Let me say this. I'm assuming if you clicked on this blog topic to read it you are one of three people: a teacher who is saying "great, here we go again", a parent who is saying "yes, my child's teacher is racist", or someone who wants to see my position on this topic. Welcome all curious race relation inquirers (inquirer is a noun, a name of a person who is inquiring...google it, I checked)!
Parents, if you suspect your child's teacher is racist there are steps you can take to address this issue. To make this process easier ask yourself what you want the end result to be with this. Do you want your child to be put in another teacher's class? If so, start with that end in mind. Before you pursue that please understand something. If a principal or counselor declines this request, know that master schedules for schools are designed very carefully. Every student's placement is purposefully picked and that every student during every hour has to be accounted for. Sometimes what seems like a simple switch to you would be a violation of school and state policy on number of students per class or a complete reworking of not only your child's schedule, but several children. That simply won't happen. No matter how much you scream, curse, and yell.
Next, I've got to ask you something.
This may even seem silly to ask but I have to ask you this: what evidence do you have to support this claim? I ask you this because you can't really substantiate a "feeling" or a "hunch". Sure you can address a comment your child's teacher made, but once its been clarified, what are you left with? I would highly suggest you equip yourself with hard core evidence that your child's teacher is discriminating against your child because of their ethnicity, religion, or skin color, gender, etc... Now, with that being said, when was the last time you spent some time in your child's classroom? Or better yet, HAVE YOU SPENT TIME OBSERVING YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER IN ACTION? If you go to the principal and only have a one sided glimpse of your child's teacher a la' your child's vision, you may end your battle before it even starts. Now, I know your child is a darling angel that wouldn't lie, I know your child loves learning, I know your child would never try to evoke sympathy out of you by demonizing the teacher and negating their behavior or lack of turning in homework, right? Of course not :-)
Even so... you need to check things out for yourself.
Parents have rights, public school is... well, PUBLIC after all. CLICK HERE TO READ CALIFORNIA AND FEDERAL PARENT'S RIGHTS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
You have to observe your child's teacher, this is your right. All you have to do is ask. But here's the kicker, if you have a prospective issue with your child's teacher, don't air it and then say "I want to come and observe you." You know what you'll get, a dog and pony show.
What's a dog and pony show in the world of Education? I'll tell you. Its when a teacher KNOWS someone is coming to watch them in action and puts on their happiest face, interacts with every student, praises every student... its really something to see. Its almost a passive aggressive way of saying "GET OFF MY BACK, I DO EVERYTHING RIGHT!" Its this same reason many administrators do not announce informal observations, they want to see what teachers are "really" doing in their classrooms.
Once you observe, observe more, and more, and another time. One time cannot authenticate or invalidate your child's claim. You have to do pop up visits on a fairly consistent basis. Let your child's teacher know that you are interested in learning what happens in the day of the life of your child. Start using buzz words like "partnership" and "together" or "bridging home and school". Teachers love this kind of talk. I know your aim is not to get the teacher to like you, but you do want to make sure the teacher treats your child fairly and if they don't... that's right, you will be there, watching, like a hawk.
So now that you've observed, your next step is to document. When you observe, you need to make sure you document any and all potential discriminatory comments. I think teachers are often unaware how much the littlest comment and deeply hurt a child. Children do not know how to advocate for themselves in a constructive manner. After all, they've been taught to respect adults and obey authority. Its your job as the child's parent to advocate for him or her. You will be better off if you have dates and times of the alleged comments, the lesson that was going on, and, if you can, the child's name, etc... You are trying to build a case.
So you've observed, you've documented. What's the next step you ask?
Address it with the teacher, or if your child is in an upper grade, with that teacher and the department head of the subject area or the lead teacher for the interdisciplinary team.
Yeah, you have to go through a chain of command. No one said this process was going to be easy but you're out to prove a point and to ensure your child's self esteem and sense of identity are not attacked. Furthermore, you want to protect other children.
Oh yeah, other children. Have you talked to parents of your child's classmates? Do they notice anything too? Power is in numbers. It really helps if even one additional parent addresses this issue. If your child is the ONLY ethnicity, ability, gender, or skin color in the classroom, well you have to continue with the previously stated steps.
After you've addressed the issue with your child's teacher, you have to see if they alter their behavior toward your child. When you present your evidence (all while documenting what you're presenting), allow the teacher to explain his or her actions. If you are not pleased with what is stated or if you feel disregarded, next, make an appointment with the principal.
With the principal, you want to create an ally, not an enemy, but you always have got to play your trump card. Ask the principal directly "What professional development opportunities does your school or the district have to address cultural proficiency and diversity?"
See what he or she may say. If they tap dance around it by naming training that does not directly address the issue, document and move on to the next step.
Your next step is the district level. I realize that some students attend charter schools. If this is the case, your board of directors/school board is the next step. Attend a board meeting and address this issue. Make noise. Remember, board meetings for public schools are public record. For larger school districts, board meetings are often televised or streamed via the internet. Take that opportunity to address the issue and call your child's teacher, their lead teacher or department head, and your child's principal to the carpet. You will only have two to three minutes to speak your piece, but use that time wisely to address what your bigger concern is: the lack of cultural proficiency training for teachers in this district. End your statement with "I can't help but to wonder how many other parents of (insert your ethnicity, religion, or skin color here) children feel this way?"
See how the board members answer your questions, if they don't. Keep showing up.
But speaking back to the parent's rights, start small. Remember, parents, you have the right to:
1. Observe your child's teacher by sitting in a period or an entire school day.
2. See the lesson plans for that day. Teachers will be surprised. Stand firm, demand to see them, ask for clarifications. If your child is Special Education student look specifically in the lesson plan for modifications. BY LAW, ANY STUDENTS WHO HAVE IEP's should have modified lessons to fit their needs to help them reach their highest level of potential. Its sad to say that many teachers fail to even make some. I worked with several, believe me, it happens.
3. Take a notepad and document what you see and hear that concerns you.
4. Address your concern with your child's teacher, department head, and finally principal.
5. Go to board meetings and during the public forum section of the meeting, get up and speak. Ask the board how diversity education is addressed for teachers.
If your school or school district still does nothing, retain an attorney if you afford one, if not, remove your child from the school or district. You don't need that. I know this is not always a convenient option, but this is our child, sometimes a little inconvenience goes a long way.
Have you had experience with addressing this issue? If so, please leave a comment below to inform others.
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