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I want to take a moment and explore how teachers negotiate and navigate their way through a culture of fear when it comes to advocacy. As part of my work with @RADEducators we've heard so many stories of teachers afraid to speak up in fear of repercussions.
Many educators have shared with us stories that if they speak up about racism or the SRO program or any other issue they're seeing in their schools it could be career limiting or they'll be labeled as a trouble-making teacher.
It's common knowledge that if you don't have a secure contract your best play is to stay quiet and keep your head down until you have more security. Even with that security folks feel afraid to speak out on issues they're passionate about.
I've worked in three provinces and it has been the same everywhere. I've been told by colleagues over the years to not raise an issue over "social issues" and specifically in Alberta to not criticize the diploma exam as it will be career limiting.
In my second year of teaching I was even told to not question the hat rule at the school as that's the surest way to get perceived as an "outspoken" teacher.
By the way the hat rule needs to go.
By the way the hat rule needs to go.
What this does is create a culture of silence where folks feel more afraid to speak out on inequity and injustice in Ed. This has terrible consequences for students & teachers & we need to find ways to normalize creating dialogue on the practices and policies that drive our work.
For example, within the profession, it is extremely difficult to talk about the School Resource Officer program without feeling like an outsider. I know an overwhelming amount of my colleagues are in favour of this program but that doesn't mean we can't question and critique.
In fact, in this moment in time, it is our responsibility to listen and learn from how students are impacted by SRO programs. I know that many folks have positive stories of SRO's but we need to look at the impact systemically.
The Marshall project has cultivated data and research from an international context and demonstrates that police in schools can contribute to the school to prison pipeline. https://www.themarshallproject.org/records/67-school-to-prison-pipeline
If you're unfamiliar with the "School to Prison Pipeline" check out this piece that talks about the inequity and injustice that Indigenous youth face in schools around this issue. https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/pipeline-to-prison
From my experience, the most powerful moments I've had in the last five years is sitting with Indigenous and black parents explain to me the experiences that their children were having in schools. As educators, if we are committed to anti-racism we have to amplify these voices.
I worked at Inner City High for 6 years with predominantly indigenous youth. They taught me a lot of things and almost every youth I worked with was afraid of the police. In our conversations they told me their stories and experiences in schools that were difficult to hear.
And this is why a culture of fear and silence does not create space for educators to have meaningful dialogue on this issue. If we're afraid to ask questions how can we even be critical of the practices and policies that govern our work?
For me, research and understanding how schools work always starts with uplifting and listening to the voice of students. What are their experiences with SRO's and how does that impact their belonging/experiences at the school? https://time.com/5848959/school-contracts-police/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=_&linkId=90212299&fbclid=IwAR1Hv2yttU284FHPHECnqrrJXtomAK_6SaviDtJQvitzh9XI1V0360gjlxE
Recently, @bridgetstirling has called for a review of the program in Edmonton which is great. Shouldn't every practice we take up in schools be reviewed and scrutinized in favour of being accountable to the public and the communities we serve?
In education we haven't reviewed SRO's, standardized testing, academic streaming to name just a few policies that create inequity within our system. We can't just believe things work they way we intend. Inequity is part of the fabric of our system. We must address it.
Folks in the community have been calling for an end to the SRO program as has been done in many cities across the United States recently and even Toronto a few years ago. https://blmyeg.ca/public-action/elimination-of-sro-program?fbclid=IwAR3njLBMDTEkFKRYql6UKpW-Ld9FEz-EMsoP0JP1BfXppthDtKfkZPdjWh8
What we can't do is hide in fear and silence about this. If we are committed to anti-racism education then we will take this time to critically reflect on the ways in which inequity manifests within our classrooms, school and the entire education system.
And we have to ask ourselves, are we more concerned with rooting out and confronting racism in our system or defending the institutions and orgs we're a part of. This work must be collaborative and we must have a safe space to create this critical dialogue.
Change in schools is often based on relationships, dialogue and action. Let's ensure that within our spheres of influence we create a culture of community and critical reflection instead of one of silence. We owe it to our students and colleagues.
And one day a thread like this will be more popular than my extremely norm-core yet most popular tweet ever. https://twitter.com/DanScratch03/status/1250505420969398272
And some student voices from Hamilton, Ont to finish this up https://twitter.com/HWDSBKids/status/1274805601424617473
