-JoyAnn Boudreau Dr. Erica Buchanan-Rivera is the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for Hamilton Southeastern Schools. She has also served as an elementary teacher, an assistant principal, a principal, and a director of curriculum prior to this role. During her doctoral program, she specialized in culturally responsive, inclusive environments and identity validation. She has penned multiple published articles including these two that I will reference in some of the questions: Shifting Toward Equity: The Educator’s Role and Identity-Affirming Schools Need Race Conscious Educators. On Twitter she is @ericabrivera.
conditioned to process differences and the idea of inclusion in various ways. It is important to reflect on that conditioning process, how it has impacted our decision-making and social contexts, and the ways it has shaped our beliefs. Equity is the concept of giving individuals what is needed for their success and survival, which requires us to understand identities of those we serve as well as the barriers that hinder achievement. However, before we can delve deep into unpacking the needs of others, we have to learn how to decenter ourselves. Equity work involves an ongoing examination of self. I believe in the power of critical questions which guide steps toward educational excellence. For teacher librarians, it may be helpful to ponder some of the following questions:
It’s difficult to counter the biases of others if we do not recognize the biases we harbor within ourselves. Therefore, I continuously tell educators to start with self-work in efforts to avoid action steps that involve doing things to people without fully understanding the needs that exist. I had the privilege to hear you talk at ISLA about what identify safe spaces look like in a classroom with having cultural connectivity, identity affirmations, intentional spaces, personal touches, and authenticity and examples of those. How do you see that translating in the space of a library? What might stay the same or change in that environment? I think it is important to unpack the components of identity affirming spaces prior to discussing the translation of those principles into school libraries.
Identity affirming schools provide safe and brave spaces that allow for students to be their authentic selves. Within my quantitative study, I conducted a factorial analysis that determined 5 critical strands that educators should keep in mind to ensure identity affirming spaces. This includes identity validation, which refers to the structures or features within an environment that honor the identity (i.e. culture, ethnicity, race, class, language, gender, etc.) of learners. Cultural connections are the elements in an environment that help students to see beliefs, values, humanity, and perspectives outside of their living experiences. Personal Touch describes the structures and features in a classroom environment that provide learners insight of the educator’s humanity. Engagement is evident when connections are made in the classroom environment. It is important to step outside of the teacher identity and show students our humanity—which is why self-work is so powerful. Intentional Spaces refer to how the layout and design of space support students’ learning, while authenticity is the degree to which features within the classroom promote student-centered practices. Within a library, I would assess if the environment validates the experiences of readers. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop was clear in her research about the importance of windows and mirrors, which describes how students should see themselves and their experiences in texts as well as global perspectives via literacy. Growing up, it was rare to see books with images of characters that looked like me. I craved to see books with familiar faces. Sadly, I cannot even recall a teacher reading books with people of color outside of historical images of MLK. Making books visible that validate the living experiences of a global society is critical. Intentional spaces that are invitational and encourage students to read or see themselves as readers are also important. Additionally, are there features in the environment that encourage student-centered practices where readers can construct representations of their learning? I have visited libraries that have makerspace like materials where students could develop their own reviews, displays of book recommendations, bookmarks with critical reading questions, etc. As for personal touch, how can teacher librarians show who they are as readers, writers, thinkers, and empathetic beings in the spaces they create? When we show our humanity, we give students insights about our identity, which can lead to connections and trust with intentional work. In the Edutopia piece you also wrote, “Leading inclusively requires removing the blindfold and seeing students for their authentic selves. Equity requires acknowledging student identities and the different ways they learn best. We have to meet students where they are.” One thing librarians might struggle with is how to acknowledge all students identities when they may have a few hundred to a few thousand. How can we do this on a larger scale? This question lends to why identity-affirming, environmental components are so important. The environments that we create send a message to students about their sense of belonging. It takes time to build relationships, and let’s be clear: students don’t owe us their stories. However, we can intentionally organize physical spaces in ways that honor identities while simultaneously building connections. Let your environment do some of the talking and back it up with actions that show students how their identity matters. When I was a classroom teacher, there were plenty of students from other classes who gravitated towards me due to my visible actions and equity-disposition towards others. Therefore, I remind educators all the time that students are watching and processing how you lead inclusively. When educators visibly decenter whiteness, affirm students’ pronouns, and openly acknowledge the living experiences of students, it goes a long ways and reaches more kids than you know. In the Leading Equity Summit conversation you had with Dr. Eakins, you mentioned a group of teachers wanting to create a welcoming environment. You asked them, “Is that welcoming environment a creation through your lens and experiences?” You mentioned having a blank slate to start the year, tapping into the needs and thoughts of students, and how students might not find the same things we do welcoming. As I heard you talk about that, I tried to picture what that would look like in a library. How do you see librarians tapping into all the needs and voices school wide in creating a welcoming space for all? This is where the authenticity component of identity affirming spaces comes into play. How can students represent their learning or identities as readers? What will teacher librarians do to make the identity of readers and their learning visible? Take the time to ask students what they want to see reflected on walls or displays. Is the layout or design of space conducive for reading and creative thinking? I make an intentional effort to ask students about their needs within a learning environment. One question you asked in your ISLA presentation on identity safety was, “How have we been socialized to view who and what matters?” One of my first thoughts in the library is the “classics” section. There’s one in my library, and I’m planning to dismantle it and put those in their other genres. How else do you think this may come into play in the library? There is a lot of great work in this area already through the #disrupttexts movement, Dr. Debbie Reese, and Dr. Laura Jimenez, and I’m proud to know some of the brilliant minds behind that work personally. Therefore, I would just stress to ask critical questions about texts and be watchful of the stereotypes certain books perpetuate about groups of people based on their membership. Importantly, check out the names of people and of the movement that I highlighted. Not every text that features a historically marginalized group needs to be in the hands of kids, specifically the books steeped in stereotypical views. Be conscientious of what is highlighted because it sends a message about values. One of the points in your ASCD article is about the danger of singular stories and the importance of a culturally responsive curriculum. Libraries and librarians are a great way to combat singular stories and to advocate inclusion of resources with other accounts of history and to order purchasing of own voice fiction novels. Can you share any examples of this that you’ve seen in your professional positions? I have seen work through Scholastic News that have described Indigenous people as friendly “neighbors” to pilgrims and figures of the past. Last time I checked, friendly neighbors don’t strip away someone’s land and identity, force individuals to adopt religious beliefs, or physically assault people. Fortunately, we have done much work in this area in my district and teachers bring these things to my attention. “Equity is not an event; it is ongoing,” is something memorable I’ve heard you say a few times and is well worth repeating. What are ongoing things you think librarians specifically are in a good position to tackle? I believe in the power of community. As teacher librarians begin to develop inclusive environments, I would advise to bring families on the journey too. I find myself immersed in numerous book challenges that are typically rooted in a family’s lack of cultural awareness and the importance of Dr. Sims Bishop’s work in education. As you continue to create spaces that affirm the identities of students, make sure to share those stories and the why behind your work with the community. Families need to be roped into these conversations too, and you may discover more champions who can assist with your work. Personally, I lean on many families who have helped to move equity work forward, including the development of a racial equity coalition within my community. Several library professional organizations are dominated by white females as is the profession itself. How can the leadership of these organizations make the organization and the leadership an identity safe space for all members? The concern pertaining to racial representation requires a critical look at HR systems and hiring practices. Yes, I’m well aware of the statistics of educators of color. However, I hear more concerns raised about recruitment and less critical questions about whether or not the environment is an identity affirming, liberatory space for people of color. Start with the critical questions first. Don’t hire people of color to occupy space in a dysfunctional, colorblind system that doesn’t acknowledge one’s racial identity—that’s not inclusion, it’s a setup for failure. Is there any other message or thought you’d like to give to school librarians? What will students remember about you when they become adults? Do the work. Comments are closed.
|
AboutThe purpose of the ISTE Librarians Network is to promote librarians as leaders and champions of educational technology and digital literacy. The key mission is to provide a professional learning community where librarians can leverage technology knowledge and expertise to improve school library programs, increase access to information, and foster strong teaching and learning environments in a connected world. Archives
April 2020
Categories |