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Don’t blame the bully, blame the system | Alix Lambert | TEDxKC

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Bullying: Using Methods to Enhance Schools

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Bullying: Using Methods to Enhance Schools

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Bullying: Using Methods to Enhance Schools | Jennifer Green & Melissa Holt | TEDxWalthamED

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https://teentruth.net/best-ways-promote-anti-bullying-school/

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A Guide to Stopping Bullying at School

As much as we don't like to admit it, bullying is as prevalent in schools as gym class and homework. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, school bullying rates have increased by 35% from 2016 to 2019. Sadly, some people even consider being bullied (or being a bully) to be some right-of-passage for children and adolescents, akin to your first school dance or learning how to drive.

However, just because bullying has become heavily normalized in our society does not mean it needs to be accepted. Schools, parents, and even kids are all responsible for putting an end to bullying and its often disastrous effects - but how?

Understanding Bullying at School

Before we can discuss ways to prevent bullying in school, we need to properly define what bullying is, how it comes to be, and the different ways in which it manifests itself.

Bullying refers to the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing, or threats to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate another person. While bullying can happen to anyone at any age, it is typically experienced most often during childhood and adolescent years. Bullying is different from simple disagreements or fights; a power imbalance must exist for a situation to be considered bullying.

As children grow and learn social behaviors, it is common for children with aggressive or anti-social tendencies to become bullies. While most children will at some point or another exhibit behavior that aligns with bullying, it is imperative to know which behaviors parents and teachers should be concerned with.

Definitions and Background Information

Since October is National Bully Prevention Month, I thought I'd take some time to write about the ways that counselors, teachers, mental health professionals, and activity directors can promote anti-bullying efforts in their schools!

National Bullying Prevention Month occurs across the world! Its purpose is for individuals and organizations to come together and share resources to raise awareness for the prevention of bullying.

What exactly is bullying, you might ask? Well, it is defined by the following three characteristics:

Repeated: A bully bothers the same victim over and over again.

Intentional: A bully hurts someone on purpose, not accidentally.

Power Imbalance: The bully has more power (through characteristics such as size, popularity, age, etc.) than his/her victim.

As the bullying prevention movement grows, new legislation is spreading across the US in order to protect kids. Here are a few interesting facts about bullying legislation:

There is no federal law that protects against bullying; however many bullying incidents can be prosecuted as harassment if the offense meets certain criteria.

Georgia was the first state to pass anti-bullying legislation in 1999.

New Jersey has some of the toughest bully legislation in the US, where schools must report incidences of bullying to state agencies!

Texas passed David's Law in September 2017, which protects Texas children against instances of cyberbullying.

Ways to Promote Anti-bullying Practices in Schools

There are several things educators can do to help curb the spread of bullying in schools. The main focus of anti-bullying efforts should be identifying behaviors and offering assistance for those who have experienced bullying in some form or another.

Character Education Lessons

In my counseling team, we just finished our second rotation of lessons where we meet with every student's class one time per month. Although it can be challenging to facilitate guidance lessons that include all 1000 of our students, we like the fact that it lets us connect with every student in the school. In every one of our guidance lessons, spend some time going over anti-bullying strategies. For our second rotation, this took the form of teaching students how to file an Incident Report with the assistant principal's office if they feel someone is bothering them. In our next guidance lesson rotation, bully prevention will occur through role-playing the Four Steps of Conflict Resolution with students. We use these four steps to teach students to meet bullies head on and advocate for their own well-being and safety. In a future guidance lesson rotation, we indirectly hit on anti-bullying through role-playing how to avoid and defuse rumors and gossip as this is a huge problem in middle school. A lot of bullying at the middle school and high school level (and let's be honest, even the upper elementary level) occurs in the form of rumors and gossip.

Here is a complete anti-bullying lesson plan that you can use with your own students during Bullying Prevention Month or at any time of the year! We also email the lessons to all the teachers of the classes where we run guidance lessons so they can participate in the lesson, if they'd like.

Student Support Groups

Another way that we promote anti-bullying efforts in my school is through the use of student support groups. Starting in early October, we run various student support groups or counseling groups that meet weekly. These support groups provide an opportunity for students who need more support than just the once a month guidance lesson. In these groups, we discuss various issues that kids struggle with such as friendship, kindness, conflict resolution, rumors/gossip, dating, body image, and more. As you can see, all of these topics and activities relate directly or indirectly to the theme of bully prevention. We use group strategies such as role plays, read alouds (one of my favorites is Letters to a Bullied Girl), art projects, and games. The Girl Project and Goals Make the Man are two of my favorite student support group guides that really reinforce bully prevention concepts!

School-Wide Assemblies

There is just something so powerful about getting all the students of a campus together in one room to fight bullying together! Many different organizations, including TEEN TRUTH, have wonderful anti-bullying presentations that travel all over the US. Alternately, some schools just bring their student body together to watch a powerful anti-bully video clip and then share the stories of some powerful community or even campus speakers to drive the video themes home!

Keep Teachers Involved

Bullies are encouraged by the sense that no one is going to fight back against them. This includes teachers. To effectively stop bullying, it is imperative that teachers are involved and on alert for signs of bullying in classrooms, the cafeteria, the playground, and even at the bus stop. Doing so will help prevent certain acts of bullying from occurring. It can also provide a sense of relief and security to the victim.

Get Parents & Families Involved

The saying goes, 'It starts at home.' And this couldn't be more accurate, especially in terms of bullying and socially inappropriate behaviors. While parents must look for signs that their child is a victim of bullying, it is equally crucial to be on the lookout for signs that your child may be doing the bullying.

Bullying can stem from a number of problems, but anger, lack of confidence and control, and unstable home lives are typical the culprits. Informing parents of potential bullying triggers can help them work alongside their children to gain a more stable sense of self and eliminate their need to antagonize or harm others.

Building a Positive School Climate to Combat Bullying

While there a plenty of things you can do to help stop bullying in your schools, it is equally if not more important to dig to the root of the cause and create an environment that discourages bullying from the start.

What Schools Can Do to Prevent Bullying

There are multiple things that schools can do to not only discourage bullying but also prevent it entirely. These actions mainly hinge on identifying and stopping negative behaviors and trends before they turn into full-blown bullying.

Teach Kindness & Empathy

While it may seem obvious, explicitly teaching kindness and empathy can go a long way. Schools are a place for children to learn and grow; why not teach behavioral needs alongside academic ones?

The truth is that schools and educators will never know precisely what goes on in a children's home or what they are being taught. For that reason, teaching children to be kind, empathetic, and accepting of others is something all schools should strive to teach and practice.

This includes teaching children to be respectful to others and be accepting and tolerant. Teach acceptance of other people's race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. It is not uncommon for children to be afraid or unwelcoming toward things they don't understand. Teaching them about how people are different and encouraging understanding and acceptance will help reduce ignorance and violence later on.

Staff Training

Many of the laws and policies mentioned above require staff to be trained and ready to take action when bullying occurs.

Usually, staff training involves mandatory SEL training. Ignorance and fear are not exclusive to children; it is common for adults to overlook or react negatively to things they don't understand. For this reason, ensuring that all teachers and staff are understanding and tolerant of things like sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and gender identity is incredibly important.

Further staff training includes understanding how to spot bullying and the proper ways in which to report and address it. It includes appropriate consequences for the bully, detailed action plans on preventing it in the future, and supporting the victim as they process their experiences. It is also crucial to look into counseling options for both the bully and the victim to prevent further incidences.

What Students Can Do to Help Stop Bullying

There are many things students can do to help; in many ways, students standing up to bullying is even more effective than staff or teachers doing so.

As you may already know, most children, adolescents, and teenagers are very impressionable and easily swayed by the opinions of others. While bullying occurs for many reasons, one of the most prevalent reasons is a lack of self-confidence and a desire to fit in. Students taking a stand and showing that bullying is not accepted or "cool" can go a long way towards preventing incidents in the future.

It is also crucial for students to properly report bullying to an adult or person in charge. This should be done regardless of whether they are the victim or a bystander. Teach children that their words matter. Having the power to stand up to people hurting them or others can help improve confidence, foster a sense of independence, and build a strong sense of community.

Types of Bullying

Bullying doesn't come in just one form. Most bullying is a combination of different types; let's take a look at those types below.

Identifying Gateway Behaviors

Identifying gateway behaviors is an excellent way to help understand what turns someone into a bully. It can also help with early prevention. "Gateway behaviors" to bullying are behaviors that most would consider socially unacceptable. Examples of socially unacceptable behaviors include:

Deliberate exclusion

Ignoring

Laughing and whispering at someone in front of them

Eye-rolling

Name-calling

Embarrassing or humiliating someone in person or online

Encouraging peers to mistreat or ignore another person

These behaviors are called "gateway" behaviors for a reason; while single instances don't necessarily indicate a bully, the repeated demonstration of these behaviors can be cause for intervention.

Direct Bullying & Indirect Bullying

Direct bullying is likely what comes to mind when most people think of the word 'bully.' It includes verbal harassment: name-calling, insulting, teasing, or embarrassing a peer in front of others. It can also spiral into physical violence.

Indirect bullying is just as common, sometimes even more so, but can be harder to spot. Indirect bullying is mainly mentally and emotionally charged. It includes spreading rumors, shunning or ignoring a peer, or encouraging others to end their friendships or relationships with the victim.

Verbal & Physical Bullying

Verbal bullying is usually the predecessor to physical bullying. The majority of verbal bullying does not result in physical bullying. However, it typically happens after a bully has exhausted their interests in verbal bullying or is struggling to feel the sense of power that comes with bullying.

Physical bullying is almost always a form of violence. It includes pushing, shoving, tripping, and hitting or kicking the victim. Physical bullying can also refer to things done to annoy intentionally or inconvenience the victim. It includes destroying property, or doing something that may result in the victim hurting themselves (ex. tying someone's shoelaces together).

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a relatively new form of bullying. It has gained exposure and popularity since the rise of social media. However, it can be one of the most insidious forms of bullying because there is no escape from it; victims are tormented both at home and behind a screen. Cyberbullying can also encourage people who typically may not bully face to face because they can often remain anonymous, and the consequences seem so much less severe.

Examples of cyberbullying include posting photos online to embarrass someone, harassment of a person via messaging apps, leaving nasty comments on someone's social media profile, or creating fake profiles of people to humiliate them.

Anti-Bullying Laws & Policies

While there is no federal law to prevent bullying overall, multiple states and cities have taken action and implemented anti-bullying policies in their schools. Most state laws require schools to implement some kind of anti-bullying agenda and sufficiently report and address bullying when it occurs.

Few states consider bullying a criminal offense; instead, they focus on assisting the victims and preventing bullying from escalating and spreading to violent or harsh behavior.

To take a look at bullying policies by state, visit www.stopbullying.gov

Anti-Bullying Resources and Hotlines

When you are being bullied or otherwise tormented at school, it can make you feel like you are alone. It can also lead to feelings of helplessness, frustration, and a lack of control. We have seen firsthand some of the tragic and often violent ways that victims at their breaking point have lashed out at their tormentors.

Don't let it get that far. If you or someone you love is a victim of school bullying for any reason, please take a look at the following resources to learn how you can get help:

STOP BULLYING NOW HOTLINE: 1-800-273-8255

This service set up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is available 24/7

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 1-800-273-8255

Support on suicide prevention and mental health available 24/7. They also have a dedicated website available in Spanish.

SUICIDE NATIONAL HOPELINE: 1-800-784-2433 Spanish: 1-888-628-9454

Available 24/7 in English and Spanish.

INTERNATIONAL BIPOLAR FOUNDATION: 1-800-784-2433

Because it offers bilingual suicide prevention, this hotline does get busy at times and can have limited resources.

NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSOCIATION: 1-800-931-2237

This hotline offers help and advice for people affected by anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Open Monday-Thursday from 9am-5pm and Friday from 9am-9pm and Friday from 9am-5pm, excluding public holidays.

ANAD: 1-800-931-2237

This hotline provides support and encouragement to people suffering from eating disorders and even provides referrals for treatment. Open Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm.

THE TREVOR PROJECT: 1-866-488-7386

This helpline assists with suicide prevention in the LGBTQ+ community. Available 24/7.

Stephanie Lerner
School Counselor, TEEN TRUTH

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The Best Ways to Promote Anti-Bullying in Your School - TEEN TRUTH

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As much as we don't like to admit it, bullying is as prevalent in schools as gym class and homework. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, school bullying rates have increased by 35% from 2016 to 2019.

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https://www.stompoutbullying.org/

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Voted No. 1 tourist destination 2015

effective solutions on STOMP Out Bullying® is the leading national nonprofit dedicated to changing the culture for all students. It works to reduce and prevent bullying, cyberbullying and other digital abuse, educates against homophobia, LGBTQ+ discrimination, racism and hatred, and deters violence in schools, online and in communities across the country. STOMP Out Bullying promotes civility, diversity, inclusion, equity and equality. It teaches how to respond to all forms of bullying, as well as educating kids and teens in school and online. It provides help for those in need and at risk of suicide, and raises awareness through peer mentoring programs in schools, public service announcements by noted celebrities, and social media campaigns.

A pioneer on the issue, STOMP Out Bullying® is recognized as
the most influential anti-bullying and cyberbullying organization in America and beyond.

Our Story

In 2005, STOMP Out Bullying was born with the passion and commitment to help all youths in need. Our founder and CEO, Ross Ellis, never wants to see another child in pain, and she never again wants to hear the words, "I want to die."

15 year-old David, was severely depressed due to being bullied. He had been called every possible name one could imagine. He didn't want to go to school, he quit extra-curricular sports. On the days that he did go to school he stayed in his room when he got home and shut his family and friends out. David was surfing the Web and found STOMP Out Bullying. He started reading our "Are You Being Bullied?" page and read about the comebacks. He learned to successfully use the comebacks which helped to make the bully stop victimizing him. Today, David is empowered and enjoys going to school. This is just one of millions of ways we have made an impact on the lives of America's students.

Our Impact

* Helping over 5.5 million students resolve Bullying and Cyberbullying situations

* Assisting over 100,000 students and saving over 2,000 lives through the STOMP Out Bullying HelpChat Crisis Line

* Through our various support networks we have saved a total of 6,000 lives. These numbers increase daily.

* Working with over 45,000 school partners to raise awareness and educate students

* Over 20 Youth Leaders working to change the culture in schools across the country

Our Manifesto

We have always been an organization for kindness. The types of problems we tackle may have changed over the past decade,
But our passion has never wavered.
Ours is a higher purpose.
We work so that youth may stand tall and be respected. With our help, youth are kinder.
Schools are more inclusive.
Communities have more equality.
Society has more unity.
So that, a culture of cruelty can
become a culture of civility.
So we devote ourselves to breaking down barriers, we give voice to the voiceless.
We give belonging to those feeling left out.
We welcome diversity and inclusivity.
We work shoulder to shoulder in unity.
We empower the fearful to be fearless in this pursuit. And together we will find the answers, to change the culture, for good.

WAYS TO HELP

NEWS

In light of this important day, Billboard, with the support of STOMP Out Bullying, asked artists to send a much-needed message of love and a call to action to end bullying in schools.

Ross was selected as one of "100 Making A Difference" along with notable celebrities and changemakers in a book by celebrity fashion photographer Jon Russo.

Have Made a Commitment to be an UPSTANDER and to STOMP Out Bullying®

It's not just a donation...

When you donate online to STOMP Out Bullying®, you join our cause and directly support kids and teens. No matter how little or big the amount, donating makes a difference in the lives of our youth.

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STOMP Out Bullying® | Cyberbullying & Bullying Prevention

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The leading anti bullying nonprofit, STOMP Out Bullying® is dedicated to changing student culture, reducing & preventing bullying, cyberbullying & other digital abuse. Learn more.

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https://www.edutopia.org/article/addressing-race-and-racism-head-classroom

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Teaching students U.S. history authentically requires educators to delve into race and racism, invite "complexity and hidden narratives" into the conversation, and give students the tools to navigate and make sense of "the truths that are difficult to reconcile with the messages of freedom and democracy," writes Emily Boudreau for Usable Knowledge, a Harvard Graduate School of Education publication.

"What does it mean to be living on land taken from Indigenous people? How can a nation recognize that many of its institutions were built and made possible by the labor of enslaved people?" Boudreau writes, referencing an inclusive vision of history that asks us to acknowledge the contributions of women, Black, Latinx, Asian, and LGTBQ people, for example. "Because conversations around these hard histories can be challenging, educators need to know how to approach the subject in considered, developmentally appropriate ways."

As schools, and the country, become more diverse, a growing number of educators are working to expand K-12 curricula "to include the narratives of people from a wider range of racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds," writes journalist Holly Korbey. Greater inclusivity in history, she writes, allows young people to "see themselves in the story of our shared past, they not only develop a deeper appreciation of the subject, but become more civically active."

Here are four considerations, culled from Boudreau's article and from our Edutopia archives, for teaching and engaging with the complex narratives surrounding American history.

Feature Stories of Resistance and Resilience

Historical narratives should strike a balance between examining racism and discrimination but also highlighting "the resilience and resistance of communities throughout history," so they're instilling hope in young people, Boudreau writes, but also correcting the narrow, often cursory view of U.S. history that glosses over important figures of resistance like César Chávez, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the disability rights activist Ed Roberts, and Kwame Ture, born Stokely Carmichael. It's an effort that calls on educators to "teach a more accurate history that commonly goes untold: the role of grassroots activists and women, nuanced portraits of leaders like Parks and King, and racial and social justice battles that link the past to contemporary issues of inequality," writes Melinda D. Anderson, a journalist.

"It's imperative that teachers not reinforce a milquetoast version of Black history that is anti-Black because of its erasure of painful truths," writes Rann Miller, an after-school program director. As a student, Miller learned about Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. "I heard very little of Malcolm X, the FBI's campaign against civil rights leaders, the Rainbow Coalition put together by the Black Panther Party's Fred Hampton, or Hampton's assassination. I learned about the struggles of my enslaved ancestors, but not about Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, or Nat Turner."

Examine Primary Sources

Textbooks tend to gloss over large swaths of history, "without going into much depth or bringing the voices of those who lived through those times to the surface," writes Boudreau. It's up to teachers to bring those voices into the classroom via primary source documents "that tell the story of an event using the words of the people who are described by the curriculum."

It's important, however, to make sure these materials are developmentally appropriate-teachers can "redact or edit them so students can understand and engage with the texts," Boudreau suggests-and to give kids opportunities to discuss and process "feelings that come up as they learn about these histories." One way to do this is to check in with students via an anonymous Google survey. "A teacher can then validate those emotions-some people might feel angry or sad-but giving students a chance to process the emotions that come up is essential for us to move forward as a country and acknowledge racism," says Adrienne Stang, a K-12 history and social studies coordinator for Cambridge Public Schools.

Meanwhile, the effort to find and work with primary documents presents a valuable opportunity to teach older students how to carefully vet resources-a foundational, critical thinking skill that involves understanding the cultural context and values from which primary sources spring, and determining the credibility of resources. In social studies, for example, "vetting resources is important not just because we want to ensure students are learning from accurate, verifiable materials," writes Paul Franz, an educational researcher and former middle school teacher. "It's important also because the ability to ask questions about sources, bias, and context are at the heart of social studies education and are essential skills for thriving in the modern world."

Make Sure Kids See Themselves in Your Classroom

Books and curriculum should "reflect the diversity of our world and identities of all students," in the classroom, writes Boudreau. In the early grades, check in with families and caregivers to gain an understanding of students' backgrounds, suggests Stang, and make sure kids have opportunities to learn not just about the identities of students in the classroom, but also about diverse cultures and backgrounds that aren't reflected in the room.

And while school and classroom budgets may be tight, even small changes-like sharing one book that references a child's experiences-can make a difference, says second- and third-grade teacher Natalya Gibbs, who hangs posters that reflect her students' identities and experiences such as family and home life structures and languages, and offers skin-toned crayons so her students "can see themselves in all aspects of their classroom." Her approach changes each school year, depending on the students in her classroom. "It's about 'Who is this class? What do they bring?' I'm growing my curriculum based on the community of children that I have each year, which means learning about my students and their cultures and making sure that they're represented."

Teach Hard Histories in Other Classes Too

It's not just the job of history teachers to take on the complex discussions around race and racism. "Including curriculum and sources that deal with both hard histories and narratives of resilience and agency is the job of every teacher, not just those in the history department," writes Boudreau.

In STEM classes, for example, writes scientist Ainissa Ramirez, author of The Alchemy of Us, which showcases little-known inventors, particularly people of color and women, it's critical to "inform [students] about the past." In doing so, educators not only "demystify scientific advancements by revealing their messy historical reality; we show students how science is actually conducted; and we have the opportunity to spotlight scientists who have been written out of history-and thus invite more students into the world of science."

In English class, make texts from authors who represent a spectrum of racial, cultural, and gender perspectives available, and emphasize the contributions of often marginalized people to American history-Bao Phi's A Different Pond, R.J. Palacio's Wonder, and Malinda Lo's Ash, to name a few. "Teach students about the Africanisms in American English when discussing or teaching grammar," writes Miller, who recalls reading Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare in English class, but never Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, or Toni Morrison. "Students should be introduced to texts by Black authors that speak to Black experiences, Black perspectives, and Black accomplishments. These authors remind children and adults that Black excellence is not confined to athletics and entertainment. How can we promote the academic excellence of Black children without introducing them to Black intellectuals-individuals they can see themselves someday becoming?"

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Addressing Race and Racism Head-On in the Classroom

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From featuring stories of resistance to making sure kids see themselves represented in the classroom, a few things to keep in mind when teaching American history.

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https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/its-not-so-black-and-white/

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Discussing racial issues can make students and teachers uncomfortable. Here, educator and scholar Dr. Beverly Tatum shares her wisdom on teaching about slavery and race-related issues.
Classroom teachers across the country are faced with explaining the central paradox of a democracy that declared all men equal but enslaved and oppressed one group to provide independence and prosperity for another. The task is difficult because your audience is children.

Slavery is a topic that makes many of us uncomfortable. Yet, black-white race relations in the United States have been forever shaped by slavery and its social, psychological, and economic legacy. It requires discussion. How should we approach the topic with children?

Too often I hear from young African American students that they feel embarrassment in school when slavery is discussed. Ironically, slavery is one of the few ways the black experience is included in their schooling, even during Black History Month, a time of celebration. Uncomfortable with the portrayal of their group as helpless victims, students squirm as they feel the eyes of white children looking for their reaction to this subject.

In my professional-development work with white teachers, they sometimes remark how uncomfortable they, too, are with this example (and others) of the painful history of race relations. As one elementary teacher said: "It is hard to tell small children about slavery, hard to explain that young black men were lynched and that police turned fire hoses on children while others bombed churches, killing black children at their prayers. This history is a terrible legacy for all of us. The other day [another] teacher told me that she could not look into the faces of her students when she taught about these things. It was too painful, and too embarrassing. . . . If we are all uncomfortable, something is wrong in our approach."

Something is wrong. While it is necessary to be honest about the racism of our past and present, it is also necessary to provide children (and adults) with a vision that change is possible. Where can we find this vision? We can look for it in our history, we can create it with our colleagues, and we can demonstrate it in our classrooms.

The Africans who were brought here as slaves were not just passive victims. They found ways to resist their victimization. All whites were not bad, and some black resisters found white allies. Concrete examples are critical.

For young children, examples can be found in picture books. One of my favorites is Faith Ringgold's Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky. This story is told from the point of view of a young black girl who travels back in time and experiences both the chilling realities of slavery and the power of her own resistance and eventual escape. White people are presented in the story as enemies (slave owners) and as allies (hosts on the Underground Railroad). This dual representation is important for all children, regardless of color.

A white friend of mine often told her young son the story of how Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus in 1955 and sparked her whole community to take a stand against racist whites during the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. The story was one of the child's favorites when he was just four years old. Then one day he asked her, "Are all white people bad?" Now he was five, and already seemed to be feeling bad about being white.

I recommended talking more about what white people had done to oppose injustice. Jeanette Winter's book Follow the Drinking Gourd highlights the role of a white man and other white allies who offer assistance along the Underground Railroad.

When discussing a sensitive topic such as slavery, make sure all are treated respectfully as individuals. Follow the rule yourself, and don't allow children to be treated as if they represent an entire racial group.

When you feel uncomfortable or notice students squirming, acknowledge the discomfort. Let them know it is normal. You can say, "It is hard to talk about the time when there were slaves. It can make us all feel bad. Sometimes I feel ____." You can fill in the blank yourself; feelings of guilt or anger are common.

Let students see themselves as agents of change and healing. Although slavery ended a long time ago, we still face racism today. By treating one another with respect, students are fighting racism.

Encourage them to note examples of bias and stereotypes in their reading. Children can learn to question whether derogatory depictions of other people are stereotypes. They can learn to ask who is doing what in the story's plot, and why; who is in the role of leader and who is taking the orders; and who has been left out of the story altogether.

Social studies and history curricula rarely emphasize examples of black or white resistance to slavery or racism. You're not alone in your discomfort with the topic, or your search for solutions. Share your concerns, frustrations, success stories, and resources with colleagues and friends.

Coming to terms with past and present injustice is often cause for anger and guilt, frustration and despair. All children, regardless of color, need to find the hope in this history. We must not insensitively sanitize the pain of those caught in the bind of oppression. We need to celebrate the strength of the human spirit to go beyond the roles of victim and victimizer. In doing so, we may inspire one another to do likewise in the struggle against the contemporary injustices we face.

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It's Not So Black and White: Discussing Race and Racism in the Classroom | Scholastic

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Discussing racial issues can make students and teachers uncomfortable. Here, educator and scholar Dr. Beverly Tatum shares her wisdom on teaching about slavery and race-related issues. Classroom teachers across the country are faced with explaining the central paradox of a democracy that declared all men equal but enslaved and oppressed one group to provide independence and prosperity for another.

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No it isn't Anti-Racist to Teach Anti-Racism

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No it isn't Anti-Racist to Teach Anti-Racism

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https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-no-it-isnt-racist-to-teach-anti-racism/2021/05

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There's a lot of caricaturing of "anti-racist" work going on these days. The state legislature in Iowa (where I grew up) recently passed a bill banning "divisive concepts" in diversity training, including any suggestion that racism is fundamental to our history or society. Idaho, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have passed similar laws targeting anti-racist teaching, with other states poised to follow suit. Parent organizations and politicians around the country are mobilizing against an imagined version of "critical race theory," convinced that anti-racism trainings or K-12 activities vilify white people and teach that "one race or sex is inherently superior to another." These anxieties are replicating nationwide-probably in a community near you.

Are you an educator getting pushback from white critics for what you thought was basic education effort that helped everyone? I'm in your corner. You can tell folks with confidence: Anti-racism trainings and other learning efforts in workplaces or schools actually are designed to teach people that no "race" is superior to another. They don't say white people are inferior. They simply say we're not superior.

You can tell folks: Anti-racist efforts factually explain how the myth that white people are superior is baked into American history (and opportunity patterns and media and curriculum and daily behavior) and still shapes unequal opportunities to learn and feel welcome in schools today. Anti-racism helps us proactively treat all human beings as equally valuable.

In my own books and tools for teachers, I've worked hard to show how throughout U.S. history, "white people" (a social category built on a biological fiction) really have gained disproportionate privilege, wealth, and opportunity from societal racism. I've taught lots of young people these facts, too.

Kids get it: Anti-racism is about leveling the playing field of opportunity, dismantling opportunity barriers, benefiting from the rich diversity of all communities, and treating all people humanely.

It's a pro-human lens.

That's why we can tell critics that anti-racism isn't cruel or divisive or "hateful" or "reverse racist" at all, but a collective investment in an improved society. Through this pro-human lens, white people too can see that the overpolicing killing Black and brown human beings is a human rights problem. We can see that to limit opportunity access for people of color robs the entire shared community of talent and contribution. We can see that if lots more kids get prepped to help cure diseases and innovate improvements to our shared communities, nation, and globe, all our kids get to live in a better society.

When other kids stay healthier, my child stays healthier. When I experienced a major health emergency, my kids were quite clear how my diverse medical team helped me literally to survive. And crucially, improving schools to support children of color better-to enrich curriculum, ensure challenge, include everyone-actually makes schools better for all.

Anti-racism is not some zero-sum game of "us" vs. "them." It's a collective investment in the human "us."

When critics balk at the term "white supremacy," I simply remind them that tackling "white supremacy" means critiquing two basic things: 1) the old fiction that "white people" are a "superior" type of person, and 2) centuries of disproportionate opportunity ("white privilege" or "white advantage") organized around that fiction.

Our history curriculum has denied many of us this foundational information. So, in my own anti-racist workshops and books for educators, we go matter-of-factly through these facts. We all need to learn about how Europeans and European Americans used the idea of races to justify slavery and colonialism. Genetically, there are no "racial" subgroups to the human species. European-Americans used the made-up category "white" to legally denote a "type of person" who could get paid for labor and not be enslaved.

( They also wanted poor "whites" to focus on celebrating their new status over "Blacks" instead of seeking better wages from rich white people. This is one major way that racism hurts white people too.)

As European Americans gained legal advantages as "whites"-such as the right to immigrate and become citizens, earn wages, vote, own land, and more-they then wrote more laws to keep those advantages. Laws kept racial categories central to who got which opportunities, creating race-class inequalities of disproportionate white wealth and privilege still with us today. Meanwhile, pseudoscience and media supported false ideas about "white people's" superiority to justify racially unequal distributions of opportunity, bolstering harmful and false ideas about ranked "races" that remain with us today.

This is just accurate history. Shouldn't we learn it? I know lots of white kids who aren't threatened to learn it; they're energized. As adults, we should be just as energized.

Basic history teaching and critical race theory are now being targeted (and distorted) in a strikingly coordinated fashion across the country. You can tell critics that such crucial anti-racist learning about systemic racism shows how unequal opportunity patterns are pervasive in our society, history, and laws. Anti-racist learning about implicit bias helps us see how harmful and false ideas are also buried in our daily interactions, often unintentionally.

In my own professional-development efforts, I focus on how racism is still present in schools in any act or situation that (even unwittingly) treats people of color as less worthy or less complex than white people, or accepts race-class inequalities in opportunity. You can tell folks that anti-racist efforts actually assume participants are good people, by asking: Don't you too want opportunity barriers eliminated for all?

When I do anti-racist work in schools, I say explicitly that anti-racism means supporting the full human talent development of every child and all groups of children-and pursuing a future where all of us can thrive. Making more opportunities to go around, making more for students least connected to the opportunities that exist, and investing in the future of all children makes our whole community a better place to live.

You can ask folks: Don't you agree?

Finally, you can say that racism hurts white people because it prevents us from uniting with fellow human beings against common foes like public health threats or limited wages or threats to our shared democracy.

So feel confident when you say it: Anti-racist teaching is not racism, partisanship, or propaganda. Martin Luther King Jr. put it simply: Pursuing anti-racism is just trying to "make America what it ought to be."

All Americans should join this work, not censor it.

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No, It Isn't Racist to Teach Anti-Racism (Opinion)

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There's a lot of caricaturing of "anti-racist" work going on these days. The state legislature in Iowa (where I grew up) recently passed a bill banning "divisive concepts" in diversity training, including any suggestion that racism is fundamental to our history or society.

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https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-antiracism-really-means-for-educators

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"If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you do not see." -James Baldwin

Anti-racist work in all schools is essential. It is the exercise of hope, the practice of undoing and dismantling systems of oppression, the practice of freedom and of truth-telling. Anti-racist work is the practice of healing and of restoring; it is a practice of love.

We live in a time where it is increasingly clear that Black lives are deeply undervalued and violently treated. And as the words anti-racist and equity become dangerously trendy, educators should pause and grapple with what they truly mean.

It is important that we have a shared understanding of what anti-racism in schools looks like, that we have an understanding of what it is not, and that we embrace the understanding that anti-racist work is never completely finished, nor does it always look the same. I hope, however, we may begin to think about anti-racist work in schools in ways that are holistic and practical.

Anti-racist educators believe in love.

Many educators operate from the premise that they love their students. In fact, many harmful and violent teachers operate from a place of "love." But anti-racist educators understand that love and silence are deeply contradictory. The love that underpins our practice is not the form of love often associated with passivity and inaction. For anti-racist educators, love is action. Love is sharp. Love is truth-telling. Love is fighting for what it is right. Love is doing what is right.

Anti-racist educators, particularly those who teach Black students, understand that part of the act of love is understanding what this country has intentionally done-and continues to do-to Black bodies. It is love that compels our practices.

Anti-racist educators understand that, in love, they must never be silent. Ever. Anti-racist educators understand that their positions as teachers, leaders, policymakers and social workers are positions of great privilege and power, and that they have the ability to leave this world better than they found it.

Anti-racist educators study and are committed to deepening their critical consciousness.

Anti-racist educators understand that they must be lifelong learners. They believe in the power of developing a critical consciousness, which comes from reading, from studying, from deep scholarship, from humility, from listening to and engaging with others, and from constantly examining and re-examining their own ideas, beliefs and truths.

Educators who are seeking to be anti-racist must understand the nuanced, complex, deliberate design of racism in the United States and across the diaspora. Educators in the United States who are seeking to be anti-racist have to acknowledge and recognize that this country was built upon racist principles. They must be willing to commit to a lifestyle of studying what racism looks like in all its forms.

This means that we have to know how to identify racism; how racism is carried out and built in systems and structures; how people hold, sustain, maintain and perpetuate racism; and how people of color can internalize racism.

Anti-racist educators know and continue to seek out the names of those who are never called upon and the work that is hardly ever revered. They recognize that we should study more deeply the tactics of the Black Panther Party and the Freedom Schools. Dr. Gholdy Muhammad is a true leader and scholar-warrior in this regard, as her work focuses on the ways the Black Literary Societies of the early 1800s operated and creates a framework for how we should be using the power of literacy to teach and empower Black students.

Anti-racist educators believe in the intellectual power of teaching. They believe they have to honor the practice and take teaching very, very seriously because they know and understand how schools have been used either to oppress or to liberate.

Anti-racist educators move away from checklists and embrace a holistic approach.

Anti-racist education and anti-racist schooling cannot be packaged or prescribed, arranged into a checklist, rubric or formula. Anti-racist educators understand that anti-racist work begins with the self. They begin by grappling with their beliefs, mindsets, philosophies and biases about the world, education and their students. They work to become conscious of the intentional, multiple ways schools mirror society and how all aspects of school systems are designed to uphold the oppressive aims of the society in which they operate.

Anti-racist educators recognize that schools are doing exactly what they were built to do in this country: Exclude. Silence. Erase. Promote white supremacy. They recognize, therefore, that upending racism in schools will end schooling practices as we have come to know them.

To think about all of the parts of schooling, not just the classroom, anti-racist educators take a holistic approach and consider many dimensions of schooling through an anti-racist, anti-oppressive lens. These dimensions include:

The demographics of staff, particularly in schools with predominantly BIPOC students

School leadership and paths to school leadership

School governance (e.g., network and district leadership)

School curriculum

Special education

Teaching and learning practices

Definitions and measurements of academic success

Definitions and measurements of teacher success

Professional development

New-teacher training and support

The wellness of teachers, staff and students

School mission and vision statements

School, network and district policies

School culture and approaches to discipline

School infrastructure

Allocation of resources and budget

It is important we recognize this list is not exhaustive. In order to be anti- racist educators, we must be steadfast and consistent and consider all aspects of schooling.

We have to commit to continuously evolving, pushing back, studying, engaging in critical discourse with others, examining what is happening in our minds and bodies, and listening to students. Anti-racist educators understand that an anti-racist approach to schooling could very well mean an ending to schools as we know them. They understand this is how we begin to get free.

Anti-racism is healing and love in action.

The work of anti-racism in schools is incomplete without an understanding of the integral role that healing must play in the practices of freedom. Healers are people who remove harm and reduce the impact of violence, people who restore and repair.

The greatest of healers consider the whole person and seek to get to the heart of the matter. Anti-racist educators understand that all forms of oppression are connected, that it is not possible to care about racism and disregard the violence in sexism, classism, homophobia and more. The hearts of anti-racist advocates push us to be concerned for all violations of human rights.

The ways that we as educators must care for ourselves and create educational spaces that center healing our students' bodies is crucial. We must create educational spaces that tend to the harm and violence that has been enacted against BIPOC bodies and minds-specifically those of our children. Anti-racist educators recognize that this is the work of undoing, of dismantling, of liberating, of healing and of truth-telling. This is our collective work.

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What Anti-racism Really Means for Educators

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As anti-racism becomes a popular goal for schools across the nation, this TT advisory board member considers what it really means to be an anti-racist educator.