I am from Bakersfield College.

San Diego.

Nick Majsterek - Ellensburg, WA Hello!

Chico California

Castro Valley

Bakersfield

Napa Valley

Vancouver, WA

Ellensburg high School

HI, I am Sheila from Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles

Bakersfield

Temecula, CA

San Diego

Hemet, CA

Chico, CA

Sacramento

Ellensburg HS, WA

Kim Flachmann, CSU Bakersfield

San Fernando Valley, CA

Rancho Cucamonga

Bakersfield

San Diego, CA

Simi Valley CA

Chico, ca

Monterey, unceded territory of the Essalen people

Riverside, CA

Chaffey Joint Union High School District, So. Cal

Bakersfield

Porterville, CA (Central Valley)

Meline. I teach in Temecula, which is in SoCal.

Jorge Espinoza Fallbrook CA

@Jennifer- I use so many of your lesson supports in all my classes!

Chaffey Joint Union High School District, So. Cal

This time works well.

The later time is better.

I prefer 4:00.

4:00 is better for me, but still glad you're doing this webinar.

Grateful for all the efforts behind tonight’s webinar!

Absolutely. Thank you!

For more information on ERWC, please visit https://writing.csusuccess.org/

Tonight’s webinar is part one of a two-part series and will conclude with Nelson Graff’s March 23rd (4pm PST) webinar on implementing discussion protocols.

You’ll also find info and posts by colleagues on our blog, including a couple on Matt’s book, _Not Light, But Fire_ (erwc.blog).

That’s the essential question - what is our role in this moment?

@Matthew - Thank you for RISING to this moment in a larger educator community despite the fatigue and daily pressures you must be under.

Matt will be monitoring the chat throughout his presentation. Feel free to post your comments here instead of the Q & A area.

How do I approach Young's "Barbershop"? This is an ERWC staple.

On teaching: lose the class for the day (week?), impact is lost time and engagement

This metaphor works for me as a baseball mom. There are lots of ways to have a productive at bat.

Please confirm in the chat that you can hear it

Yes

yes

thanks!

yes

👌

yes

I hear it

Ouch.

OMG

The labels are the problem.

Yiksers. Dislike all these people. None, nothing, and nope.

I can imagine a student feeling not seen, which could lead to that student worrying about how the teacher sees them. The teacher might feel awkward and guilty and overcompensate with the student in the future (or avoid speaking to the student). If it’s not handled well, it can lead to barriers to relating and learning. And yes, I’ve done this pretty recently (though with a colleague rather than a student).

If this was a classroom, and the woman was the teacher, the question from the student is, “How come you haven’t noticed a HUGE part of my identity? Do you know who I am?”

This kind of situation has the potential to make someone feel horribly about themselves.

The person feels invisible, vulnerable, put on the spot, not feeling like they can trust the other...

A kiddo needed me to listen about a health problem and I jumped to problem-solving in a way that was dismissive of her feelings. She did not share with me again.

When I’ve messed up like this, it creates stress and embarrassment that can get in the way of relationships and collaboration. It drains some energy and trust.

On teaching: lose the class for the day (week?), impact is lost time and engagement, and spending time and energy to bring them back into the fold

Social awkwardness and a lack of understanding. There was a missed opportunity to learn, However, the learning opportunity or lesson here is avoid making assumptions. Instead, move into academic inquiry.

Just feeling the division here - being challenged for not being ______ enough. And having to “prove” an identity or affinity…

A student would be mortified to have this play out in front of their peers! And they would probably not have the courage to confront the teacher about it in the moment… or otherwise.

That would clearly make some quiet as they feel the discomfort of their fellow student. Especially mixed race students would feel the awkwardness of that exchange.

The fact that the woman tried to play off and justify her gaff creates distrust if this happened in a classroom- if you whiff- own it.

Man, I’m still processing that video… I’m imagining that the impact this could have would be, in a sense, a dehumanizing down to the stereotype...

Kids are pretty forgiving when we mess up - especially when they know we are trying and our heart is in the right place. I’ve done plenty of mistakes and we all learn I think.

This reminds me of times people who had spoke with me on the phone were surprised that I was black when we met in person. Or when salespeople came to our family business looking for the owner and couldn't accept that the owner was Black...

Impact on relationships - might push some students away & not want them to open up in class any longer, especially if they don’t feel seen or if they feel misunderstood. I’ve done this & have been humbled by it

First period

1)impact on relationship, would be some loss of trust and feeling misunderstood on the student’s part. High schoolers already feel misunderstood and this would be a confirmation for this student. 2) they might stop listening to you because the no longer trust you

It may feel like the teacher isn't as aware as they make themselves out to be.

Negatively impact relationships to extent that can completely change the nature and look of the relationship. How can you learn from a figure who espouses such words, biases, and beliefs? How can you teach with such a race appropriated lens?...

This mishap has a negative impact on teaching and learning because now there is a responsibility of the teacher to take ownership of the offense and the level of respect and understanding is Iost.

I have very limited experience in the classroom and Student Teacher. I think it limits how a person should feel they can express themselves

On relationships-this type of assumption can divide or it can bring people closer, depends on a person’s tolerance…I have had this happen to my son on different levels…

The impact of a moment like this could last in a students world forever. I can see why she felt the need to address his 'vibe' because she assumed he was not black but the issue I see is that if a person is white presenting, that does not give anyone the right to Invalidate their culture or ethnicity or heritage (just because they don't look like it)

Impact on teachings… how do you recover from that?

How often do we assume that students with Spanish surnames speak Spanish?

How would you phrase the apology?

Appreciate you framing as we ARE always making assumptions as humans as a way to “organize our world”

I’m still not sure I accept the while cultural appropriation thing. Where does it stop?

I see it too, but I wonder if she saw him as a White man appropriating Blackness whether she felt it was important to take him down a peg?

After 20+ years of teaching, I DO NOT assume anything about my students! They have dealt with stereotypes and being marginalized quite a bit by the time they get to me in high school. I just want us all to love each other and be to count on one another for the 180 days I have them!

I definitely agree with apologizing. I think it’s so important to open up to students & show vulnerability… we are human & in saying sorry & acknowledging that we were wrong & are remorseful, we are acknowledging their feelings as well, which will help build back up that relationship

Apologizing can be healing…

Classroom such a fragile place - and students so often uncensored and learning how to navigate the world

I struggle with it.

Being on the other side of this, it does feel very mean, to put it plainly?

I could imagine doing that.

As an instructional coach - have seen way too much sarcasm directed at teens in a multitude of classes and it’s so uncomfortable, painful for me to witness the spectator sport these exchanges become. Not just the teacher and student involved - the whole class is present

I can hear

Hear it

Metaphor is zero sum. I

I CANNOT even believe this crap is happening today. But how about us who don’t do this type racist crap? I have bigger questions. I am someone who needs more relevant questions answered. Who do I direct those toward?

It’s like watching the video of the experiment where the little kids choose between the white and black doll. As part of an initiative on establishing equity in schools, it is tuning that the presenters failed to realize how demeaning the videos were to teachers of color. A complete turn off. Invalidated everything they said afterwards. The determining factor was how could they right the wrong the children observed about the world. What came next?

Feelings block learning. Emotional upset. Anger, more feelings that block learning.

The children of color already know that they are disadvantaged. Activities like this just make them feel that issue more clearly and have it called out publicly in the classroom, perhaps making them feel it more strongly. The White students can always blame their position on “the way the questions were worded” and excuse themselves from any privilege. So while it illustrates an important issue, it doesn’t have the intended emotional impact, and it can lead to worse feelings all around.

This is closer to a strike because it already makes a group that is impacted by racism and privilege that much more alienated. I think it also reinforces the privileged groups more. I think the white and more privileged students did not make the direction connect to race and privilege, but instead related it back to fairness. Where as our students in the back right away said this is not fair and were making those connections because they experience them everyday.

Students are left to feel powerless, embarrassed in front of their peers, confused, feeling hopeless about the "race"....

This might leave a lot of students feeling awkward- angry-or disinterested (because they “got it” before it even started). If the teacher can’t take the discussion to a level where everyone feels empowered, it might feel like a strikeout to certain students.

It seems like it paints the issue in negative terms; ie, the focus on divisions. I don’t know if that’s right, but that was my impression. I think that impact could be...

I was struck by the last boy’s response: “the way the questions were posed.” I don’t think the lesson had the intended impact on all students. Also, there was no call to action for the kids who were left feeling bad about themselves…

Students can feel singled out, ashamed and humiliated. I wonder if they could have offered suggestions for getting everyone to the same starting line before they raced.

I feel this type of activity could create some turmoil between classmates as they begin to realize that they are not equal. It could lead to further negative feelings about they're own self-worth and whether or not they are treated fairly in society.

I hate this activity so much. It needs to be prefaced and encircled with empathy, care, and true conversation. This can be so unbelievably alienating and hurtful; You can literally see the brokenness on the girl's face. The discussion around this is not guided and can also be extremely painful. I agree entirely with you, Matt, that this is much much closer to a strikeout.

It highlights the inequality, but marginalizes even more those who feel the unfairness and probably doesn't really teach a lesson to those with privilege.

Students don’t need simulations to experience racism or privilege. These are real things.

Strikeout is not prefacing the activity with how people might feel; inadequate “debrief,” and then still “run the race”?! Strikeout = I can’t learn from this insensitive teacher the rest of the year and I resenting my classmates who didn’t respond as I hoped they would.

I think this exercise destroys the atmosphere of community I seek to build in the classroom. I wonder if it is age appropriate? The students appear to be 5-6th, maybe seventh graders.

I think it could be a strike out because it doesn’t really explain the effects of those questions — it’s more complicated than just having someone ask “what are you?” It also puts kids on the spot.

This singles out the minorities who already have strikes against them. It affirms privilege This activity would work better for everyone who has the same background and are given biographical cards requiring them to pretend to have a different background.

It’s closer to a strike-out because it’s calling children out on how far behind (or forward?) their place is in the world and not only making them come to terms with it themselves but also letting others in the class know just how advantageous or DISadvantageous they are to each other. It very much feels like an activity to make non-pocs realize the difference whereas poc’s already understand this idea from the get-go

It is close to strikeout because the activity means to highlight the negative impact of white privilege, but the activity seems to only highlight and project the trauma marginalized students already experience. It is just mirroring the positions in society that these children experience, and it seems like the lesson would not really have as much of an impact on the white students, who are truly the students who need to be learning about white privilege. Marginalized students already know they are marginalized.

The students felt the questions favored some students over others, so it seems closer to a strikeout.

Lynn, I agree with what you said about inadequate preparation.

Anytime you divide people based on class, gender, race…it creates an us vs. them. Most children -and adults, are not keen on being “them” it builds a lifelong feeling of feeling marginalized.

I agree with everyone about the effects of an activity like this.

Don’t like how the activity would make kids feel; do not like the metaphor that underpins.

It’s closer to a strike out because you’ve just alienated students in front of everyone and reinforced what they already know about race in society.

But what about us who don’t go this? I want to know how to be better with what I do teach. I teach Young’s “Barbershop”. How do you suggest a white person address this?

Garrett, feel free to add your questions to the chat. Or engage Matt at the email address he provided at the start of the session.

I don’t feel your audience would ever do such things. I feel those who teach in the ERWC are more open minded than these examples.

Debra, how? I’m not sure how to do that. I would love too!!!

Those are beautiful sentiments. Send me your email address, and I will email you the contact info if he doesn’t present it again.

Gotcha. Email. I’ll do that.

This is such great metaphor - connection.

Folks who use Twitter can DM Matt @MattRKay.

Debra, Yes, please send his email. Thank you!!

#DisruptTexts is great for book ideas!

Btw the ERWC literacy conferences (same program in So Cal and Nor Cal) will be June 21-22 in Pomona and June 27-28 in San Jose.

Is this recording going to be posted, so we can watch it again?

Yes! The recording will be posted in the ERWC Online Community.

Thank you!

So powerful!

I agree.

Yes, we can sometimes be unwaringly insensitive.

Love that text thread. I gave students the option to opt IN to the conversation and let others who didn’t want to ask questions or talk to go to a breakout room. One positive thing about Zoom.

Be careful about what we assume about what our students need!

My students need some serious social emotional support and a lot of understanding. I also don't really know what they need right now. They are tired, checked out, and disengaged. It's almost like the need "not school"--Whatever that would mean.

I love that question

Excellent examples.

kairos

I’m going to keep repeating this question. And ask it as a parent, too.

Oh, that phrase is GOOD.

Yes, I like that question, Jennifer

Oof.

Same with Brave New World

@Matt- you’re psychic- I’m going through the masks in LotF tomorrow! Now it will be better.

We’re also reading “We Wear the Mask” by Dunbar.

One of my favorite poems.

Thank you, Diane! Good to see you here. 🙂

REMINDER: Tonight’s webinar is part one of a two-part series and will conclude with Nelson Graff’s March 23rd (4pm PST) webinar on implementing discussion protocols.

@Jennifer McIntyre- keep asking, keep reflecting, and keep “feeling” them as you clearly are. The effects of pandemic times, social justice movements, and horrific political climate - most of our schools perhaps without “the right equipment” (and the right players on the team)

Thank you! Fascinating discussion!

Matthew Kay is always on fire! Thank you!

A quick reminder before we wrap up: ERWC Literacy Conference June 21 in Pomona OR June 27 in San Jose.

Thank you!

Thank you!!!

That was terrific! Thank you so much!

Thank you so much! This is amazing

Such a great metaphor! Thank you!

This was amazing!

We appreciate you so much. Thank you!

Thank you so much!

This was perfecting timing! Just enough to think on until next time.

I am so grateful I attended this webinar. Thank you!

Thank you so much.

Thank you!!!

Thank you very much!

Thank you!

Thank you Matt. Looking forward to your next presentation.

Thank You

Thank you for the hour. Appreciate it so very much

Thank you

Thank you for speaking!

Thank you so much for your insight and perspective!

Thanks, Matt!

This was so powerful - incredible! APPLAUSE and gratitude!

Thank you SO much!

Fantastic! I could use a whole day on this topic!

Thank you! That was enlightening!

Thank You