Anti-bias and Anti-racism in HUSD is not just a professional development training, it is an approach to education in general

AB/AR in Action in HUSD

IDENTITY

Ms. Beaty grew up in the Bay Area and is a fairly new teacher at Stonebrae Elementary. She notes that while she isn’t new to teaching, her time in HUSD has meant a deeper dive into what it means both personally and professionally to be committed to equity and antiracism. She notes, “When people look at me, they may just see a white woman and feel that I may not have much understanding and that maybe I don’t even truly care. But I want to be known as someone who authentically shows she cares.”

And one way she shows this is that Ms. Beaty regularly incorporates SEL into her daily lessons. She says she does them in ways that don’t interfere too much with instructional time and the students enjoy them. “I have a few that I use all the time. Like we do the five finger breathing technique where the students trace their fingers while breathing deeply. Another one is having them trace a figure eight or infinity shape in the air or on different textures like a rug, or a book, or a bumpy folder. Another one is having them gently squeeze up and down their arms. It really helps them pay attention to their bodies and their breathing and helps them stay centered.”

She believes that “you can’t do content without the interpersonal. They need to trust you and feel like they can make mistakes or your content gets lost.”

SKILLS

Ms. Beaty discussed the connections she is making between the AB/AR PD and the PD provided by her being in an Equity Pilot School. She said, “The Equity Transformation Cycle really stood out to me. I really like the frame to listen; uncover; reimagine; and then move. I think we are staying at the listening stage for a while. I am very interested in the reimagine stage. I ask myself, what does this look like in class? I want to learn more about this. Sometimes I feel embarrassed and want to go back to old habits. Then I remind myself that I am a learner and I need to listen to those around me. We are all in this to learn.”

She explained a Culture unit she has used previously in which students choose a culture that they want to explore, be it their own or another they want to know more about. “Most choose their own, she noted, “but then not all of them. Some choose to learn about others. And the project is really great because it goes beyond the classroom and gets their families involved. The families helped the students construct the project and we even had parents come in and host stations at which they could ‘teach’ student visitors something from their culture. The parents really loved being involved.”

INTELLECT

Ms. Beaty is ‘doing her own work.’ She states, “I have done a fair amount of reading personally. Some of the books on my nightstand include Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent. These readings help me personally for sure, but to enter into this as a teacher is just different.”

She acknowledges that reading and planning with equity and antiracism in mind truly is changing her practice beyond lesson planning.

“I’m much more mindful now about how I approach students and about my expectations. For example, I pay much more attention to my own reactions to students when they call out. If I let one student call out, then I remind myself not to get upset if another student calls out an answer. I reflect a lot on the type of classroom community I want to have. I think about whether or not I only want students to raise their hands before speaking or if I want them to be able to answer without having to raise their hands first.

Another example is that I noticed a lot of students coming to school early before the school bell rings and one in particular was having some trouble waiting in the appropriate area. My first instinct was to state the school rule. But I kept thinking and I flipped it. I told him that I was so excited to see him and asked if he wanted to go get some breakfast.”

CRITICALITY

Ms. Beaty is somewhat new to HUSD, but not new to teaching with nearly two decades of service under her belt. As a white woman raising a black child, she commented that she joined the district Teaching for Black Lives Matter book club.

She notes, “As a parent, I love that the Stonebrae community has so many allies. I joined the Teaching for Black Lives Matter book club seeing how many parents and staff are genuinely interested in the topic. This just really feels like the right time. It's very personal for me. My school experience was very different from my child’s and as a parent, I have a responsibility to really pay attention and be her advocate. The ideas in the text are ideal to me. And then as an educator, I have a responsibility to all my children in all my classes. It is just a timing and planning issue. It is important to look at this when planning our curriculum. I want to offer them support in a responsible and respectful way.”

JOY

One of her joy’s is watching students thrive off their own creativity. “Creativity is so important and students really benefit from it. It helps them think outside the box. For example, one of my students once said he didn’t know what to write. It would be easy for me to tell him what to write, but it is better for him when I coax him to productively struggle. I encourage my students to know that their answer doesn’t need to sound like anyone else's.

I pay attention to what students are interested in. At this age, it is fairly easy to see if they are interested and engaged or not by the way they ask questions, lean in, talk about our topic and make connections. Student voice and choice makes a difference.”