Читать книгу Leading Equity - Sheldon L. Eakins - Страница 37

When we can become more aware of our biases, we can start to improve upon our interactions with others. We can decrease our sense of discomfort, interact with social groups different than our traditional groups, and ultimately make better decisions. Moreover, I know, as a person of color, it's easy for me to say this because I'm used to being the minority in just about every setting in which I participate. I mean, I live in Idaho. However, if you're a white educator addressing issues of racial implicit bias and prejudice, it may be a little difficult because of your fear of being accused of being racist.

Understand that we all have biases and being racially biased does not make you racist. It simply could be a matter of unfamiliarity with groups outside your day-to-day social settings no matter what racial or ethnic background with which you identify. I challenge you to develop authentic relationships with individuals who are different than you. Yes, it's important for your students to see you take more interest in their backgrounds, but also the relationships that we've formed outside the classroom can have an impact on implicit bias. Developing relationships with individuals outside your social and group circle may help decrease your prejudices and alter your view of negative stereotypes. Additionally, getting to know other cultures, especially the cultures of your school's community, helps you become more receptive to the diverse students in your classroom.