Relationships

Goal of this section

Educators form authentic relationships by seeking to understand themselves, students, families, and community members, and the interactions that lead to positive relationship building. Educators adapt their approaches to making connections based on continual reflection of their own identities, perspectives, and socialization. Interactions with others are grounded in respect and trust.

The Implications of an Overwhelmingly White Teaching Force

(~4 minutes)

Robin DiAngelo at the 2018 Race & Pedagogy National Conference in Tacoma, WA


*Please note  if the video doesn't start automatically, you will have  to copy and paste this link to watch
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-aqeVfvM5k&ab_channel=Race%26PedagogyInstitute)

As we continue to understand ourselves and others better as we discussed in the last module, it is important to continue thinking about our personal positionality, and our positionality as educators. As you watch this video, consider these questions:

D. Pushor Leading an examination of beliefs and assumptions about parents.pdf

Consider these questions:

Leading an Examination of Beliefs and Assumptions About Parents

(~15 minutes)

In reading this article, focus on the bottom of page 209, beginning with the "Critical Elements" Section - page 218. This section discusses ways that schools, school leaders, and teachers can approach assessing their family engagement and scaffolding more frequent and more impactful family engagement.

Are Classroom Norms Responsive?
Evaluating student-generating community
expectations under the lens of racial justice
by. Isobel Ladenburg, MAT '22

(~5 minute read)

Isobel Ladenburg is a graduate of the Master of Arts in Teaching Program (Class of 2022). She recently completed her student teaching at Silas High School, in Tacoma, Washington, where she taught Biology and Plant Biology. This is a Blog post she wrote for the University of Puget Sound's School of Education Blog.

As you read this blog post, think about the ways that Classroom norms, when done well, can help you form relationships with students or become the basis for mutual respect with students and their families.

“Classroom norms are too often part of a culture that trains upper and middle class white children into anesthetized conformity with unjust systems of power, even as it excludes the beliefs, values, and practices of other stakeholders — such as communities of color, Indigenous communities, queer communities, people with disabilities, and working class communities.”

-Eric Fishman, “Who Cares About Classroom Norms?”

In order to devise culturally-responsive systems of classroom management, instructors often turn to their students to help co-create classroom expectations and develop a list of community “norms.” While completing my final Master’s degree project this past summer, I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the concept of community-based norms, and I ultimately developed an alternative project that deconstructed and evaluated classroom norms through the lens of racial justice. 

The “norms” that are showcased on my alternative project are authentic classroom norms that were created by my students (grades 9-12) during the 2021-22 school year at a comprehensive public high school in Tacoma, Washington. I involved my students in the creation of classroom expectations in an attempt to create a more culturally-responsive system of classroom management, but upon reflection, I was left wondering: Does student-generation alone make the process of norm creation antiracist and culturally responsive?

At first glance, my project appears to be a traditional classroom artifact. “Community Norms” posters have become commonplace in modern secondary schools, and my poster is identical to those adorning the walls of many classrooms across America. I intentionally designed the poster so that it would have a “typical” appearance, and could seemingly “blend in” to the background of a traditional classroom environment. 

The hidden messages that are found underneath individual words on my poster (printed in red text on the underside of the smaller flaps) symbolize the racialized expectations, values, and assumptions that can be found underneath the surface of classroom systems. The audience must physically interact with the poster and do the work of “uncovering” the concealed messages that underlie the language of the norms.

The questions that are listed under each norm (hidden by larger flaps) are tangible dialogue starters that could be used to provoke a deeper understanding of the overall norm and its impact. These dialogue starters are meant to be used in the classroom itself, to facilitate deeper conversations about norms and help both students and instructors consider the racialized implications of their language.

I also intentionally utilized color in my poster to express key ideas. The color blue (especially light and medium blue) has traditionally been associated with the field of education itself. Blue is strongly associated with security and stability; it’s recognized as a relaxing color, and it contributes to my poster’s outward sense of mundaneness and conventionality. In comparison, I’ve used the color red to disrupt and challenge the norms that were created. Red draws the audience’s attention to key terms and brings awareness and urgency to the implications I’ve highlighted.

My primary goal in developing this project was to highlight how everyday classroom structures can quietly empower White educators, administrators, and students, while silencing and suppressing the interests and values of students of color. Some of the questions explored by my work include: How can student-generated classroom norms unintentionally reproduce White-dominant social standards while silencing and excluding the cultural values of students of color? How might I disrupt and reimagine the traditional norms co-creation process in order to facilitate the creation of community standards that better align with my students’ diverse assets, needs, and identities?


Fishman, E. (2020). Who Cares About Classroom Norms? Human Needs and Community Healing. ReThinking Schools, 35(2).

Positive Relationships and Empowering Families

(~10 min video)

As you watch this video take note on: