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Is there a certain age group/grade that is most "appropriate" to start introducing concepts surrounding oppression and power such as the "-isms" in the classroom?

"Language is not a neutral transmitter of a universal, objective, or fixed reality. Rather,

language is the way we construct reality,  the  framework we use to give meaning to  our experiences and perceptions within a  given society."

We believe that it is important to start these discussions with children at a young age. Children are very impressionable as kids so it would be a good idea to start simple lessons with them when they are younger. For example, teaching them about how we are all equal and what we as individuals can bring into the society. Teaching children to be considerate of others and be aware of their environment is a great way to start. As children get older they can work towards learning in different ways and learning more about the "isms."

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Question: Is there a certain age group/grade that is most "appropriate" to start introducing concepts surrounding oppression and power such as the "-isms" in the classroom?

We collectively disagree with the premise of the question. WE are not the ones introducing concepts surrounding oppression, power and -isms to students. They are already experiencing it. The question should be how do you start bringing in these real life experiences into the classroom in order to educate your students further on them.

The ideas and concepts can be introduced at a younger age but the language needs to be reflective of the age group we are speaking to. We believe that we can have open and more frank discussions surrounding oppression and power can begin around the junior grades (grade 4).

It can be difficult to talk about these things especially when the school environment may belong to the dominate group versus having some (if any) members of the minority groups.

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Q: How can we introduce children to the concept of oppression?

A: -Use books as a resource to teach anti-oppressive practice. For example, window books:  by having students see themselves   identified or reflected in the stories.

-Asking students: What is oppression? As an open-ended question and to use the resource as a way to explain what oppression is.

-Use vocabulary such as privilege, power, hegemony (just to name a few) from the text: "Is everyone really equal" to create discussion around "What is oppression?"

- For older students: present to students two articles where they have the opportunity to recognize how oppression is represented in society.

-The article Teaching 6-Year-Olds About Privilege and Power says that younger children don't find it as difficult to speak about oppression. Take advantage of this and ask them to share their lived experiences when they felt they were being discriminated against.

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Amanda, Jordan, Jessica T, Ranmeet, Danesha

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Amanda, Jordan, Jessica T, Ranmeet, Danesha

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Is there a certain age group/grade that is most "appropriate" to start introducing

concepts surrounding oppression and power such as the "-isms" in the classroom?

1. Different age groups can be exposed to injustices based on different concepts. Teaching grade ones about residential schools will look very different then students in high school.

2. Jordan suggested using picture books to bring more difficult topics into the classroom in a productive manner. (When We Were Alone is a book by David A. Robertson and Julie Flett)

3. "It's not fair to shield them from oppression and power imbalances." -Jessica

4. Ranmeet mentions how teachers might be afraid of scaring the children, "shielding their innocence" (Jessica) want to teach the students but do not know where to draw the line so they avoid it completely.

5. Amanda was the only one who got the full truth in schooling (the residential schools and the murder of indigenous communities- this means over 80% did not receive this information).

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Group 3: Alana G, Susanna L, Mariam S, Julia F

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Group 3: Alana G, Susanna L, Mariam S, Julia F

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How can we counteract dominant narratives in the classroom?

- bring a variety of diverse resources (books, stories, etc) into the classroom
- look at the curriculum more critically, even the curriculum documents, think critically about where they are coming from
- ask students to share their own lived experiences and diverse perspectives
- challenge the dominant narrative even when students bring it up
- discuss the culture and how it perpetuates the dominant narrative
- take time to recognize our own biases as educators
- give students a voice
- how you set up the classroom (organizing furniture, decorating the walls, etc.) can be a way to counter the dominant narrative or challenge traditional teaching  practices
- integrate diverse ways of thinking, for example, Indigenous ways of building community for learning

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Stephanie E., Alexander P, Julia C, Ridima W. 

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Stephanie E., Alexander P, Julia C, Ridima W. 

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How can we introduce children to the concept of oppression?

- As a teacher, you need to recognize the demographic of students you are teaching to. How we choose to teach about oppression should be dependent on who is sitting in our classrooms.
- When teaching in the elementary grade, selecting picture books that can elicit probing questions about characters or topics in the story that might incite oppression would be beneficial. We might also bring in resources that discuss social justice specifically, like picture books or videos.

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Tayler Gorman, Lecs Petel, Natalie Pawarroo, Keerthana Selvaruban

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Tayler Gorman, Lecs Petel, Natalie Pawarroo, Keerthana Selvaruban

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Is there a certain age group/grade that is most "appropriate" to start introducing concepts surrounding oppression and power such as the "isms" in the classroom?

Our group recognizes the wisdom and lived experiences of our students in that no matter the age, they are not exempt from experiencing or knowing about forms of oppression; although, they just may not have the exact words to verbalize the experience or awareness. That being said, there is a plethora of materials that range in grade and age that are appropriate and can help broach topics of oppression and power with students. It also matters that educators remain mindful and intentional in the resources we bring within the classroom and find strategies to talk about these topics in a beneficial manner.  It is important to begin even with younger students because "Oppressive beliefs and misinformation are internalized by both the dominant and the minoritized groups, guaranteeing that overall each group will play its assigned role in relation to the other, and that these roles will be justified as natural. When we believe the social hierarchy is natural, it is difficult to see our positions within it as unequal at all" (Sensoy and DiAngelo, pg 90). Thus, even starting young with discussion about the "isms" and oppression and power can help prevent misinformation and dismantle it. Overall, every age and grade is "appropriate" to begin thinking and discussing these concepts, it will just look and sound different every time.

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Group 2: Iqbal, Christina, Laura & Megan

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Group 2: Iqbal, Christina, Laura & Megan

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How can we introduce children to the concept of oppression?

- Using children’s literature to engage students. This is helpful because it uses easy-to-understand terminology about power, privilege and oppression. The use of illustrations are especially important for visual learners. For example, “I Am Not a Number” by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer, a picture book about residential schools.
- We need to remove the "stereotype" or "norm" that first or second grade may be a bit to early to discuss heavy topics. Kids are aware of race at a very young age. In the article "Teaching 6 Year Olds About Privilege and Power" Turner says "students should be able to bring their own honest questions to class".
- It is also important to have students “asks questions that help kids to see patterns of injustice, and encourages them to make connections across the curriculum.” (Katrina Schwartz).
- Young children have a keen awareness of and passion for fairness. They demand right over wrong, just over unjust and they notice differences. In the text "Are We Really Equal", the authors mention that "values associated with primary education such as play, community, cooperation, and sharing virtually disappear in the higher grades, as values such as rationality, independence, and competition take over" (92). As educators we should teach students to hold onto these values as it may help them deal with issues of power/oppression.
- Using the news (i.e. Newsela is a good resource for teachers. It simplifies news articles and makes them easy to understand for children). Using this, educators can engage with and teach culturally relevant content.
- We can also do circle time and have group discussions; the class can have drama class and perform skits, being in a librarian who can recommend books for children at their age level.

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As an educator, how can I work towards implementing an anti-oppressive teaching

environment?

- create a space for open and honest conversations to take place
- setting rules/boundaries in the classroom to ensure everyone is respectful and can voice their opinions in a safe space
- creating and teaching anti-bias lessons
- ensure various voices are heard, lessons project multiple perspectives
- anti-oppressive teaching should not just take place in a single lesson, it should be frequently incorporated to lessons regularly
- conduct independent research on different types of oppression so lessons are well-informed and diverse for students' needs
- providing students with resources on oppression so that they can also learn independently

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Q: How can we introduce children to the concept of oppression?
A: For younger ages we can have students think about a time they felt left out for obvious reasons (for example: only boys can play). We can then go on to explain to them how this is a form of oppression. This can be a way to introduce younger students to concepts of oppression, and then give them more examples, ie: race, religion, gender

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Question - "As an educator, how can I work towards implementing an anti-oppressive teaching environment?"

Answer:
**teaching students about the historical context which has created conditions of oppression in society
*using diverse materials to challenge dominant narratives using storybooks and picture books
*using appropriate language in the classrooms
*constructing classroom expectations with students to ensure we are not being discriminatory to others
*identify any oppressive thoughts or conversations happening in the classroom and talking about these issues of oppression and power in the classroom - both students and teachers making environment anti-oppressive
*working through uncovering and challenging internal biases and prejudices
*making the classroom a safe space to have students bring their lived experiences, acknowledging tough topics
*making content relevant to all students lived experiences
*allowing opportunities for student voice in the classroom

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Let's Talk About Power , How Teachers Use of Power Shapes Relationships and Learning

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Let's Talk About Power , How Teachers Use of Power Shapes Relationships and Learning

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Teaching 6 Year Olds About Privilege and Power 

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Teaching 6 Year Olds About Privilege and Power 

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It was clear his students were used to this type of question. They immediately started throwing out ideas.

"I think why African American people end up on the street is because they lose jobs because people were treating them badly, and then they end up on the street with no home," said one girl.

"Some people might also be homeless if they try to apply for jobs, but they keep getting denied because of the color of their skin," suggested a boy.

Turner and his students have been discussing all year long how power and privilege are built into all aspects of society. He often takes opportunities like this one to ask students to connect those prior conversations to whatever topic is at hand. In fact, the structural inequalities that lead to homelessness is one of the least potentially controversial topics they've tackled. They've also discussed microaggressions, gender inequality, gender identity and structural racism.

"I think that kids can handle a lot more nuance than we generally give them credit for," Turner said. "You can talk about anything with kids. You can make anything accessible, no matter how uncomfortable or atrocious it may seem."

Some people may think first grade is a bit early for some of these heavy topics. Some parents have pushed back against Turner's approach, and he's received many critical -- and sometimes hateful -- comments online from people who disagree with him. But Turner says kids are aware of race from a very early age, as early as 6 months old. And his students bring their own honest questions to class.

Turner sees what he's doing as planting seeds of inquiry and offering students some tools so they can continue to grapple with issues that are at the core of American society as they grow up. He says that, as a white man, he had the privilege not to think about how his race, class and sexuality smoothed his way through life. He's doing a lot of that work now, and he says teachers owe it to both their white students and their students of color to initiate these conversations in safe and developmentally appropriate ways.

But when recess comes, they still run around with friends, play in the dirt and have fun. The difference is that when they see something on TV or encounter discrimination on the playground, they're empowered to talk about it outright.
GIVING KIDS TOOLS TO GRAPPLE WITH DIFFICULT TOPICS
About half of Turner's students are kids of color. Turner wants his students to feel comfortable talking about privilege and power so they can move through life aware of how these issues play out all around them. He wants to equip them with the vocabulary, tools and confidence to continue engaging difficult subjects as their understanding gets more nuanced. He says they aren't too young. In fact, he's found his students are often better at talking about difficult issues than most adults. They just process them from a 6-year-old's perspective.

Take fairness. Turner noted that it's common for young kids to exclude one another in games and on the playground based on differences, including racial differences. When that happens, Turner doesn't ignore the racial aspect of the exclusion. He talks about it openly with kids.

"I mean, if you've ever seen kids try to get into line and like who goes in front of who, and cutting in line, you'll know immediately that kids want everything to be fair. So it actually doesn't take that much for kids to enter into the conversation about racism and privilege."

Turner is also careful to weave these discussions into everything he does. He doesn't isolate discussions of race to Black History Month, or talk about Native Americans only around Thanksgiving. When his class studied money, for example, they noticed that only white men are pictured. Or, when the class was learning to skip-count by twos, Turner had them practice by tallying the number of men and women in the U.S. Senate. From there, they had a fruitful discussion about unequal representation in Congress and whether that's fair. Students had mixed opinions, which Turner loves.

"That is a lesson that stuck with a lot of kids and it gets referenced a lot," he said.

Check out the MindShift Podcast to hear what these conversations sound like in Bret Turner's classroom. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to learn more about what brought Turner, a straight white man, to teach this way. And, hear about some of the gratitude and pushback he's gotten from parents.
BRET TURNER'S JOURNEY TO TEACHING ABOUT POWER AND PRIVILEGE
Turner didn't always teach this way. In his early years of teaching, when students would ask a question that implicated race or asked why there were more white characters in their classroom books than kids of color, he would steer the conversation back to the lesson. He'd say they'd talk about it later or brush past the topic. But he began to realize that he was sending kids the message that they shouldn't talk about those issues.

"All of the evidence, both academic and anecdotal, that I've ever seen suggests that you actually have to talk to kids about it," Turner said. "And if you don't, you are unfortunately perpetuating the idea that it is not to be talked about, that white privilege is off-limits, that racism has been solved."

But that doesn't mean it's comfortable for him. Turner is acutely aware that he's a straight white man with a lot of privileges. He was worried he didn't have the depth of understanding, or the personal experience, to teach about these difficult topics well. He also knows he's not the only one doing this work -- many teachers of color have been bringing these types of lessons into their classrooms for years. Still, 80 percent of classroom teachers are white, so he sees it as his duty to help students navigate these tricky issues.

"When I realized that opting out of conversations and difficult questions was potentially damaging, I realized I couldn't do it anymore," Turner said. "As uncomfortable as I might be sometimes."

Still, he admits there are logistical challenges to teaching this way. He has a jampacked curriculum to get through, and every time one of these conversations comes up, it takes time. He understands that many teachers fear messing up or not knowing all the answers, and that can be a barrier to even starting this type of classroom conversation. At first he felt that way, too, but gradually he came to a place where he'd rather try, admit what he doesn't know, and model being a learner to find the answers.

Turner is also careful to set expectations at the start of the year with parents. He tells them at back-to-school night that in his classroom, they will be talking about all the "isms" -- racism and sexism among them -- because kids bring questions about them into the classroom. And he uses his newsletter to communicate to parents when a potentially fraught conversation took place spontaneously, or if one is planned.

"I don't want any of this to seem like cloak-and-dagger stuff where I'm doing this 'indoctrination' behind their backs in class," Turner said. When it's relevant, he also sends articles home, videos of the class, and recaps of the discussions, "just so I can be as open and clear as possible, so it doesn't take people by surprise."

Oakland mother Carla Wicks appreciates Turner's leadership. She's an African American parent whose daughter, Kendal, was in Turner's class last year. When she heard his back-to-school speech about the "isms," she approached him afterward to thank him for his "courage."

Wicks and her husband didn't have to sit their kids down to talk about racism -- it comes up all the time. When Kendal was in preschool, she was already hearing messages that lighter skin colors are more beautiful.

"These are the conversations that we have, as people of color, very early on, all the time," Wicks said.

She sees it as a teacher's job to be culturally literate and sensitive so they can respond nimbly when issues of race, privilege or power come up in the classroom. She trusts her kids' teachers to understand what's developmentally appropriate, and they should be able to have difficult conversations with kids in ways that equip them to live in a complicated world.

"I think if most human beings going through our education system had these conversations at this early age, then we'd probably be in a different place than we are today," she said.

But Turner said other parents have objected to his approach. They've told him these topics are too heavy for young children, or that he's abusing his position of power as a teacher to push a "liberal agenda."

Turner has taken that critique to heart, analyzing his classroom practice for whether there's truth in those claims. He understands that young kids want to please their teachers, but says he's not telling his students what to think. He asks questions that help kids to see patterns of injustice, and encourages them to make connections across the curriculum.

"I don't know what we want of kids other than for them to be critical thinkers and to question when things don't seem right," Turner said.

CLASSROOM RESOURCES BRET TURNER USES TO TEACH ABOUT POWER AND PRIVILEGE

Turner also shares these resources with parents:

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Teaching 6-Year-Olds About Privilege and Power | KQED

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Privilege and power play out in the world all around us every day. And kids notice. First-grade teacher Bret Turner has decided not to avoid the difficult conversations and questions his students bring to class. Instead, he's weaving discussions of things like racism and gender inequality into everything he does.