Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1158290
ROSIE REID M T. D I A B L O E D U C AT I O N A S S O C I AT I O N English teacher, Northgate High School, Walnut Creek; State nominee for National Teacher of the Year I W A S R A I S E D by hippie parents. I grew up attending political protests and singing civil rights freedom songs. Dude, I went to Berkeley. So when I became a teacher 17 years ago, I understood — at least theoret- ically — the need for all students to have voice, the need to disrupt the dominant white male narrative, the need to use culturally relevant curric- ula and to question my biases. And yet, it wasn't until I adopted a little girl who is African American that I began to really push myself to examine my own white privi- lege and how that impacted my teaching practices. Becoming a mom to a child of color forced me to reckon with my own racial blind spots and made me start pushing for broader systemic change around issues of equity. It hasn't been easy, and it hasn't been overnight, but here are five lessons I have learned about myself on my journey of racial self-discovery. • First, understanding racial justice is a process. Teenagers like to call people who are informed about issues of race, diversity and social justice "woke," but I believe, at least for me, that that's a bit of a misnomer. It's not like I was asleep one day and the next day I was woke. Rather, I needed to keep thinking about how equity could be achieved in various con- texts, in the classroom and in my personal life. • Second, for a long time, I wanted social acceptance more than I wanted social justice. Sure, before I had my own kids, I would write grants to get diverse books for my classes. I would try new activities to engage more stu- dents and promote student voice and equity in my classroom. But while I did tell colleagues what I was working on and invite them to join me, I didn't push too hard for broader systemic change. Why? Because I wanted people to like me. And nobody likes the white lady who's talking about race all the time. • Third, when it came to race, T he California Teachers of the Year are selected annually for their exemplary work and talent, and because of the impact they make in their schools and communities. Here, several of the class of 2019 talk about what drives them as educators, and how they connect with students and colleagues. 2019 California Teachers of the Year Kim Holz, Rosie Reid and Angel Mejico. p o i n t o f v i e w 27 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 019