I NT ER R U PTI N G M I C R OAGGRE S S I O N S
students responded that she understood
why her friend would be upset because the
comment implied that these two students
were interchangeable and could easily be
replaced. As we shared these incidents, my
students began to reflect on the moment
in the classroom, and on other moments
in their lives, moments during which they
had both experienced a microaggression
or delivered one impacting another person.
They made connections, and in doing so,
developed a deeper understanding of the
world and a more meaningful connection
to each other.
have about having conversations with
children about race (and about any social
identifiers): if you name it, it will exist. And,
her note, as a person of color, had added
dimension to this concern due to the real
impact these conversations would have on
her child of color and her discomfort with
the labels placed on people of color in gen-
eral. It was not simply about her child being
uncomfortable, but about her child being
safe. I was grateful for the note and the trust
she had in me to communicate her concerns,
and responded by offering more details
about the context of the conversation and
why, in naming this moment, my goal was to
support all of the students, and in particular,
the students of color. I shared a number of
thoughts, including the following:
“I love this community, not
because hurtful things don’t
happen, but because the teach-
ers create intentional spaces to
talk about the way the world is
and what it can be when
we work to fix it.”
Throughout the year we have explored what it
means to be from a particular racial group. The
United States chooses to add racial labels to
talk about people who have a shared history.
It is not that I agree or disagree about wheth-
er it is right, but that I acknowledge it exists.
If students are not taught about this history,
then they will not be prepared to deal with its
implications. For white children, it is important
to learn this history, not because they should
feel shame, but because it can empower them
to be advocates against prejudice just as ___
was for ___ and ___. I love this community,
not because hurtful things don’t happen, but
because the teachers create intentional spaces
to talk about the way the world is and what it
can be when we work to fix it.
A few days later, in response to the note I
wrote to the parents about our conversa-
tions regarding microaggressions, the mom
of the Asian American student who initially
shared his feelings about being misnamed
wrote about her concerns regarding our
conversations about race, worrying that in
naming racism, we would negatively im-
pact the classroom community. Her note
highlighted a concern that many adults
CSEE Connections
Continues on page 14
Summer 2020 Page 13