https://socialistaction.org/2019/06/11/black-teachers-job-is-in-limbo/
Black teacher???s job is in limbo
/ 5 days ago
By CAROLINE WINSLOW
America has long lauded its school system as a Great Equalizer???a tool
that provides all students, regardless of social standing, with the
tools necessary to succeed. Thus, goes the narrative, all differences in
outcome can be attributed to individual choices, absolving capitalism
and the structures tied to it of their responsibility.June 2019 Alicia
Thomas screenshot
Education has the power to be a tool of liberation, but the truth about
America???s schools is that they are typically used for social
reproduction???that is, to acculturate young people into the norms of
their particular class under capitalism. This reality manifests in a
number of ways, including the tendency of schools to punish children of
color more harshly than their white peers (feeding the highly profitable
school-to-prison pipeline) and serving imperialist ends by teaching
students that their cultures are ???uncivilized??? and their language
???unsophisticated.??? Even in our allegedly post-imperialist era, these
tendencies shine through, albeit in more subtle ways.
One small manifestation of the reality of American schools can be found
in the experiences of Alicia Thomas. As of this writing, Thomas is an
Ethnic Studies teacher at Holyoke High School in Holyoke, Mass. That may
or may not be the case for long???and not because of Thomas??? skills as a
teacher. She has two Master???s degrees, and is more highly qualified than
the large majority of her peers. Her students have nothing but glowing
praise for her, and previous principals and observers have given her
high ratings on observations. She relies on critical race theory as the
framework of her pedagogy
Further, Thomas fills an important role in her school community as a
Black woman. Research has noted that students of color whose teachers
are racially and ethnically diverse are more likely to graduate high
school, have fewer absences, and are more likely to succeed in college,
among other markers of success. Holyoke High School???like the city it???s
in???has an 80% Latinx population, and not many teachers of color. Given
this, one would think that Thomas would become a star teacher.
Sadly, in the teaching profession, Thomas??? career has followed a
pattern. ???Usually, there???s a big welcome when I start at a school,??? she
says. ???I???m highlighted as a teacher of color. Then, I start doing the
work, and there???s usually a moment when I get confronted.???
At Holyoke, that moment came when the school???s principal pressured
Thomas into enforcing a ???no hat??? policy. Such a policy has long been
common in American public schools, but research has shown it to be
consistently enforced in racist manners, and Thomas showed this research
to her principal. She has further highlighted: ???I see white kids wearing
cowboy hats around school with no consequences,??? and went on to note
that the school policies make no official mention of durags (headwear
mostly worn by people of color for haircare purposes), which students
have been disciplined over.
When, in response to all of this, Thomas told the principal she was
taking a stand, based on research, by refusing to enforce the policy,
she received a verbal warning, followed by a written warning.
Thomas views empowering students as an essential element of her job.
Marxist educator Paulo Freire wrote that empowered students know they
are ???transformers of the world,??? but that schools teach students they
are merely passive observers of the world, incapable of changing its
face. That???s not true in Thomas??? classes, where she encourages students
to question rules, examine the sources of power, and create change.
Her revolutionary curriculum includes having students create resistance
art, write letters to the district superintendent on the importance of a
social justice curriculum, and organize meetings with local politicians
to discuss important issues on race. In short, she calls on her students
to challenge the very institutions they are in, in direct opposition to
the typical expectations of a teacher, whose job is primarily to
reinforce the system.
The result? Her principal has told her???despite her certainty that he is
being dishonest???that he is 99% sure her position will not exist in the
coming school year. The school is protecting capitalism, and not its
victims, which it allegedly exists to serve.
???I don???t think he consciously knows what he???s doing,??? Thomas says of her
principal. ???He???s just trying to avoid confrontation and make his life
easier.??? But, as she notes, making his life easier means playing right
into the system of social reproduction in education. Thomas teaches
students to buck the trends of social reproduction, and in response, the
system attempts to silence her.
Thomas is not alone in her experience. Despite education policy experts???
calling for more teachers of color, the profession is still 80 percent
white, and has hovered around that number for years. Numerous narratives
similar to Thomas??? exist.
The education needs more Alicia Thomases, but first, it needs the first
Alicia Thomas back. Thomas has reached out to local organizers, media,
and politicians, but she also encourages anybody reading this to contact
the Holyoke Public Schools on her behalf (contact information is on
their website) to call for her reinstatement by pointing out the
importance of teachers of color.
Share this:
???Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
???Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
June 11, 2019 in Black Liberation, Education & Schools.
Related posts
The worldwide crisis of capitalism and the relevance of socialism
A manifesto of the new global feminism
Socialist Action launches 2020 presidential campaign
Post navigation
??? Stonewall 50: Reclaiming Pride
U.S/NATO false flag in Syria exposed: Skepticism is essential when
assessing official propaganda ???
Get Involved!
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month June 2019?? (9) May 2019?? (12) April
2019?? (12) March 2019?? (13) February 2019?? (10) January 2019?? (16)
December 2018?? (12) November 2018?? (15) October 2018 (10) September
2018?? (8) August 2018?? (12) July 2018?? (13) June 2018?? (11) May 2018??
(19) April 2018?? (15) March 2018?? (17) February 2018?? (14) January 2018??
(13) December 2017?? (13) November 2017?? (13) October 2017?? (16)
September 2017?? (15) August 2017?? (16) July 2017?? (17) June 2017?? (16)
May 2017?? (17) April 2017?? (14) March 2017?? (13) February 2017?? (19)
January 2017?? (13) December 2016?? (12) November 2016?? (19) October 2016??
(12) September 2016?? (10) August 2016?? (10) July 2016?? (14) June 2016
(14) May 2016?? (9) April 2016?? (12) March 2016?? (14) February 2016?? (8)
January 2016?? (11) December 2015?? (11) November 2015 (9) October 2015??
(8) September 2015?? (10) August 2015?? (7) July 2015?? (13) June 2015?? (9)
May 2015?? (10) April 2015?? (12) March 2015?? (9) February 2015?? (11)
January 2015?? (10) December 2014 (12) November 2014?? (11) October 2014??
(9) September 2014?? (6) August 2014?? (10) July 2014?? (11) June 2014??
(10) May 2014?? (11) April 2014?? (10) March 2014?? (9) February 2014?? (11)
January 2014 (11) December 2013?? (10) November 2013?? (11) October 2013??
(17) September 2013?? (13) August 2013?? (10) July 2013?? (11) June 2013
(15) May 2013?? (14) April 2013?? (14) March 2013?? (12) February 2013??
(10) January 2013?? (17) December 2012?? (7) November 2012 (8) October
2012?? (19) September 2012?? (2) August 2012?? (27) July 2012?? (18) June
2012?? (3) May 2012?? (19) April 2012?? (14) March 2012?? (17) February
2012?? (19) January 2012?? (17) December 2011 (3) November 2011?? (33)
October 2011?? (14) September 2011?? (13) August 2011?? (34) July 2011??
(24) June 2011?? (19) May 2011?? (19) April 2011?? (15) March 2011?? (15)
February 2011?? (15) January 2011?? (15) December 2010?? (17) November
2010?? (1) October 2010 (6) September 2010?? (3) August 2010?? (8) July
2010?? (7) June 2010 (2) May 2010?? (10) April 2010?? (3) March 2010?? (8)
February 2010 (3) January 2010?? (9) December 2009?? (6) November 2009??
(5) October 2009?? (16) September 2009?? (3) August 2009?? (2) July 2009
(5) June 2009?? (2) May 2009?? (7) April 2009?? (6) March 2009?? (16)
February 2009?? (9) January 2009?? (10) December 2008?? (11) November 2008??
(8) October 2008?? (16) September 2008?? (14) August 2008 (18) July 2008??
(12) June 2008?? (3) May 2008?? (2) April 2008?? (3) March 2008?? (14)
February 2008?? (11) January 2008?? (11) December 2007?? (8) November 2007??
(1) July 2007?? (1) June 2007?? (1) April 2007?? (1) March 2007?? (1)
February 2007?? (3) December 2006?? (11) November 2006?? (11) October 2006??
(13) September 2006?? (15) August 2006?? (11) July 2006?? (18) June 2006??
(7) May 2006?? (14) April 2006?? (6) March 2006?? (14) February 2006?? (5)
January 2006?? (2) December 2005?? (9) November 2005?? (8) October 2005??
(13) September 2005?? (12) August 2005?? (9) July 2005?? (16) June 2005??
(16) May 2005?? (16) April 2005?? (12) March 2005?? (14) February 2005??
(19) January 2005?? (15) December 2004?? (14) November 2002?? (17) October
2002?? (19) September 2002?? (22) August 2002?? (21) July 2002?? (15) May
2002?? (21) April 2002?? (21) February 2002?? (15) January 2002 (15)
December 2001?? (17) October 2001?? (24) September 2001?? (18) July 2001??
(19) June 2001?? (18) October 2000?? (17) September 2000 (21) August 2000??
(19) July 2000?? (16) June 2000?? (26) May 2000 (21) April 2000?? (22)
March 2000?? (28) February 2000?? (18) January 2000?? (20) December 1999??
(20) November 1999?? (26) October 1999 (25) September 1999?? (18) August
1999?? (40) July 1999?? (38) June 1999?? (24) May 1999?? (27) April 1999??
(25) March 1999?? (26) February 1999?? (29) January 1999?? (24) July 1998??
(12)
Search
???View socialistactionusa???s profile on Facebook
???View SocialistActUS???s profile on Twitter
???View SocialistActionCT???s profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events
Category Cloud
Actions & Protest Africa Anti-War Arts & Culture Black Liberation Canada
Caribbean Civil Liberties Cuba East Asia Economy Education & Schools
Elections Environment Europe Immigration Indigenous Rights International
Labor Latin America Marxist Theory & History Middle East Palestine
Police & FBI Prisons South Asia Trump / U.S. Government Uncategorized
Vote Socialist Action Women's Liberation
View Calendar
Blog at WordPress.com.
Follow
--
---
Carl Sagan
??? Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. ???
??? Carl Sagan