks about sexual orientation. Because educators have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all students, you’ll identify how sexual orientation shows up in the classroom, what it looks like to create more inclusive curricula, and how you can talk about the LGBTQ community with students.
Chapter 6 discusses gender identity, especially in relation to the gender norms students encounter in the classroom and school community. Gender has traditionally been