Talk to Your Students About Your Whiteness

There are days that I wish I were still in the classroom. Days when the ministry of teaching wells up within me so forcefully that I ache for the opportunity to explore a horizon with young minds.

Today is such a day.

March is Women’s History Month.

And this week we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.

Last month was Black History Month…

Did you ever wonder WHY we need time set aside for any group of people?

Based on the most current data, 79.3% of public school teachers are white.* Having been in early education and now at the graduate level,  I find myself regularly pondering why we as a profession are not attracting more women (and men!) of color to this hallowed profession. But that is for another day…

In the meantime, as we look out onto our classrooms (or virtual screens) at the colorful array of culture and diversity before us, those of us who fall into the white lady category, CAN in fact do something about this ratio! For all my fellow, white lady teachers, consider this…

Talk to your students about your whiteness.

Let them hear that you see the difference between your journey and theirs.

I recall, back when I was a YOUNG, white teacher, I brought a group of students to my home (35 years ago it was a different world.) On the way there, we drove through an affluent neighborhood and my students were over the top thrilled to see mansions with cascading staircases and grand pianos displayed through huge picture windows. They asked if we could “go see!”  as if these abodes were for public viewing.

As I realized I was showing them something they had never seen except perhaps in a magazine or on TV, I wondered if it was a sort of “rubbing it in their face,” which had not been my intention. Later, in reflection, I realized one cannot know what they want if they don’t know it’s out there to get.

This is a simple, rather materialistic story. But sadly, 35 years later the chasm of inequity is so much wider. But the truth of this chasm IS also out there. And for that I am grateful.

Today I wish I had my own class of students. And if I did, I would acknowledge to  them that I ‘get’ the difference. I know I can move freely through my day without risk of being stopped. I recognize that the nature of my birthright does not balance with the reality of theirs. We cannot change the reality of our genes, nor is anyone asking us to. But I believe that as educators, we have a responsibility to not only ask our students of color about their story, but also to share ours. It could be as simple as telling them what made you want to be a teacher… and following that by asking them what their aspirations are! It might be that you empower them to recognize the special gift or talent they have, which maybe no one has yet mentioned… and maybe they thought was beyond their reach. Sharing our story is a way to connect with our students, whether they’re in kindergarten or looking at what’s beyond high school. ‘Sharing our whiteness’ doesn’t mean we’re rubbing it in anyone’s face; it will attest to both sides that there is room for improvement and it tells our students which side of that challenge you are on.

In sharing our story, we will not only be acknowledging our awareness and solidarity, but we can begin to give voice to some much needed conversation to bridge the disparity and hopefully narrow the abyss.  

This yawning fissure has been growing wider for too long. Today I wish I could have a class of eager, young hearts to talk about it with…

* In 2017–18, about 79 percent of public-school teachers were White, 9 percent were Hispanic, 7 percent were Black, 2 percent were Asian, 2 percent were of Two or more races, and 1 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native; additionally, those who were Pacific Islander made up less than 1 percent of public school …

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_clr.asp