Amanda Lichtenstein reviewed her situation with several of her Teaching Artists colleagues, including Joel Wanek, photographer/musician; Maia Morgan, interdisciplinary artist; Jamie Topper, musician/sculptor; and Tricia Hersey, poet.
Together, they developed action steps for such moments:
- Trust your instincts. If you witness moments of social injustice within a public school, believe it and allow yourself to process it.
- Develop a plan of action. If you feel comfortable, talk with your colleague immediately. If not, communicate the experience to a peer, supervisor, school liaison or friend within the field. Find a mediator if necessary, or invite a third party into the classroom for observation.
- View yourself as an agent of change. Address social injustice in the schools with openness and clarity. You are not an agitator, you're an educator. Teach awareness. Teach respect. Teach love.
- Ask probing questions. Start with, "I was curious about what you thought regarding...." Or, "I was wondering what you felt when you did/said...." Provide space for the other person to realize that what he or she has done is inappropriate.
- Embrace "and." When confronting someone, how you say something is as important as what you are saying. Instead of "I understand, but ..." say "That's true for you, and I think..." "And" allows both speakers to feel heard and provides a way to articulate opposing views without negating others' perceptions.
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