So, a few years ago, I was beginning a new unit on race with my fourth-graders. And whenever we start a new unit, I like to begin by having all the students list everything they know about it, and then we also list questions we have. And I had the type of moment that every teacher has nightmares about. One of my students had just asked the question, "Why are some people racist?" And another student, let's call her Abby, had just raised her hand and volunteered: "Maybe some people don't like black people because their skin is the color of poop." Yeah, I know.
Pre nekoliko godina započinjala sam novu lekciju sa svojim đacima četvrtog razreda. Kad god započnemo novu lekciju, volim da krenem tako što učenici navedu sve što znaju o toj temi, a potom i zabeležimo koja pitanja imaju. Desio mi se trenutak koji je košmar svakog učitelja. Jedan od mojih učenika je postavio pitanje: „Zašto su neki ljudi rasisti?“ A druga učenica, zvaćemo je Abi, podigla je ruku i ponudila odgovor: „Možda neki ljudi ne vole crnce jer je njihova koža boje kake.“ Da, znam.
So, as if on cue, my entire class exploded. Half of them immediately started laughing, and the other half started yelling at Abby and shouting things like, "Oh, my God, you can't say that, that's racist!" So just take a second to freeze this scene in your mind. There's a class of nine- and ten-year-olds, and half of them are in hysterics because they think Abby has said something wildly funny, and the other half are yelling at her for saying something offensive. And then you have Abby, sitting there completely bewildered because, in her mind, she doesn't understand the weight of what she said and why everybody is reacting this way. And then you have me, the teacher, standing there in the corner, like, about to have a panic attack.
U tom času je čitav razred eksplodirao. Polovina njih je odmah počela da se smeje, a druga polovina je počela da viče na Abi i da uzvikuje, na primer: „O bože, ne smeš to da govoriš, to je rasistički!“ Hajde, na trenutak zamislite ovu scenu u svojoj glavi. Imate razred dece od devet i 10 godina i polovina njih je upala u histeriju jer misle da je Abi rekla nešto što je nenormalno smešno, a druga polovina viče na nju jer je rekla nešto uvredljivo. A zatim imate Abi koja sedi sasvim zbunjena jer u svojoj glavi ne razume težinu svojih reči i zašto svi tako reaguju. A tu sam i ja, učiteljica koja stoji u ćošku i samo što ne dobije napad panike.
So as a classroom teacher, I have to make split-second decisions all the time. And I knew I needed to react, but how? Consider your fight-or-flight instincts. I could fight by raising my voice and reprimanding her for her words. Or flight -- just change the subject and quickly start reaching for another subject, like anything to get my students' minds off the word "poop." However, as we know, the right thing to do is often not the easy thing to do. And as much as I wanted this moment to be over, and that I knew both of these options would help me escape the situation, I knew that this was far too important of a teachable moment to miss.
Kao učiteljica, stalno moram da donosim brze odluke. Znala sam da moram da reagujem, ali kako? Uzmite u obzir svoje instinkte „bori se ili beži“. Mogla sam da se borim tako što bih povisila ton i izgrdila je zbog njenih reči. Ili da pobegnem - prosto promenim temu i brzo pređem na nešto drugo, bilo šta što bi učenicima skrenulo pažnju sa reči „kaka“. Međutim, kao što znamo, često nije lako uraditi pravu stvar. Koliko god da sam želela da se taj trenutak završi, i znala da bi mi obe opcije pomogle da pobegnem iz situacije, bila sam svesna da je ovaj trenutak previše važan za učenje da bih ga propustila.
So after standing there for what felt like an eternity, I unfroze and I turned to face my class, and I said, "Actually, Abby makes a point." And my students kind of looked at each other, all confused. And I continued, "One reason why racism exists is because people with light skin have looked at people with dark skin and said that their skin was ugly. And even use this reason as an excuse to dehumanize them. And the reason why we're learning about race and racism in the first place is to educate ourselves to know better. And to understand why comments like this are hurtful, and to make sure that people with dark skin are always treated with respect and kindness."
Nakon izvesnog perioda stajanja koji se činio kao večnost, otkočila sam se, okrenula se ka razredu i rekla: „U stvari, ima smisla ono što je rekla Abi.“ Moji učenici su se zbunjeno pogledali međusobno. Nastavila sam: „Jedan od razloga zašto rasizam postoji je taj što su ljudi sa svetlom kožom gledali ljude sa tamnom kožom i rekli da je njihova koža ružna. Čak koriste taj razlog kao izgovor da ih dehumanizuju. A razlog zašto uopšte učimo o rasi i rasizmu je da bismo se obrazovali i da bismo znali da postupamo bolje, da bismo razumeli zašto su ovakvi komentari bolni, i da se postaramo da ljude sa tamnom kožom uvek tretiramo sa poštovanjem i ljubaznošću.“
Now, this was a truly terrifying teachable moment. But as we moved forward in the conversation, I noticed that both Abby and the rest of the kids were still willing to engage. And as I watched the conversation really marinate with my students, I began to wonder how many of my students have assumptions just like Abby. And what happens when those assumptions go unnoticed and unaddressed, as they so often do?
Ovo je bio zaista zastrašujući trenutak za učenje. Ali kako smo nastavili sa razgovorom, primetila sam da su Abi i ostala deca i dalje bila voljna da se uključe. Dok sam posmatrala kako učenici tonu u razgovor, počela sam da se pitam koliko učenika ima pretpostavke kao Abi. Šta se desi kada te pretpostavke prođu neprimećene i nerazrešene, kao što se često dešava?
But first, I think it's important to take a step back and even consider what makes a topic taboo. I don't remember receiving an official list of things you're not supposed to talk about. But I do remember hearing, over and over, growing up: there are two things you do not talk about at family get-togethers. And those two things are religion and politics. And I always thought this was very curious because religion and politics often are such huge influencing factors over so many of our identities and beliefs. But what makes a topic taboo is that feeling of discomfort that arises when these things come up in conversation. But some people are extremely fluent in the language of equity, while other people fear being PC-shamed or that their ignorance will show as soon as they open their mouths. But I believe that the first step towards holding conversations about things like equity is to begin by building a common language. And that actually starts with destigmatizing topics that are typically deemed taboo.
Ali najpre, mislim da je važno da se vratimo unazad i da razmislimo zbog čega je neka tema tabu. Ne sećam da sam dobila zvaničnu listu stvari o kojima ne treba govoriti. Ali se sećam da sam tokom odrastanja uvek iznova slušala da postoje dve stvari o kojima na treba govoriti na porodičnim okupljanjima, a to su religija i politika. Oduvek sam mislila da je to baš čudno jer su religija i politika obično faktori od snažnog uticaja na veliki deo našeg identiteta i uverenja. Ali ono zbog čega je neka tema tabu jeste taj osećaj neprijatnosti kada se ona javi u razgovoru. Ali neki ljudi izuzetno dobro poznaju jezik pravičnosti, dok se drugi boje da će ih posramiti jer nisu politički korektni ili da će se videti njihovo neznanje čim otvore usta. Smatram da je prvi korak ka vođenju razgovora o nečemu kao što je pravičnost početi stvaranjem zajedničkog jezika. To zapravo počinje uklanjanjem stigme sa tema koje se obično smatraju tabuom.
Now, conversations around race, for example, have their own specific language and students need to be fluent in this language in order to have these conversations. Now, schools are often the only place where students can feel free and comfortable to ask questions and make mistakes. But, unfortunately, not all students feel that sense of security.
Razgovori o rasi, na primer, imaju svoj specifičan jezik i potrebno je da učenici poznaju taj jezik kako bi vodili ove razgovore. Škole su često jedino mesto gde se učenici mogu osećati slobodno i opušteno da bi postavljali pitanja i pravili greške. Ali, nažalost, nemaju svi učenici taj osećaj sigurnosti.
Now, I knew that day in front of my fourth-graders that how I chose to respond could actually have life-long implications not only for Abby, but for the rest of the students in my class. If I had brushed her words aside, the rest of the class could actually infer that this type of comment is acceptable. But if I had yelled at Abby and embarrassed her in front of all of her friends, that feeling of shame associated with one of her first conversations on race could actually prevent her from ever engaging on that topic again.
Tog dana sam pred učenicima četvrtog razreda znala da način na koji odaberem da odgovorim može imati životne posledice ne samo za Abi, već i za ostale učenike u mom razredu. Da sam odbacila njene reči, ostatak razreda mogao je da zaključi da je ovaj tip komentara prihvatljiv. Ali da sam vikala na Abi i osramotila je pred svim njenim prijateljima, taj osećaj sramote vezan za jedan od prvih razgovora o rasi mogao bi je sprečiti da se ponovo angažuje u razgovorima na tu temu.
Now, teaching kids about equity in schools is not teaching them what to think. It is about giving them the tools and strategies and language and opportunities to practice how to think. For example, think about how we teach kids how to read. We don't start by giving them books. We start by breaking down words into letters and sounds and we encourage them to practice their fluency by reading every single day, with a partner or with their friends. And we give them lots of comprehension questions to make sure that they're understanding what they're reading. And I believe that teaching kids about equity should be approached in the exact same way.
No, podučavanje dece pravičnosti u školama ne uči ih šta da misle. Ne radi se o tome da im daje sredstva, strategije, jezik i prilike da vežbaju kako da razmišljaju. Na primer, razmislite o tome kako učimo decu da čitaju. Ne počinjemo tako što im damo knjige. Počinjemo tako što rastavimo reči na slova i zvukove i podstičemo ih da vežbaju znanje svakodnevnim čitanjem, sa partnerom ili sa prijateljima. Postavljamo im mnoga pitanja vezana za razumevanje da bismo se uverili da razumeju ono šta čitaju. Smatram da podučavanju dece pravičnosti treba pristupiti na potpuno isti način.
I like to start by giving my students a survey every year, about different issues around equity and inclusion. And this is a sample survey from one of my kids, and as you can see, there's some humor in here. For under the question, "What is race?" she has written, "When two or more cars, people and animals run to see who is fastest and who wins." However, if you look at her question, "What is racism?" it says, "When somebody says or calls someone dark-skinned a mean name." So, she's young, but she's showing that she's beginning to understand. And when we act like our students aren't capable of having these conversations, we actually do them such a disservice.
Volim da započnem tako što učenicima zadajem anketu svake godine o različitim pitanjima vezanim za pravičnost i uključivanje. Ovo je primer ankete jednog od moje dece, i kao što vidite, prisutan je humor. Na pitanje: „Šta je rasa?“ odgovorila je „Kada dva ili više automobila, čoveka ili životinje trče da vide ko je najbrži i ko će pobediti.“ Međutim, ako pogledate njen odgovor na pitanje: „Šta je rasizam?“, kaže: „Kada neko ružno govori ili naziva ružnim imenom nekog ko je tamne kože.“ Dakle, mlada je, ali pokazuje da počinje da razume. A kada se ponašamo kao da naši učenici nisu sposobni da vode takve razgovore, zapravo im činimo medveđu uslugu.
Now, I also know that these types of conversations can seem really, really intimidating with our students, especially with young learners. But I have taught first through fifth grades, and I can tell you, for example, that I'm not going to walk into a first-grade classroom and start talking about things like mass incarceration. But even a six-year-old first-grader can understand the difference between what is fair -- people getting what they need. We identified a lot of these things in class together. And the difference between fair and equal -- when everybody gets the same thing, especially goody bags at birthday parties. Now, first-graders can also understand the difference between a punishment and a consequence. And all of these things are foundational concepts that anyone needs to understand before having a conversation about mass incarceration in the United States.
Takođe znam da ovakvi razgovori našim učenicima mogu delovati veoma zastrašujuće, naročito osnovcima. Ali ja sam predavala od prvog do petog razreda i mogu vam reći, na primer, da neću ući u prvi razred i početi da govorim o stvarima kao što je masovno stavljanje u zatvor. Ali čak i prvak od šest godina može da razume razliku između onog što je pravedno - ljudi dobijaju ono što im treba. Zajedno smo u razredu prepoznali mnogo ovakvih stvari. Razlika između pravednosti i jednakosti - kada svi dobiju isto, pogotovo poklončiće za goste na rođendanskim žurkama. Prvaci obično mogu da razumeju razliku između kazne i posledice. Sve ove stvari su osnovni koncepti koje osoba mora da razume pre nego što uđe u razgovor o masovnom zatvaranju u Sjedinjenim Državama.
Some people might think that kindergarteners or first-graders are too young to have conversations around racism, but also tell you that young kids understand that there are many different components that make up our identities and how people are similar and different, and what it means to have power when other people don't. When we have these conversations with students at a young age, it actually takes away some of that taboo feeling when those topics come up at a later age.
Neki će možda pomisliti da su predškolci i prvaci previše mladi da bi razgovarali o rasizmu, ali će vam takođe reći da tako mala deca razumeju da postoji mnogo različitih komponenti od kojih je sačinjen naš identitet, kako su ljudi slični i različiti i šta znači imati moć kada je drugi ljudi nemaju. Kada vodimo ovakve razgovore sa učenicima mlađeg uzrasta, to zapravo uklanja deo osećaja o tabuu kada te teme iskrsnu na starijim uzrastima.
I also know that teaching about these things in schools can feel like navigating a minefield. For example, what happens if parents or families aren't on board with having these conversations in schools? But to these people, I can say: these are some examples of things that students have said to me and brought to my attention. For example, I had a student come in and whisper to me, "I've heard all these people use the term LGBTQ, but I don't know what it means and I'm too embarrassed to admit it." I had a student come in over a weekend and come up to me and say, "You know, I just watched this movie about Australia, and it made me wonder if they have racism there, too." And I always want my students to be comfortable having these conversations because when they're comfortable talking about it and asking questions, they also build comfort in bringing in their own lives and experiences in how they relate to these big topics.
Takođe znam da podučavanje ovim stvarima u školama može delovati kao šetnja kroz minsko polje. Na primer, šta se dešava kada se roditelji ili porodice ne slažu da takve razgovore treba voditi u školama? Ali tim ljudima mogu reći da postoje primeri stvari koje su mi učenici rekli i koje su mi stavili do znanja. Na primer, jedan učenik je došao i šapnuo mi: „Čuo sam da mnogi ljudi koriste termin LGBTQ, ali ne znam šta to znači i previše me je sramota da priznam.“ Jedan učenik je došao preko vikenda, prišao mi i rekao: „Znate, upravo sam gledao film o Australiji i zapitao sam se da li i tamo postoji rasizam.“ Uvek želim da mojim učenicima bude ugodno da vode ove razgovore, jer kada im je ugodno da govore o tome i postavljaju pitanja, takođe im postaje prijatnije da iznesu svoje životne priče i iskustva u smislu toga u kakvom su odnosu sa ovim velikim temama.
Also, some teachers might be kind of nervous if a student brings up a topic or asks a question and they don't know the answer to it. But if a student ever brings something to my attention and I don't know the answer, I will always admit it and own it because I'm not going to pretend to be an expert in something that I don't have experience in or I'm not an authority on. That same year, I had a student come in and ask a question about the LGBTQ community. And I just didn't know enough to give them an appropriate answer. So instead, I encouraged that student to reach out and ask that question to a representative of a nonprofit who had come to speak to our class about that very same issue. When we admit to our students that we don't have all the answers, not only does it humanize us to them, it also shows them that adults have a long way to go, too, when it comes to learning about issues of equity.
Takođe, neki učitelji se mogu unervoziti ako učenik iznese temu ili postavi pitanje, a oni ne znaju odgovor na njega. Ali ako učenik nekada iznese nešto pred mene a ja ne znam odgovor, uvek to priznam i prihvatim, jer se neću pretvarati da sam stručnjak za nešto u čemu nemam iskustvo ili autoritet. Iste te godine, učenik je došao i postavio pitanje o zajednici LGBTQ, a ja jednostavno nisam dovoljno znala da bih dala odgovarajući odgovor. Tako da sam umesto toga podstakla tog učenika da uspostavi kontakt i postavi pitanje predstavnici neprofitne organizacije koja je došla da govori našem razredu upravo o tom problemu. Kada priznamo svojim učenicima da nemamo sve odgovore, ne samo da nam to pred njima pripisuje ljudskost, već im takođe pokazuje da i odrasli treba da pređu dug put kada se radi o učenju o temama pravičnosti.
Now, a little while back, I wrote a lesson about consent. And, to some people, this was very exciting because I took this topic that seemed very taboo and scary and I broke it down into a way that was accessible for young learners. However, to other people, the idea of consent is so strongly tied to sex, and sex is often considered a taboo subject, that it made them very uncomfortable. But my students are third-graders, so we're not talking about sex in class. Rather, I wanted them to understand that everybody has different physical boundaries that make them feel comfortable. And the social and emotional intelligence it takes to read somebody's words and tone and body language are skills that often need to be explicitly taught, the same way we teach things like reading and math. And this lesson is not reserved for students of one single demographic. Things like questioning and making observations and critical thinking are things that any student of any race or ethnicity or background or language or income or zip code should be learning in schools.
Nedavno sam napisala lekciju o saglasnosti. Za neke ljude je to bilo vrlo uzbudljivo jer sam uzela tu temu, koja je delovala kao tabu i zastrašujuće, i razložila je na način koji je bio pristupačan za osnovce. Međutim, za druge ljude, ideja o saglasnosti je snažno vezana za seks, a seks se često smatra tabu temom, pa im je zbog toga bilo vrlo neprijatno. Ali moji učenici su trećaci, pa mi ne govorimo o seksu na časovima. Umesto toga, htela sam da shvate da svako ima različite fizičke granice sa kojima im je ugodno. Društvena i emocionalna inteligencija koja je potrebna da bi se protumačile nečije reči, ton i jezik tela su veštine koje često treba eksplicitno podučavati, isto kao što učimo stvari kao što su čitanje i matematika. Ova lekcija nije rezervisana za učenike samo jednog dela populacije. Stvari poput preispitivanja, primećivanja i kritičkog promišljanja su nešto što svi učenici, bilo koje rase, etničke pripadnosti, porekla, jezika, prihoda i mesta boravka treba da uče u školama.
Also, deliberate avoidance of these conversations speaks volumes to our students because kids notice when their teachers, when their textbooks leave out the voices and experiences of people like women or people of color. Silence speaks volumes.
Takođe, namerno izbegavanje ovih tema mnogo toga govori našim učenicima jer deca primećuju kada njihovi učitelji i udžbenici izostavljaju mišljenja i iskustva ljudi kao što su žene ili ljudi obojene kože. Tišina mnogo govori.
I recently asked my class of third-graders what they would say to adults who think they're too young to learn about issues of equity. And while this is a small sample of my 25 students, all of them agreed that not only are they capable of having these conversations, but they view it, the right to learn it, as a right and not as a privilege. And, in their words: "We're big enough to know about these things because these problems are happening where we live. And we have the right to talk about them because it will be our life in the future."
Nedavno sam upitala razred trećaka šta bi rekli odraslima koji misle da su oni previše mladi da bi učili o problemima pravičnosti. Mada je u pitanju mali uzorak od mojih 25 učenika, svi su se složili da ne samo da su sposobni da vode ove razgovore, već učenje o tome vide kao pravo, a ne privilegiju. Njihovim rečima: „Dovoljno smo veliki da znamo za ove stvari jer se ti problemi dešavaju tamo gde mi živimo. Imamo pravo da govorimo o njima jer će to biti naš život u budućnosti.“
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)