Teachers are often White women whose own educational and life experiences are considerably different from the students in urban schools, and teacher education may not include developing skills that prepare them for racial and cultural diversity (Wiggins, Follo, & Eberly, 2007).
Cited from Yull, Blitz, Thompson & Murray, 2014, pg. 13
I read this particular quote, as I have read many others of a similar nature, and I just feel so crushed. I am a White woman whose personal and educational background, in many ways, should “disqualify” me from being able to educate brown children. I didn’t grow up in an urban community and my parents admittedly sheltered me from any diversity they could. “On paper”, so to speak, I have no reason to possess any skills that empower me to teach children from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds. However, somewhere along the way, I learned great lessons about the power of perspective. One’s perspective about race, culture, diversity, or any other “hot topics” can be liberating, but it can also be incredibly detrimental, especially to the well-being of brown children growing up in this nation. Throughout these lessons on life, I also learned the power of white privilege and that it undoubtedly always prevails, but I learned it doesn’t always have to be evil. The first step is acknowledging that I, as a White woman, have white privilege. From there, it is a simple choice of what I choose to do with that power…and with it I choose to shift perspectives. I believe in the capabilities of brown children. I believe in dismantling a deficit narrative about said children. I believe I have a role in developing the skills of my White peers to better serve these students, too. But I am afraid. Sometimes I’m afraid that I’m alone in this fight and that people that look like me really don’t get it. I’m afraid that my profession is never going to revamp itself so it can better attract the kinds of teachers that students of this nation really need. I’m afraid, but my life work is dedicated to shifting perspectives of people that look like me in order to use their power of white privilege for the greater and common good. With these shifted perspectives and the strength of inclusive and diverse communities, I believe we can empower brown children to change the power dynamics that exist so their children can grow up in a world much different than the one I experienced.
Hiya Morgan,
Fellow White woman here, and I gotta say, your post’s title definitely caught my attention. Similar to you, I did not grow up in an urban community or attend urban public schools, and I was also not exposed to very much diversity until undergrad, so I feel like I can really relate to what you are saying.
Your point about perspectives is interesting. I grew up with a family that always proclaimed (and still do) that White privilege does not actually exist and that racism is dead. I love my family to bits, but this was the (pretty inaccurate and messed up) perspective that I was most exposed to growing up, and unlearning these ideas over the past 6 years or so has been quite the journey. As a White woman who “on paper” probably has no business educating children of color, as you mentioned, I know I still have a lot more to learn moving forward. But like you said, perspective is everything, and I think we need to understand a perspective that we wish to fight against. =I understand why some people believe that White privilege because I grew up hearing this point of view justified over and over. Understanding why some people believe this can help us explain to them and show them the realities that they likely have not been exposed to yet. As you said, we can (at least attempt to) shift certain perspectives.
Using White privilege “for good” was something I was told to do as well. But I also think it’s a slippery slope, lest we fall into that whole “savior complex” thing. I guess I don’t completely know how to use White privilege as a tool to move towards eliminating social injustice and race-based bias without seeming hypocritical or like the well-intentioned but kind of ridiculous “savior” that nobody asked for.
Thanks for sharing! This post really got me thinking about perspective, White privilege, and my own identity as a White woman 🙂
I can relate to a lot of your anxieties and concerns here. I also grew up very sheltered in an almost entirely white suburban small town. I agree with the significant responsibility we have to use our power to help and educate people, as well as listen to people’s concerns. I always try my best to listen to what other people tell me about how I can help by using my privilege, and I’m often even told that listening is crucial. Though we still have a long way to go as a society, I’m glad to see a slow progression in which we grow more aware of our privilege and how we can use it for good. It’s important for people to spread information as far as we can so that we’re able to reach people in other areas too, such as the ones we grew up in.
Wow! I love your reflections. Remember Jay’s class when he gave stats about the percentage of white women teachers in NYC and the percentage of black boys with IEPs? You reminded me of his scary conclusion: “White women teachers cannot deal with black boys in their classrooms”.