White supremacy is baked in to the very fabric of educational spaces. I’ve been reading a lot of the literature about anti-racist teacher education and I found an article I really love/wanted to share.⠀
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Here is the PDF so you can access it easily if you’re interested.⠀
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The author asks two questions – (1) How might employing discomfort as pedagogy puncture the dominance of White supremacy in teacher education? (2) What are the affordances of this pedagogy as a radical approach to the social justice-oriented education of White preservice teachers?⠀
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So good, right? I’ve read and reread this.⠀
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The author walks us through discomfort as a pedagogy, about the unease of her students, of the pervasive politeness in their group discourse. This is how whiteness works. The students were able to say that it was uncomfortable, they were fearful, there was anxiety about the process, the safety of the room, fear of slipping up, making a mistake. These are also indicators of whiteness at work.⠀
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We white folx need critical friends and thought partners in this work. I am so fortunate to have several – some I’ve developed here! I’m happy and honored to be that for you if you need it. Just remember that the tugging and tearing the seams of white supremacy is the work of each and every one of us.⠀
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How did you tug and tear at the seams today?⠀