Embedded Files
By: Akira Lee
(CHED Commnications, 2021)
Did This Ever Happen To You?
Did This Ever Happen To You?
Has someone ever said or done something to you that was hurtful because of something that you cannot control? Was it connected to your race? Your gender? Or something else? How did you feel when that happened to you?
If you answered this question, then you might have been a victim of a microaggression.
Learning Targets:
Learning Targets:
Students will be able to identify different types of microaggressions in the classroom.
Students will be able to explain why microaggressions are harmful in a classroom setting and how they can negatively affect others.
Students will be able to provide multiple solutions to combat microaggressions.
What Are Microaggressions?
What Are Microaggressions?
Microaggressions are debilitating remarks directed towards people of different racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, or physical backgrounds (Lynch, 2020, March 05). Moreover, microaggressions are oftentimes verbal cases of mistreatment. Some different types of microaggressions are the verbal mistreatment of students with different linguistic dialects, racially-biased comments, invalidating the experiences of students because they do not align with the teacher’s personal experiences (Lynch, 2020).
Microaggressions can be geared towards multiple groups of people based on their:
Race or ethnicity
Gender
Religious status
Disability
Financial status
Weight
Life experiences
(Wormeli, 2021)
Image: (Jackson, 2021)
Videos On Microaggressions
Videos On Microaggressions
Why Are Microaggressions Harmful To Students?
Why Are Microaggressions Harmful To Students?
Microaggressions can cause students to be undervalued by their educators, therefore, those students might not make as much effort in school because they have been labeled as underachievers or unintelligent ((Miller & Miskimon, 2021)
Image: (Valente, 2020)
Microaggressions can cause students to feel sad, frustrated, discouraged, and influence them to isolate themselves from both their peers and their teachers (Reed, n.d.).
Image: (Hall, n.d.)
There can also be a lack of willingness to learn, as microaggressions can result in the disruption of a student’s learning process, making students feel out-casted or experience emotions of discouragement from class social or educational participation (The University of Colorado, 2021).
Image: (Sabphoto, n.d.)
What Are Some Solutions To Combating Microaggressions?
What Are Some Solutions To Combating Microaggressions?
Provide sincere apologies for the microaggressions and hold yourself accountable for the stated microaggressions (Addressing Microaggressions In The Classroom, 2020).
Validate the experiences of your students and the absence of racial, gender, religious, and socio-political assumptions towards students (Addressing Microaggressions In The Classroom, 2020).
Maintain a calm and composed demeanor in situations of discrimination while also aknowledging the emotions of the students who were wronged and talk to both parties (if you were not the one who committed the wrong-doing) to resolve the issue (Treviño, Portman, Bui, & Ogaz).
By completing these actions, you can help combat microaggressions in the classroom, and bring a sense of respect and value to your students.
This can also cause your students to feel appreciated, and to create (if not ) strengthen the bond between the teachers and students in a healthy manner.
What If These Solutions Do Not Work?
What If These Solutions Do Not Work?
In The Case Of A Student:
If the student does not wish to abide by the rules set in the classroom, then disciplinary action must be taken.
Call the student's parents
Conduct student-teacher or parent-teacher conferences to correct the student's behavior.
If this course of action does not work, then contact the principal or dean of your school to have disciplinary action taken.
In The Case Of Yourself:
If a student does not accept the actions that you have taken due to the hurt that you have caused them, then continue to show your students that you are willing to change your ways.
If your redemptive actions are not taken to heart, then you must accept that your student(s) are not accepting of your growth, and continue to provide a safer space in your classroom.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In my final analysis, microaggressions can leave a major impact on students (and teachers) in the classroom. And as African-American woman who has attended a predominately White high school, I had to face microaggressions and witnessed racism firsthand, and would never wish it upon another. Lastly, it is to my truest belief that if both students and teachers are willing to educate themselves on microaggressions and act accordingly, then schools (slowly but surely) will be able to provide safer emotional and educational environments for everyone. (Image: Fairey, 2017)
Microaggression Game Link
Microaggression Game Link
Mini Quiz
Mini Quiz
What is an example of a microaggression?
A. A teacher assumes that a student of Latino or Hispanic descent fluently speaks Spanish.
B. A student assumes that one of their classmates is unintelligent because they come from a low-income household.
C. A teacher invalidates the experiences of students who come from different backgrounds than them.
D. All of the above.
True or false: microaggressions can be geared towards multiple groups of people based on their race, gender, religion, and finances.
A. True
B. False
References Page
References Page
Addressing microaggressions in the classroom. (2020, October 15). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://teaching.washington.edu/topics/inclusive-teaching/addressing-microaggressions-in-the-classroom/
Communications, C. E. H. D. (2021, November 22). CEHD communications, author at education and human development. Education and Human Development. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://education.tamu.edu/author/cehdcomm/
Hall, N. (n.d.). Sad-student. Blended and Black. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.blendedandblack.com/personal-story-parents-divorce-wrecked-childhood/sad-student/
Jackson, M. (2021, March 12). What are microaggressions? Insight. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://hendersoninsight.org/articles/2020/12/18/what-are-microaggressions
Lynch, M. (2020, March 05). 33 Microaggressions That Educators Commit Daily. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/33-microaggressions-that-educators-commit-daily/
MILLER, H. H., & MISKIMON, K. (2021, March 04). College of Education. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://education.fsu.edu/microaggressions-and-microinterventions-classroom
Reed, J. (n.d.). Understanding racial microaggression and its effect on Mental Health. Pfizer. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/understanding_racial_microaggression_and_its_effect_on_mental_health
Sabphoto. (n.d.). Stock photo: Sad student with the book. Search results. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.megapixl.com/sad-student-with-the-book-stock-photo-45556631
Treviño, J., Portman, J., Bui, T. T., & Ogaz, J. (n.d.). Microaggressions in the classroom. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://otl.du.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MicroAggressionsInClassroom-DUCME.pdf
The University of Colorado. (2021, October 15). Microaggressions. Retrieved February 08, 2022, from https://www.colorado.edu/center/teaching-learning/inclusivity/microaggressions
Valente, D. (2020, October 27). NYC Doe reveals a new grading system for the 2020-2021 School Year. Time Out New York Kids. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.timeout.com/new-york-kids/news/nyc-doe-reveals-a-new-grading-system-for-the-2020-2021-school-year-102720
Wormeli, R. (2021, March 16). Microaggressions in the classroom. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.amle.org/microaggressions-in-the-classroom/
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