Unteach Racism

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
What is the most important thing in the world?  It is the people, it is the people, it is the people. Maori Proverb.

Ubuntu

Dis is die mense

It is the people

I appreciated that the teacher's council does not see this program as criticism indicating that somebody has done something wrong or right. But rather helping us to accept where we are as a country with regards to racism, and triggering a starting point to unteach racism. 

This statement by Takunda Muzondiwa from Mount Albert Grammar School hit a chord in my heart. 

"At the age of 7, my family immigrates from Zimbabwe to Aotearoa. I pass through Customs but my culture is made to stay behind. In the classroom, I am afraid my tongue beats back to its African rhythm, is concussed by fear, or has all its memories obscured by amnesia. Yesterday I was an African, today I am lost."

My journey will consist of 3 stages: 

Identity

Confront

Dismantle

Racism is taught, you are not born a racist. It can be unlearned. And one might think you are not a racist, however, you could be implicit bias. Treating students differently than others for different reasons e.g. they might not be able to do the work, or based on where they are from. The question is how am I bias? I did the Implicit test. Not what I expected. I am taking a hard look at how my implicit bias will influence my learners. Our roots are deep. Racism is taught through many, many generations. But we have the choice to slow this taniwha down.

Here are some suggestions of what we can do:

• If Māori children are to achieve, it is crucial for teachers to lift their expectations of students and treat all students as having the same potential for achievement
• Check resources used - stereotyped?
• Having safe and productive conversations with people around me
• Start a conversation with colleagues using Tātaiako outcomes of learner and whānau voice to identify whether any learners are privileged over others in your setting.
• Make a list of the things you hope all your learners and their whānau would say about your learning community.
• Identify one activity you could put in place to understand if what you hope they would say is close to reality.
• Start a conversation on Hapori Matatū about what changes can be made in learning environments to agitate for equity
• create learning environments that promote access to equitable outcomes for all our learners.

What will I do first?

1. I will focus on lifting my expectations of my students and treat them all as having the same potention.
2. I will double check the resources that I use, that they represent my students and not the white privileged community. 
3. Have a conversation with my colleages and make a list that we would like our learners and whanau to say about our learning community.