The Nervous Instructor
This week’s topic is difficult. I imagine that, inevitably, at some point in our teaching careers we will find some form of discrimination in the classroom. When that time comes, we, as instructors, have an important role to play. The thought makes me nervous – I’m not confrontational by nature, but I know very well that certain situations will require leadership from the instructor. I don’t tolerate discrimination, but would it be too easy to simply kick someone out of class? How can I create a meaningful learning experience out of an unfortunate situation?
I liked what Arao and Clemens1 said – that perhaps what we need are “brave spaces” rather than “safe spaces.” Out of all people in the class, the instructor cannot opt out of difficult conversations no matter how uncomfortable these might be. I would like to set the precedent that social injustice issues hold just as much, if not more importance then the class material itself, and would be willing to dedicate class time to facilitate discussions. I hope to send a message of positivity rather than one of passivity and complicity2.
I think my nervousness largely stems from inexperience – still have much to learn about leadership and handling difficult situations. What are some of your unfortunate classroom experiences dealing with discrimination? How did you handle them?
[1] Arao, B. and Clemens, K. (2013). “From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces a New Way to Frame Dialogue around Diversity and Social Justice.” The Art of Effective Facilitation. 135-150.
[2] The Heinemann Podcast: “Dismantling Racism in Education”
October 16, 2017 @ 12:48 pm
I second your statement about being nervous about handling discrimination or a difficult subject in class. I believe (although this week we also learned about how racism can occur without notice or conscious intent) that I have not observed an instance of discrimination in any of my classes as a student or teacher, at least not an overt one. And this bothers me, because after much reflection this week I know that agriculture has a long history of discrimination and non-inclusion and these attitudes and barriers still exist today and likely will for a while. So here is my worry: I am in a field that has discrimination and is not inclusive yet I have never seen these things mentioned, discussed or happening in my classes. There is some unspoken rule that because we don’t study people (we study plants, animals and soil) that we don’t need to talk about “those sticky” issues because they’re not related to our field. I’m not sure I am ready or want to jump right into discussing racial segregation in agriculture in the past and today, but I am committed to thinking about how to incorporate discussions of how the science we study plays out in the real world and the impact it has on us and others. Maybe it will be easier to handle these difficult conversions when we have more experience, but I am worried that these conversations are not happening at all and we won’t learn how to better facilitate them, but most all our students won’t think about them either.
October 17, 2017 @ 7:33 am
Same. I feel the same way. I haven’t come across anything in my semester and a half of teaching, but it’s completely naive to think that I will be lucky enough to have a classroom without issues ever. Actually, I’ve found that my students tend to walk lockstep with each other (or so it seems) even on readings in which it would be perfectly fine to disagree. I find this very interesting. They always agree with each other. Or if anyone disagrees, they never speak their opinions. I think this is just as problematic as continual disagreement.
But, like you, I worry about having to interject into a potential conversation that has blown up. At what point do I so? I’m also fairly non-confrontational, so the thought of telling someone they’re being disrespectful is a little scary. However, the concept of respect and courtesy is in my syllabus. I have a professionalism grade. So the student cannot argue with the fact that they would be going directly against the rules they read through in class.
I’ve talked to someone that had to shut the discussion down during a debate because students were getting to0 angry. I assume he used it as a “teachable moment,” and then moved on to something else. I do think the way to become more comfortable with this is experience, as you conjectured.
October 17, 2017 @ 3:07 pm
As an educator, I think the realization of the extent of the responsibility can be overwhelming. However, I also believe that instead of talking the whole perspective that looks so scary we can work towards breaking it down and trying to formulate a plan for each. That way it does not seem so big. For example, in our profession we talk about a very important concept for counselors – it is called “broaching”. It means that not matter what the issue may be when you think of confronting (which does not mean drawing of swords or light sabers, it means bringing up something that is uncomfortable for the counselor and the client) someone, making sure to know how you are portraying what you say and how you say it – I may be able to broach the topic of suicidality, for example, without making them upset about it or concerned that I do not believe/trust them…that is something as educators we are not taught to do and finding what that balance is for you may be helpful when you come across situations that on the whole look so overwhelming.
October 18, 2017 @ 8:48 am
I think I’ve been holding my breath a little as well. I’m in a social science program that routinely studies social inequality and racial discrimination in various levels of social institutions so I am sure the subject will come up. While I’m not nervous about discussing these topics as they come up in during the course of teaching, I am just hoping I can maintain an environment that embraces different perspectives and allows the flow of a professional discussion about sensitive topics. I don’t mind if people disagree or challenge different perspectives in this arena because it exposes the rest of the class to a way of thinking they may not have considered. The challenge for me is keeping the classroom a professional learning space that encourages rather than intimidates students from interacting.
October 18, 2017 @ 9:50 am
Hi Grace,
I wholeheartedly agree with everything you have said in this post, especially the part where you admit to the challenges that you face when taking a stance in any confrontational discourse.
After working in both the private sector and the public sector, from the smallest projects to multi million dollar projects, the simplest answer I can share with you is for the overseer (i.e. the teacher) for any learning environment is to stay neutral and help foster a strong dialogue between opposing parties until a few reoccuring theme becomes evident to all (This is especially important for subjects whose facts cannot always be quantitative).
Afterwards, it is the overseer’s responsibility to acknowledge all participant’s suggestions and opinions then guide them towards the more “correct” perspective.
October 18, 2017 @ 1:23 pm
I found some of the literature only talks about how good certain things are and ignore how hard it is to achieve those certain things. I guess that what prevents the good theories being applied to the reality. I think maybe sometimes we just have to get out of our comfort zone to do the right things. Choosing what to gain usually means choosing what to lose in the meantime.
October 18, 2017 @ 1:25 pm
This is such a tough issue. My colleagues who are GTAs in Political Science often find themselves having to deal with problematic conversations in the classroom, and things can get heated very quickly. Even though I do not teach political issues explicitly, my course content often connotes political and social bias. When we’re talking about difficult subjects I feel I have to take a stand, because taking no position is the same as tacitly condoning a lot of the destructive myths and meta-narratives that rule our society.
Like you and Jaclyn, however, I’m a non-confrontational person by nature. So this isn’t easy for me. Yesterday I listened to a student give an account of times they had witnessed a family member experience racism, and right after, other students jumped in and made some comments that were hard to handle. I think I negotiated it well but I’m concerned that the student still feels bad.
At what point do we draw the line with these things? I’m a new teacher, too. This weeks’ readings offers some guidance but I think experience wins out, here.
Thanks for a great post!
October 18, 2017 @ 3:19 pm
In two years of teaching, I have had one situation like this come up — to the extent that it was disrupting class. My solution at the time was to ask the student to join me in the hall while the rest of the students were asked to continue their work on an assignment. Rather than admonishing the student for their behavior, I took a moment to explain that 1) I was mad and 2) why I was mad. I leveled with him.
I then gave him a moment and encouraged him to explain / express himself (in the model I just presented). As with most behavior problems it really had nothing to do with me, or the class, but rather something he was bringing with him to class.
October 18, 2017 @ 3:48 pm
Thank you so much for the post and your willingness to be open about your fears. I think it is difficult. I think also, that there is at least a two-fold answer. I have “monitored” discussions over racial issues. These discussions mostly deal with racism in the ancient world, and therefore are “monitor-able” and we can discuss issues. However, as a middle-school and high-school student, I encountered blatant racism from students and parents. I never let it slide. I did not tolerate it in the classroom and would address it directly with students. As for parents…..the worst I every got was a very angry man who just refused to talk to me anymore. As Emma stated, it’s a tough issue, but if we don’t address it, we tacitly condon it. One professor I talked to lately had a situation of racism occur in his class. He took the lead in the discussion, bringing the student around to the ways in which their argument was a racist one. The student did leave the classroom, however, the professor followed up with an email stating that he was not attacking her, but hoping to show the ways in which racism flourishes in America. The student was back in class for the next session.
October 18, 2017 @ 4:00 pm
Hi Grace, thank you for the post. This is really a difficult mission and it needs the collaboration of all. Learning some communication skills such as the “broaching” that Jyotsana mentioned and also leadership skills might better prepare us for these difficult and unpredictable conversations in class. I feel that training or workshops to teach every teacher on these theories and skills should be universalized. First, we need to master them as if they are common sense, and second, we can plant it better for the next generation.
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