of Black, Indigenous, and other children of color( Iruka et al. 2020) and prohibit cultural expressions— such as beads or cowrie shells in hairstyles— that further marginalize the identities of Black children( Sturdivant 2023) and perpetuate patterns of trauma and intergenerational harm( Alvarez & Farinde-Wu 2022).
For instance, the prescribed textbook in Ms. Kimmie’ s setting included a word problem that mentioned cornbread. While she appreciated the attempt at a cultural reference, she was disappointed about the single and stereotypical association between Black children and cornbread, which overlooked the wide variety of breads across Black cultures, such as injera, roti, and various types of pan, pain, and sweet breads. In complying, teachers sustain the very systems they seek to change— evidence that restoring agency is not a matter of will alone but one requiring transformation at multiple levels.
Now What? Actions We Can Take to Restore Agency
What can teachers like Ms. Kimmie do to leverage concepts of individual, proxy, and collective agency to challenge the pervasive and damaging practices and policies that restrict teacher agency and devalue children’ s assets? Ms. Kimmie’ s experience, much like Mr. Omar’ s, highlights the complex realities teachers face. Yet it also reiterates that agency is not an individual endeavor alone. When teachers engage in collective and proxy forms of agency— acting in solidarity with colleagues, families, and communities— they create conditions that sustain both their professional integrity and their students’ engagement( Wenger 1998; Priestley et al. 2015). Such relational forms of agency affirm that teaching is not merely about compliance but about cultivating shared responsibility for equitable learning( Cochran-Smith & Lytle 2009; Priestley et al. 2015). As educators navigate policies and practices that may silence or limit their voices, these collective spaces become essential sites of restoration, resistance, and renewal.
Exercising
Individual Agency
Teachers frequently exercise individual agency through their daily decisions and interactions with students, particularly by responding to children’ s interests and identities. For example, Mr. Omar was inspired to create the lesson on hats of faith when one student, Jon, brought his grandfather’ s yarmulke and prayer shawl to share. Mr. Omar subsequently extended the moment by reading Hats of Faith, connecting literature to lived experiences. He responded to children’ s interests and the group’ s discussion, and he adapted the lesson to honor children’ s cultural identities.
Teachers can also reclaim agency within mandated curricula by incorporating culturally responsive discussions, examples, and children’ s stories alongside required texts. Mr. Omar demonstrated this approach when he revised the Who Belongs Here lesson after being directed to follow the prescribed curriculum. For example, while following pacing guides, educators might invite children to connect assigned readings to their family traditions or community practices. These intentional decisions help prevent the erasure
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