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Something I’ve learned in the last year as I work toward my teaching certification is how imperative on-going self-assessment is. Teachers are expected to constantly evaluate themselves—every morning before class, after each encounter with every child, during each lesson, at the end of every day. This is not only to ensure the effectiveness of lessons but to compel teachers to examine unflinchingly their own personal biases and cultural sensitivity.
Am I doing enough to make sure every single child in my classroom feels valued, supported, cared for, seen?
Am I doing enough to make sure every single child sees him or herself reflected, represented, respected, in their classroom?
Am I doing enough?
In 2015, while pursuing my English degree, I enrolled in an African-American literature course that introduced me to the voices of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin, among others. Why, in all my years of schooling (I grew up in the 80s/early 90s) had I never been assigned classic works of literature by these authors? That’s the first question, the easy question. On further self-reflection, however, the question becomes this: Why had I never before sought these voices out?
Am I doing enough?
Last year I read 62 books; three were by Black authors. The year before that I read 72 books; four were by Black authors. This shameful disparity was one I hadn’t even noticed before. The easy question is, why aren’t there more books by Black authors being published and championed? On further self-reflection, the question becomes this: Why haven’t I been seeking out more books by Black authors?
Am I doing enough?
Making excuses is easy. Accepting personal responsibility is harder. I’m not doing enough. And as an aspiring teacher whose job it will be to develop and implement an anti-bias curriculum, create an inclusive, multicultural classroom, and model behaviors like empathy, respect, and tolerance, I need to do more—and keep asking the question.
You’re asking the right question and you’re wise and honest enough to know the answers. I’m doing the same.
Thank you for that. We’re all learning. 🙂
It’s important to ask the right questions. But to ask them, one needs to have a basic awareness that there are questions to ask! So the fact that you notice there’s a disparity in your reading and that this disparity is worth a closer look…it’s 95 % of the solution, don’t you think? The rest is pretty simple–typing Black Authors into Google or Goodreads or Amazon. I just finished HOOD FEMINISM: NOTES FROM THE WOMEN THAT A MOVEMENT FORGOT by Mikki Kendall. It is wonderful. Offers a strong point of view on how feminism has not only failed to serve a major segment of its constituency, but has in many ways betrayed the most vulnerable of its members. Kendall’s discussion of what needs to be addressed to cure this failing is comprehensive and incredibly well thought out. Also, it’s a plain good read. I’m going to review it on Amazon this weekend. I’ve reviewed over three hundred books and very few were books written by people of color. Trying to rectify that!
The Mikki Kendall book sounds fascinating! I’ll add it to my TBR. 😀 Yes, I do feel being aware of my failure to seek out more books by Black authors is a huge step forward, and that it is easily solved—there are plenty of incredible sounding books to choose from! I’m currently reading A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown, which is basically a West African inspired spin on Aladdin. It’s gorgeous. Next on my list is N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth trilogy, which I ordered this week from Barnes & Noble as an early birthday gift to myself. 😉 We have six weeks of this very long extended summer vacation left (maybe longer), and I can’t think of a better time to lose myself in an epic fantasy series.