Dear Special Education Teacher, Thank You!
Dear Special Education Teacher,
We met a few years ago when I was giving a talk to pre-service teachers on the importance of educational equity. Our first meeting was more confrontational than friendly but our second meeting was grand.
During the talk, I made statements that went something like.... If you are a white woman, you are socialized to fear Black men. I said our culture encourages this through the media. We have numerous stereotypes that demonize Black men and Black boys and we have a tragic history of hunting and killing them. We all are impacted by these messages. I then asked the question, "If we don't own the fact that we have been conditioned to fear Black men, how can we as educators teach Black boys?"
You, through a wonderful act of courage challenged me and told me that you, as a White woman, were not afraid of Black men. We went back and forth for quite a while and ended our exchange by agreeing to disagree.
We bumped into each other about seven months later. By that time, you were student teaching. You approached me and said, "Regina, you were right." You then went on to share that you were teaching in a level 3 setting and that initially you could not connect with your Black students, who were boys. You then shared that this bothered you and caused you to do some soul searching. You went on to say that you took action by unpacking your biases and building relationships with the Black boys in your class. You were delighted to share that they engaged with you, were learning, and that your classroom was a nice place to be.
Thank you for openly challenging me. It is a practice used by people who deeply care about something and/or who will stand up to perceived injustice. Thank you for giving my statements consideration. It would have been acceptable for you to dismiss them. Thank you for being willing to engage in soul searching. You had a transformative impact on the Black boys in your class.
I hope that you are enjoying a rewarding career. I imagine you are sharing your experiences and teaching tools with colleagues and having a positive impact on more Black boys. We know that Black boys are overrepresented in special education and we understand that they are fighting an uphill battle in a country that struggles to see their humanity.
Dear special education teacher, how can I help?
Sincerely,
Regina Seabrook