Everyday Antiracism

by Pollock, Mica

• ISBN13: 9781595580542
• ISBN10: 1595580549
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-01
• Publisher: New Press

Summary

How should teachers respond when children ask challenging questions about race? How should teachers handle the use of the "N-word" or discuss "achievement gaps" with colleagues? How can teachers avoid unwittingly making children of color speak on behalf of their entire group? In more than fifty original pieces written especially for this groundbreaking book, Everyday Antiracism offers practical advice for teachers and parents.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Suggestions for Using This Book	p. xiii
Introduction: Defining Everyday Antiracism	p. xvii
Race Categories: We Are All the Same, But Our Lives Are Different	p. 1
Remember That Racial Categories Are Not Biological Realities	p. 3
Exposing Race as an Obsolete Biological Concept	p. 4
No Brain Is Racial	p. 9
Getting Rid of the Word "Caucasian"	p. 12
Get Ready to Talk about a Racialized Society	p. 17
Beginning Courageous Conversations about Race	p. 18
Talking Precisely about Equal Opportunity	p. 24
Nice Is Not Enough: Defining Caring for Students of Color	p. 28
Remember That People Do Not Fit Neatly and Easily into Racial Groups	p. 33
Following Children's Leads in Conversations about Race	p. 34
Observing Students Sharing Language	p. 39
Remember That People Are Treated as Racial Group Members and Need to Examine That Experience	p. 43
Strengthening Student Identity in School Programs	p. 44
Uncovering Internalized Oppression	p. 50
Helping Students See Each Other's Humanity	p. 56
Emphasize Individuality	p. 61
Constructing Colorblind Classrooms	p. 62
Knowing Students as Individuals	p. 67
Showing Students Who You Are	p. 70
How Opportunities Are Provided and Denied Inside Schools	p. 75
Remember That Students Experience Racially Unequal Expectations about Their Brainpower	p. 77
Helping Students of Color Meet High Standards	p. 78
Providing Supportive Feedback	p. 82
Counter Racially Patterned Skill Gaps	p. 85
Teaching and Transcending Basic Skills	p. 86
Grouping in Detracked Classrooms	p. 90
Help Students Gain Fluency in "Standard" Behaviors While Honoring the "Nonstandard" Behaviors They Already Have	p. 97
Standards vs. "Standard" Knowledge	p. 98
Valuing Nonstandard English	p. 102
Teaching Students Fluency in Multiple Cultural Codes	p. 107
Defy Racially Based Notions of Potential Careers and Contributions	p. 113
Challenging Cultural Stereotypes of "Scientific Ability"	p. 114
Finding Role Models in the Community	p. 120
Analyze Racial Disparities in Opportunities to Learn	p. 125
Providing Equal Access to "Gifted" Education	p. 126
What Discipline Is For: Connecting Students to the Benefits of Learning	p. 132
Curriculum That Asks Crucial Questions About Race	p. 139
Create Curriculum That Invites Students to Explore Complex Identities and Consider Racial Group Experiences	p. 141
Using Photography to Explore Racial Identity	p. 142
Exploring Racial Identity Through Writing	p. 146
Involving Students in Selecting Reading Materials	p. 150
Create Curriculum That Analyzes Opportunity Denial	p. 155
Teaching Critical Analysis of Racial Oppression	p. 156
Using Critical Hip-Hop in the Curriculum	p. 161
Engaging Youth in Participatory Inquiry for Social Justice	p. 165
Create Curriculum That Represents a Diverse Range of People Thoroughly and Complexly	p. 173
Arab Visibility and Invisibility	p. 174
Evaluating Images of Groups in Your Curriculum	p. 180
Teaching Representations of Cultural Difference Through Film	p. 186
What Is on Your Classroom Wall? Problematic Posters	p. 191
Teaching Racially Sensitive Literature	p. 195
Create Curriculum That Discusses History Accurately and Thoroughly	p. 199
Making Race Relevant in All-White Classrooms: Using Local History	p. 200
Teaching Facts, Not Myths, about Native Americans	p. 204
Race and the School Experience: The Need for Inquiry	p. 209
Investigate Learning Experiences in Your Classroom	p. 211
Inviting Students to Analyze Their Learning Experience	p. 212
Interrogating Students' Silences	p. 217
Questioning "Cultural" Explanations of Classroom Behaviors	p. 222
Creating Safe Spaces in Predominantly White Classrooms	p. 226
On Spotlighting and Ignoring Racial Group Members in the Classroom	p. 230
Spearhead Conversations with Students about Racism in Their Lives and Yours	p. 235
Racial Incidents as Teachable Moments	p. 236
Debating Racially Charged Topics	p. 242
Developing Antiracist School Policy	p. 246
Talk Thoroughly with Colleagues about Race and Achievement	p. 253
Focusing on Student Learning	p. 254
Moving Beyond Quick "Cultural" Explanations	p. 257
Naming the Racial Hierarchies That Arise During School Reforms	p. 262
Spearheading School-wide Reform	p. 267
Analyze, with Colleagues and Students, How Your Race Affects Your Teaching	p. 273
Responding to the "N-Word"	p. 274
Engaging Diverse Groups of Colleagues in Conversation	p. 279
Locating Yourself for Your Students	p. 283
Expanding Definitions of "Good Teaching"	p. 287
Engaging Communities for Real	p. 291
Inquire Fully about Home Communities	p. 293
Valuing Students' Home Worlds	p. 294
Getting to Know Students' Communities	p. 299
Helping Students Research Their Communities	p. 305
Discuss Parents' Experiences of Racially Unequal Opportunity	p. 309
Cultivating the Trust of Black Parents	p. 310
Helping Parents Fight Stereotypes about Their Children	p. 314
Informing Parents about Available Opportunities	p. 318
Keeping it Going	p. 325
Struggle to Change a System That Is Unequal, While Working Within It	p. 327
Resisting the "Lone Hero" Stance	p. 328
Recognizing the Likelihood of Reproducing Racism	p. 334
Staying Hopeful	p. 337
What Is Next?	p. 341
Complete List of Everyday Antiracist Strategies	p. 343
Notes	p. 349
Reference List	p. 361
Index	p. 381
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