Monday, September 24, 2018
I’ll never forget the day in second grade when I was taking a test where the task was to put a series of sentences in chronological order. The question dealt with how to make scrambled eggs. Sounds easy, right? As I read through the sentences there was one that just did not seem to fit in. It read, “Place the egg in a bowl.” The problem with this was that where I’m from, that step was never done. I always saw my mother make scrambled eggs by standing right next to the stove and cracking the eggs directly on to the pan.
Although I was only a seven-year-old little girl, I still remember the feeling when I got my test back and saw that I got that question wrong. Was that question a true indicator of my ability to put steps in chronological order? Absolutely not!
Too many times in our school system we have policies and practices in place that we use to measure students’ abilities and skill sets that are not culturally responsive or do not provide the whole picture about a student. What message are we sending to students if we don’t take the time to get to know more about them and learn about the assets they bring to our schools? I remember feeling upset that someone would think that I didn’t know how to put things in order because of that question. I felt cheated and discouraged.
Now that I am an educator and am able to view this situation from a different lens, I know my teacher most likely was oblivious to the cultural implication of the question for me. What would have made this situation better for me was for the teacher to have a conversation with me about the test. I never got to explain to her why that question confused me and I wish I would have.
I share this experience because it is a reminder of the importance of being intentional about relationship-building with students. The more we are able to get to know students and learn about the whole child, the better we will be able to meet their educational needs. It is critical that we take time to honor and value the unique identities and worldviews of our students and their families.
Often times, we feel like issues of equity are a major undertaking and that it’s too hard to create change. As educators, one place to start is our own context. It’s about creating a space where students are given the opportunity to share about themselves. It is about building community. Doing this will build trust with students and they will begin to share their perspective on an array of issues. It is when this trust and sharing of perspective occurs that it is pivotal to be a voice for students. As I listen to students, I like to take time to reflect on what they have to say and carefully examine our school system to see where barriers to equity exist.
It’s also important to realize that we are not alone. There are many educators who are passionate about working towards achieving equity. It is about finding those allies and working together to make change. I encourage you to identify policies and practices in your school that are barriers to equity. We must keep moving forward and remain hopeful because our students deserve that from us.