Competency #1 Episode

Teaching is a service. It is a lifestyle…and you have to understand, before you start to think about the cultural other, kids, families, etc. White teachers have to do their own homework. Pull apart the curriculum and what you’re teaching and how you are teaching it. Ask yourself,

Does this reflect who you serve?
What speaks to your students?

For white teachers who engage in work that intersects with Black educators with Black children and in the Black community, it’s important to do your own homework…

Who are you?
How do you feel about issues around race?

And then in this context, we can begin to unpack curriculum. To understand whether it’s culturally responsive? Are we using a culturally sustaining pedagogy?

The point of the matter is, if we’re thinking about it through that lens, we’re able to reconnect Black children with their history, and I think that’s important.

Now that we know a little more about Dr. Simmons, let’s watch the video where he challenges us with a couple questions like: “who are you? and “how do you feel about the issues around race?” As you watch, keep in mind the cultural lens and identity of Dr. Simmons.

GROUP REFLECTION QUESTIONS

One thing we know about thoughts and discussions related to our cultural lens and cultural identity, is that it can be hard. It can be uncomfortable. Please reflect on the following flash cards and discuss as a group. (Reveal the reflection by clicking the arrows.)

Reflection #1What is a deep story reflective of my cultural lens?Reflection #2What is a deep story reflective of my cultural identity?Reflection #3How do we “rethink and think again” in regards to the stories defining our own Cultural Lens and Cultural Identity?
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“We are the only animals who create reality through narrative.
It’s a superpower of human brains.”

Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett
Neuroscientist, Psychologist, Author