Anti Racist Teaching

By: Kelsey LeBlanc

Learning Targets

After completing this lesson, readers will be able to:

Define anti-racist teaching practices and explain their importance in education.
Analyze classroom scenarios for examples of bias and discrimination.
Understand how important it is to create a safe space for students from different backgrounds and upbringings in order to allow them to grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Image description: A warm classroom with sunlight and student art. The posters and books show mostly white figures, asking us to think about whose stories are missing.

Imagine this: You're an Indigenous child sitting in a warm, sunlit classroom surrounded by stories that erase you. You start to wonder if you belong in the story at all. Now imagine how it would feel to see your culture, your ancestors, your people on those pages, to see yourself reflected in history’s light. That is what anti-racist teaching makes possible.

Now ask yourself:

“Whose stories are being told here… and whose are missing?”

Anti-racist teaching is a profound act of love in action, grounded in the daily, courageous choice to challenge what we think we know and fiercely protect every child’s heart and mind. This commitment means moving past the passive idea of treating everyone the same, recognizing that it is absolutely not enough.

Instead, as Ibram X. Kendi shows us, our true moral duty is to be actively anti-racist, constantly scrutinizing our discipline policies and curriculum outcomes for any signs of inequity that cause harm. This necessary self-reflection demands the honesty and bravery to look directly at the subtle patterns of unfairness in our lessons, our tone, or our silences, because, echoing Jane Elliott's powerful work, we know how quickly even minor acts of bias can chip away at a student’s self-worth and break their spirit.

A teacher with this educated mindset works diligently to unlearn old, comfortable habits and deliberately ensures that all voices and stories are fully included in every learning moment. We move beyond teaching for historical comfort to teach the truth, purposefully honoring Indigenous, Black, and all marginalized communities by sharing narratives that have too long been erased.

This is the daily choice to challenge the systems that silence certain voices, building a classroom centered on equity where every single student feels safe, completely valued, and knows their own story matters above all else.

An anti racist teacher pays attention to what really happens in their classroom. It is not enough to say everyone is treated the same. It means noticing the small patterns of unfairness that can show up in lessons, in tone, in discipline, and even in silence. It means being brave enough to make changes when you realize something is not fair or inclusive.

Sometimes that looks like bringing in books by authors of color or making sure the art and images around the room reflect every student who walks through the door. It can mean using real world examples that honor different cultures and perspectives, or rethinking how discipline is handled so it is not rooted in bias. It is about looking at what is missing and asking how we can make things right.

According to the educators at Integrity Coaching in their article What Does It Mean To Be An Anti Racist Teacher, being anti racist means making a lifelong commitment to reflection and change. It means recognizing how the systems we work within can uphold racism, even when it is unintentional, and then choosing to do something about it. Anti racist teaching calls on us to reflect on our own behavior, to understand how our words and decisions affect students, and to build classrooms that actively celebrate difference instead of avoiding it.

This kind of teaching honors Indigenous, Black, and all marginalized communities by naming truth instead of protecting comfort. It reminds us that learning should feel like belonging. It takes courage, patience, and love to teach this way.

At its heart, anti racist teaching is not about perfection. It is about awareness and care. It is the daily work of creating a space where every child feels seen, respected, and free to be exactly who they are.

Things You Can Do to Make Sure You Have an Anti-Racist Classroom

Start with yourself.
You cannot teach what you do not understand. Take time to check your own biases, your beliefs, and your blind spots. Ask yourself whose stories you highlight and whose you leave out. Growth starts with honesty, not guilt. It is okay to realize you missed something before. What matters is that you do better now.
Show every kid they belong.
Your classroom should feel like both a mirror and a window. Students need to see themselves reflected but also see into the lives of others with empathy and curiosity. Use books, art, and examples that represent everyone, not just stories of struggle but also ones that celebrate joy, brilliance, and strength.
Talk about the hard stuff.
Do not shy away from uncomfortable conversations. Let your students know it is okay to ask questions and to feel things deeply. Model what it looks like to listen and to learn from each other. That is how understanding grows, by not pretending everything is fair when it is not.
Teach with culture in mind.
Meet your students where they are. Connect your lessons to their lives, families, and communities. When students see themselves in what they are learning, they begin to believe that school is a place meant for them too.
Address bias in the moment.
If you hear something harmful, say something. Not in a way that embarrasses anyone, but in a way that teaches. Students watch how we handle those moments. They learn what courage and accountability look like by seeing us practice it.
Check your discipline.
Pay attention to who gets corrected or disciplined and why. Ask yourself if your expectations are truly fair. Being an anti-racist teacher means leading with compassion instead of control. It is not about keeping order. It is about building connection and trust.
Build real relationships.
Know your students. Know their families, their stories, their humor, and their hearts. When you truly know your kids, you see them as whole people, not as data points or labels. That is when the real learning begins.
Never stop learning.
Anti-racist teaching is not a one-time lesson. It is a lifelong practice. Keep reading, listening, reflecting, and showing up even when it is uncomfortable. Growth takes humility, and the best teachers are the ones who never stop learning.

Anti-racist teaching isn’t something you learn once and move on from. It’s something you live out every day in the way you teach, listen, and care. It’s about being aware of what’s going on in your classroom and having the heart to keep learning and growing.

As teachers, we have to keep asking ourselves if all of our students feel seen and valued. Real love in teaching means noticing who’s being left out and making it right.

“We can’t say we love all students if we only see some of them.”

Multiple Choice Questions

Which statement best defines anti-racist teaching?
A. Avoiding race to prevent conflict
B. Including all students equally without addressing race
C. Looking for and challenging racism in the education system
D. Using identical lessons for all students

Answer: C

A teacher notices her classroom library only includes books by white authors. She adds stories by authors of color so her students see themselves reflected in what they read. What approach is she using?
A. Classroom management
B. Culturally responsive teaching
C. Standardized assessment
D. Test preparation strategy

Answer: B

Reflection Question (Bonus)

After learning about anti-racist teaching, what is one change you want to make in your future classroom to make it more inclusive and fair for all students?

References

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Gregory, A., & Fergus, E. (2017). Social and emotional learning and equity in school discipline. Future of Children, 27(1), 117–136. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2017.0006

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin Press.

Ibram X. Kendi. (2020, June 17). The difference between being “not racist” and antiracist [Video]. TED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCxbl5QgFZw YouTube

Jane Elliott. (2021, May 24). Jane Elliott – A conversation about race, racism, and education in America [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2U1TB4-X3U YouTube

Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). Culturally relevant pedagogy: Asking a different question. Teachers College Press.

Love, B. L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon Press.

Skiba, R. J., Michael, R. S., Nardo, A. C., & Peterson, R. (2011). The color of discipline: Sources of racial and gender disproportionality in school punishment. The Urban Review, 34(4), 317–342. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021320817372

Pirette McKamey. (2024) What does it mean to be an Anti-Racist Teacher? https://www.integritycoaching.co.uk/blog/race-equality-and-diversity/anti-racist-teacher/

How I Used AI:

1: I used Good Search, Gemini, and ChatGPT to help me get my thoughts out and organize everything. I asked it for help brainstorming ideas, figuring out how to explain things clearly, and even revising parts of my writing so it flowed better. It didn’t do the work for me, but it helped me see my own ideas in a way that made sense and feel more confident about what I was putting out there.

2: Using AI made things easier in a lot of ways. It helped me get unstuck when I wasn’t sure how to say something and saved me time, but I still had to really think about the lesson and make it my own. It made my writing stronger and my understanding of the topic deeper because I had to explain things in my own words after seeing suggestions. Overall it really added to the lesson, but in a way that still feels like me.

3: I feel like AI is a tool that can really help if I use it the right way. My rule for myself is to use it for ideas, brainstorming, and polishing, but not for replacing my voice or my thinking. I want to always make sure it supports me and my creativity instead of doing the work for me, and that I stay honest with myself about what I really know and feel.

Page updated

Report abuse