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We get so used to doing things a certain way because we have always done it that way. This book has made very clear that so many of the systems we use are cisgender, white driven. I am embarrassed as a white person that I have been oblivious to these constructs for so long. When you see it you can't un-see it.

As for going forward in my classroom, I want to involve students more in the day to day decisions, and give them time to let lessons and learning sink in, not rushing their understanding.

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"School is the world. And we must take it on."

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"School is the world. And we must take it on."

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There was a lot to reflect on with the culture of white domination in this section. So much. In school, perfectionism, who is rewarded, who has access... "not wasting time," "finishing work now," and "keeping up the pace" are often issues I hear about as a psych paired along with "processing" issues and work habits. Are we focusing enough on the process of learning or the mastery of skills? How do we create spaces to foster that love of learning as we've talked about in other groups? How do we make meaningful change in our classrooms, schools, communities, and at the policy level? As Jewell said, "I'm still working on deconstructing the ways in which White domination exists within me. It's not easy to resist and unlearn the things that seem so 'normal' and typical." I'm still learning and growing and changing and unlearning.

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Does the middle school track teams? Would a program like AIS be considered tracking? What about Freshman Academy? How do we resolve these systematic underpinnings?

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In thinking about the college chapters, I realize that these inequities and harm persist in today's classrooms. Jewell writes, "The professors, the ones with the most power in those college classrooms, should never have opened up the space for such harm." She writes this in response to white speakers and white responses to micro and macroaggressions. Today, who is causing harm? How to we call out or call in those who cause harm?

My personal experience with college revolved around doing well. I knew I needed good grades and I never questioned why. I blindly followed the reward and punishment culture and the trap of the system.

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I really could really relate to what was talked about on the bottom of page 191. Tiffany talks about not being taught to be critically conscious or the oppressive systems. We are just taught the "facts" and kind of just take it from there.

As a teacher, I want to do better than that. I want to have my kids ask questions and feel comfortable enough to do that. I know in college, I hardly ever spoke up and just took the information that my professor said as true.

One of my favorite teachers in high school, he taught history. I don't remember what we were debating, but we were and I would not let up. At the end of class, I heard him call "Connell," I thought I was getting in trouble, and he threw a lollipop at me. He said, "way to hold your ground." That has really stuck with me. I have brought that into my teaching, by debating with my kids the other side of an argument (even if I don't believe it), just to help build that critical thinking piece.

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The chapter "What I learned during my last year of college" made me wish that I could revisit my college classes...knowing what I know now! I think I had one professor in college that was black. College aged me would NEVER have spoken out in class when harmful things were said by either classmates OR professors. Today's me would, without a doubt, be more aware of racist, harmful ideas and would speak up, even if the professors became uncomfortable! Makes me wonder what I missed then that I would now be very aware of!

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Sooo much stuff, so little time (again)!

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Sooo much stuff, so little time (again)!

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Every week I realize there is just so much to discuss with this book! I hope everyone participating is okay with the fact that we're not sharing a ton of strategies to use with our students this year - the focus is really more on growing our own knowledge and shitfing our lens to be more inclusive.

The more I learn, the more I have to learn.

The entire last chapter, "The Culture of White Domination in Schools," is written all over in my book. Like agressive annotating - stars, double stars, triple stars, exclamation points, circles - its nonstop! Hoping to talk a lot about this chapter at our meeting, especially how white domination shows up in our school spaces. Once we see it, we can start to unlearn and dismantle it!

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I just finished the book.  What really stuck with me in the last reading assignment was the idea that we, as individuals, tend to blame people over institutions.  Page 188 states, “Even when we were studying the history of society through different faiths with a critical lens, it was easier to blame people than whole foundational systems and institutions.  We put individuals and groups of people at fault for oppressive systems rather than owning up to the reality that there are rules and structures that have been at play to cause division and harm for centuries.”  I feel that hits the nail on the head.  As a society, we have been indoctrinated to accept rules and structures that were set forth long ago that are discriminatory and make no sense.  We blindly accept them because that seems to be how the world works.  Society (generally speaking) regularly reminds us of these rules and structures in hopes of perpetuating these thoughts, ideas, and ways of life.  As educators, we must try to break the cycle and thought pattern.

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Tiffany writes that "Black biracial, first-generation college kids who grew up poor weren't supposed to be in colleges like the ones I went to ...unless they were willing to assimilate into the dominant culture".

I was taught in middle school that assimilation was good. The USA was a melting pot (this was taught as a good thing at the time). We are taught to leave behind what makes us different (our cultural, or ethnic identities) so that we can blend into society. Why? I think we are slowly learning to push back and ask questions, to demand to be seen as we are.

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A very eye opening section of the book. So much information given to you. It was crazy for me to think about how they maintained a certain percentage of people based on race. I thought that all schools went based on where you lived.

I also thought the chapter about students' rights was interesting. I would definitely not have stood up to authority in high school, but I also wasn't aware of my rights as a student. I think those rights should be more accessible to students, so they know what schools can and can't do.

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This was brought up in a lot of peoples reflections, but track was something I had never heard of before reading this chapter. It was crazy to me that this happens and is something that still goes on.

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I have many jumbled thoughts about this week’s readings. First, it was very eye-opening.  Looking back, I realize there was a lot that I was unaware of during my middle/high school years, partially because I was a teenager and had very different priorities.  But also because I did not face the same challenges in my educational environment.  During our first week, we discussed where we grew up.  I grew up in a small suburban town east of Syracuse.  It was so “un”diverse that many of the struggles explained in these chapters were nonexistent.  Believe it or not, my hometown’s name is Whitesboro.  The name says it all.  The town made national news and was featured in multiple satirical news/comedy shows due to controversy over its name and town motto (I have linked two stories below).

There was tracking in my school, but nothing like what I read about in this week’s chapters. It was hard to read about what she, her classmates, and so many others went through (and are still experiencing). I did not live it, so it can be difficult to relate. However, I can acknowledge my ignorance, learn, and try to help make positive changes from now on.

Daily Show with Trevor Noah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSwbG5V5S-8

Late Show with Stephen Colbert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQFvqD-_r9A

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A couple thoughts.......The military recruitment section was disgusting to me, this should be something you can opt into if interested, our schools should not be selling out their students. The student's rights section was important and something that should be revisited yearly at least. The pledge has always bothered me, with the God reference. It seems like one of those things we just do, because we've always done it.

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There are certainly a lot of topics to discuss in this lengthy section related to high school. Too many things to mention in this short note.

I didn't love the weapons search section. The author seemed to go in circles from what I was reading. She was full of rage that they completed the search, then in the next paragraph explained that it was a legally good search. She couldn't believe they were made to go through such a thing, but then described how schools can conduct a search with little to no evidence necessary. It was not a targeted search, it was a blanket search of the whole population regardless of any student attributes.

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It's funny how there are so many systems in our everyday teaching experiences that require/suggest that we track our students. Whether it's for special education purposes, behaviors, mental health, our multi-tiered systems, academic testing, using test results for grouping, etc. We are tracking students sometimes when we don't even realize it. This tracking may not be synonymous with the tracking that the author discussed, but we're using the same universal language and the same grouping strategies. I thought the term tracking was interesting in how it's used throughout education in various ways.

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Reflecting on my middle school, or junior high experience, as it was known in the early eighties, the first commonality with the author was the mention of the long dead famous white guy's plaque in the lobby of the school. In Hudson Falls it was Townsend Harris....

I was also tracked, as we all were, and remember feeling slighted, and not having as many opportunities to learn. And....we didn't have any people of the global majority in my middle school at that time.

What structure is implemented in middle schools now?

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There are so many examples in this section (and really the whole book) of teachers just not listening, caring, hearing, wanting to hear the voice of their students who are trying to racist resistors...the students who showed up tardy (there were several examples of the black and brown students who were late being treated differently than the tardy white students), the idea of teaching slavery next after the Holocaust, the young student standing at her locker questioning why the teacher was also late (I think I love her, lol), the young man giving the business presentation. This is a great reminder for us, as teachers, to work to not allow people to steal the shine from students (as described by David's letter). We need to listen, care, understand and WANT to hear the voices of our students.

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There were a lot of topics covered in this section. With regards to tracking, it was very pointed for Jewell to note that wherever a student ended up when tracked, they are convinced that’s the track where they belong (often for years throughout middle and high school). So much decided at a young age, often 10-11 years old by people with power looking at numbers and scores. How much value and self esteem does that build?

I thought the forced competition discussions were important to cover too. Schools are a microcosm of society…. competitive reflections of our capitalist, individualist,

White-dominated culture. Instead of collaborating, we compete by using test scores and classroom placements. Instead of building communities, we disconnect and value the individual over the group. These themes carry into adulthood as well.

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After reading Lorena's story I thought "Community/Restorative Circles!" It felt like the PE teacher & hallway teacher and Lorena (as well as others in that school/community) had a need to communicate in a safe environment where their concerns could be heard

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"David's Letter" in this section was inspiring and reflective for me. Writing is an undervalued activity in and outside of school. In my middle school counseling sessions, I ask my 8th graders that I've often worked with all three years to write a letter to their 6th grade selves about when they first entered middle school. We brainstorm ideas like fears, triumphs, improvements, changes. Much like David, writing from our future selves to our former selves is an activity that any of us could do... so I did this week. I wrote to my high school self in my journal. It opened up thoughts and memories I hadn't touched upon in my mind for years. What would "future you" say to you now?

Also, I can't believe most of what I read in the military recruitment section or that our info in legally given and obtained through schools. I was college bound from a family of educators who also went to college, so that was always the path I desired. I too got the calls and brochure mailings from the Army but remember politely opting out and never heard again. One branch of the military practically chased a friend (White male) down in the mall once, but again, the talk was about officer positions. Much different.

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The chapter on tracking was so eye opening! I feel like we as adults can all probably remember some way that tracking was used in schools. In elementary school we had two sections of every grade level and I was never in the "smart class". Even within my classroom (not the smart classroom) I was always in the middle reading group and could never seem to get into the higher reading group no matter how much I read outside of school and I LOVED to read and was always reading. I wonder what "data" was used to put me in the classrooms and reading group that I was in. And I was a white child in a predominately white school. Reading about the black and brown students in Tiffany's middle school was horrendous. The many ways that were used to continue segregating the school and classrooms just went on and on...hall monitors only in Team 3, rarely if ever seeing children from the other teams, advanced classes, access to field trips, treatment of child who was late, open ended writing assignments vs fix the mistakes assignments, teachers watching your every move in the doorway vs teachers waiting in the classrooms...wow! So heartbreaking. It reminds me of the discussion from the elementary chapters about how we as teachers could have possibly caused harm more than help. We just have to do better!

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Reading about others' experiences gives me a better worldview of racism, as I grew up in a minimally diverse community. My family was close-knit, but I never really saw my Lebanese family members outside in the community. My grandmother and great-aunt stayed home most of the time. Maybe this was because they spoke little English and felt uncomfortable venturing out. I do not know if they suffered from racist acts against them. My first experience living in a diverse community was in college. I welcomed this new community, and it expanded my understanding of others to a certain extent

. However, again, I did not walk in their shoes and do not know what types of racism they may have suffered.

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I'm loving reading this book and continuing to consider life and schooling from multiple perspectives. I'm taking a lot from the guest authors in the book, as well as Tiffany Jewell. Here's what each person has helped me consider:

Randy Ribay - harm caused by the question, "what are you?"

Amelia - "It's not what was said, it's what wasn't said" - what messages are we sending kids without even realizing it?

Roberto German - discipline - restorative practices

Minh - accurate and diverse representation is important

Emmanuel - the importance of teachers who look like you

James Bird - racism with a smile

There's so much to unpack in this book! I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say this week!

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The different perspectives in the book are imperative in helping me to even begin to understand how others have experienced racism in elementary school. I appreciate the stories- The Hatchet story, The Five Chinese Brothers, it makes complete sense. As a librarian, I need to be hyper aware of making kids feel included- this means sharing diverse books , and not books that exclude.

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I have read other books about racism, all very valuable and necessary. We are so ingrained and conditioned in our own lives and stories that it takes a real effort to open up and learn. Still working on that perspective piece always. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow.

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Have you seen the meme, "How the hell can you be Christian and so full of hate?"

James and his mother unfortunately learned that people aren't always who they appear to be. "Sometimes racism comes at you smiling."

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Amelia's story spoke to me a couple of times. Some children come to school to escape home. They crave the structure, warmth, and kindness that teachers, support staff, and administrators provide for them. For these kids school is a safe place. For Amelia this was not the case. She wrote, "I don't know the exact moment when school taught me to hate myself." She continued to write, "Everything I learned about anti-racism and everything good about my people I learned in my mama's house" School wasn't a safe place for her.

Amelia also wrote that she, "learned through silence that she wouldn't have perfect straight hair."

In her newly released documentary, Simone Biles: Rising, she too talks about her hair and how her critics would focus on how "crunchy" it was rather than her being the most decorated gymnast in history.

It was reported that the gymnastic beauty standard was, "blonde, straight hair." Something Amelia and Simone would never have.

Thinking about then and now, seeing differences and similarities, makes me feel sheltered.

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I really liked the concept of mirroring in books. It made me reflect upon my elementary experience. Most, if not all, of the books I remember reading in elementary school (through high school) had white main characters. As a white female, I could relate to those main characters, but I wonder if that was true for all my classmates. To be honest, most of the books in high school that I remember reading had male main characters.

This also made me think about mirroring in the books that I read to my class. Being more conscious in my book choices and making sure that all of my students are represented in my book choices.

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“Tapes playing in my mind that require dismantling”

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“Tapes playing in my mind that require dismantling”

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Like Lana’s response, I was drawn to the I “harmed more than I helped” section in this chapter. I look back at my early career and my own education, and there are many tapes in my mind where I know I harmed more than helped. I too wish my learning and growth didn’t come at those students’ expenses just as Jewell points out. However, we have to give grace and allow ourselves to be human. I’m using my “mirrors” and “lenses” (hello trauma class) more now to learn and relearn from these interactions and experiences. I reflected a lot in my notebook this week about elementary school experiences and my childhood, and how these early years shaped so much of who I am and where I’ve been. I also feel like I was schooled in this chapter about the concept of magnet schools and history post “desegregation” that you just don’t learn about in school.

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" I harmed her more than I helped her"

This quote makes me reflect on some situations I have had with students demonstrating challenging behaviors. I would like to say that I was at my best for all interactions but I know this is not the case. We really need to check in with ourselves in order to be our best for the students who need us the most. Taking time to pause and understand where these behaviors originate can give us the grace we need to support and help to co-regulate our students. And, when we are less than successful, take time to reflect and try to do better next time.

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Emmanuel's story made me think about how students want to see themselves in their teachers. There is comfort in feeling that you have something in common with the adults you spend so much time with (skin color, ethnicity). I will never forget when I started subbing, I was in a kindergarten class and a little girl climbed into my lap and said "you look like me!" with a big smile on her face. She was adopted from China by a white couple. Children want to feel that they belong and are safe. Having teachers that "look like them" can provide that for some children.

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I am absolutely loving this book so far...I think it is my favorite of our summer book club books so far! This section, to me, was heartbreaking! First, I had no idea that following the desegregation of schools that the NYS Education Dept mandated that black student enrollment should be "no less than 15 percent and no more than 45 percent"...in essence, setting mandate to ensure that schools would never have a majority of black students. The creation of magnet school to entice white families to send their children to these schools was the school districts way of trying to "balance" out the number of white and black students.

In my elementary school, literally just miles away from Tiffany, we had ONE black student in my grade level, and ONE black teacher in the entire elementary school. I did not have her (Dr. Noble was her name) but I vividly remember there was one teacher at every grade level that you DID not want, and Dr. Noble was the one you did not want in 4th grade! I have no idea why...could be because she was black. After elementary school I did not recall any other black teachers in my school other than Dr. Noble k-12.

The Roberto chapter had me reflecting on everything that OI learned in the trauma class and how building relationships with our students is so important. He went from one nightmare at home to another at school...I so wished that his teacher knew what was going on at home to help him, rather than punish him! And Emmanuel's story made me cry!

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The author brought up some statistics regarding the race of school teachers (about 79% of teachers in the US identify as white). Thinking back to my own K-12 schooling and my years as a teacher, that number is closer to 99% white in my own personal experience. Are these numbers different depending on urban/rural/suburban settings? Different by city? County? State? I'm wondering what people in our group have experienced in relation to this issue.

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Hatchet is one of my all-time favorite books. Once I read the title of the chapter on Hatchet, I went into an immediate panic that the author was going to diminish the story in some way or somehow find a way to bring race into it. I was relieved that she was mostly referencing the fact that she couldn't relate to the character. While she mentioned Brian as being white, it was again in regard to her ability to relate to the situation that Brian found himself in. I think that we've improved a great deal in the inclusion of a greater variety of texts in our classrooms and while I completely agree that our books need to have diverse characters and settings, I think there will always be room for Hatchet as well.

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I think someone mentioned this in the first class, but this book is a super easy read. For some reason, I remember having difficulty getting through some of the parts of the book last summer. It seemed to drag on at different points and was just hard to read in its entirety. Through both assignments that we have been given thus far, I've been able to quickly get through them. A good choice by our esteemed book club representatives!

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“This book is an unpacking and a processing and a trying to make sense of the world…”

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“This book is an unpacking and a processing and a trying to make sense of the world…”

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My fourth or fifth year doing book club, and yet again Jewell dives in and takes me with her. The stories and experiences shared are so relatable, even though our identities are different (see also: how did I survive middle and high school without my precious public school issued agenda? My school life in a “cheap little laminated spiral-bound book.” So on point!) I think of myself teetering now between the learning zone and the growth zone when becoming anti racist, depending on context, comfort, relationships, and a host of other things. I’ve never been asked the question, “What are you?” as one writer shared. I have been on the sidelines in school when the one Asian student in my class of 60 students at a rural almost all white school was asked this question, though. When others called that student by different nationalities than their own, used racist names, used micro but more often macroaggressions blatantly. I got that yucky feeling but never said anything or stopped it. I spent a lot of time in the opening of this book reflecting on what that student’s experience must’ve been like when we went to school in the 90s. If I knew then what I know now, what and how would I put myself in the growth zone?