A Social Justice Newsletter for Educators

“What is it to lose something, and how do we explore that? And can we create dignity around the idea of somebody losing something, even if the thing being lost is not something that we wish to dignify? And to me, that’s very interesting because it’s a fundamental question that we face as human society today.” – Mohsin Hamid in conversation with Ezra Klein*

Check-in first

Greetings, friends!

The longer I work on this project, the longer I wonder, when has the world not been on fire? As crisis has become our norm on several levels, how have we adapted? To be sure we can observe logical responses of varying magnitudes including numbing, heightened anxiety and depression, rage, helplessness, perpetual activity, social withdrawal or pronounced activism. All of these and more belong to the possible and expected. Yes, and. There we are in our classrooms, in our institutions, with our colleagues and students pursuing educational goals in so many ways.

Hats off!

Also, step back for a moment. How are you doing? Literally and figuratively. What’s keeping you afloat, in the game, on the path, away from the brink? I want to also ask what is keeping you up at night? Whom do you trust enough to share that with?

As many of our governments retreat from formal measures to reduce the spread of the virus or to soften the blows of rampant inflation, many of us and our loved ones are forced to rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers and family. It feels unethical to send out this missive without acknowledging that many of us still and again find ourselves wedged between more than one rock and a hard place. How can we normalize authentically checking-in with each before getting down to business?

Let’s Shake Up Our Default Settings

While deciding what to share this month (always at the 11th hour), I had occasion to consider my overall purpose with this project. In a nutshell, it comes down to this:

I want to help us think – more critically, deeply and widely.

To that end I ask us to check our pedagogical default settings. What are the fundamental beliefs that animate our choices in the classroom and elsewhere in the school community? How readily are we engaging with materials and voices that challenge our long held assumptions about teaching and understanding students?

At my school we’ve just completed intensive training in the basics of Universal Design for Learning, an approach that asks us to design approaches that actively reduce barriers to learning. One aspect I notice here is how text-heavy and image poor this newsletter is. That’s something to work on and improve.

These curated readings invite us to wrestle with our working assumptions. Each article provides a substantial dive into the subject matter, particularly if you follow the links given. That said, I have found the positions offered to be well researched, thoughtfully presented and critically aware of counterarguments. For each article, I share a quote and a brief summary that I hope will encourage you to read on.

Please, dig in!

Cracks In The Foundation by UDL Guidelines author, David Rose

“The lesson is simple: It is not possible to adequately address the barriers of ability without also addressing the barriers of identity, and vice versa. And that is also true of the barriers that emanate from institutions and communities. The next stage of the UDL Guidelines will require careful (and care-full) attention and remediation at the intersections of ability, identity, institutions, and community. That will inevitably open new cracks. And that is how the light will get in.”

David Rose is a primary figure among scholars who first created the UDL Guidelines. In this long form essay, he revisits his earliest teaching experiences to draw lessons on which to build a stronger awareness of the ways that identity-based discrimination and oppression have gone largely unaddressed by the UDL framework. An excellent read for educators looking for exemplars of applying an anti-bias lens to their own practice.

Legitimacy, power, and aesthetics, in the International Baccalaureate by Alexander Gardner-McTaggart

“Put plainly, the IB does not ‘put its money where its mouth is’. Despite even the corporate caché in charity, it does not subsidise deserving schools or training for teachers form unrepresented demographics or even invest in schools in challenging contexts. The strategic rationality (Habermas 1991) in the organisation accommodates no economic diversity as less well-endowed schools must sacrifice valuable educational resources to compete (Resnik 2020), or go down.”

This research contrasts the espoused curricular and learning values with the specific business practices of the International Baccalaureate Organization and finds a significant disconnect. An important, critical read that pushes us to consider how elite practices and market logics combine to maintain certain forms of inequality.

Queering Sex Ed by Tyler Burgese

“The aim should be for a queering of formal sex education, incorporating all types of sex and sexuality, so those who need it most are not left searching on their own.

To queer something means to look at it in a new way, from a different perspective that interrogates or problematizes it.”

Gotta say, as the parent of an adult and a teen, both male, this reflection on the huge gaps in traditional sex ed related to the erasure of queer lives and experiences took me to task. Previously, I had only tangentially thought about queer perspectives in health and sex education. Tyler Burgese performs a massive public service for all of us who live and work with young people. His follow-up interview with sex educator, Al Vernacchio is also worthy of your time. I also had the pleasure of learning from several colleagues on Twitter about further resources that are publicly available.

• Growth, Development and Sexual Health Resources offered by Christopher Pepper is a literal treasure trove of options!

Why Higher Ed Needs More Leaders With Disabilities by Darla Schumm

“Institutions change when their policies change. Policies become more inclusive and equitable when leaders center justice. What many institutions are discovering is that policy review and revision grounded in principles of disability justice benefits not only people with disabilities, but everyone. Centering disability justice creates opportunities for questioning which bodies—disabled or not—are absent from decision-making spaces.”

Pay attention here because this also applies to other sectors of education. Disability is most frequently left out of conversations around diversity, inclusion and equity. Disabled people comprise the world’s largest minority group according to WHO. How are we creating space to acknowledge disability in our community? Which barriers do we need to remove that prevent disabled folks of all ages from bringing their full selves to school?

As usual, it’s a lot to take in. Like our students we have to make some decisions and prioritize. We will soon enjoy our first break of the school year. I wish us all ample opportunities and occasions to decide in favor of health, well being and joy. Again and again.

Take care and be well,

Sherri

*P.S: I highly recommend listening to or reading the interview between novelist Mohsin Hamid and Ezra Klein (quoted above). Deep meditations on humanity, technology and the dangers of pessimism.