After reading this article a few main points it talks about is embracing and understanding how an antiracist classroom should work. Antiracist classrooms are essential for all schools, "it is the exercise of hope, the practice of undoing and dismantling systems of oppression, the practice of freedom and truth-telling." Bringing awareness to a classroom is suggested, and being a history major I think a good way of doing this is by bringing up the past. Showing students how we've improved in some areas over the years, and how we still need to work on others now. This type of awareness is what keeps the positive in and kicks out the negative. working on presentations of our history's success and failure with racism can help shine a light on our issues. 

This article also likes to show that we as educators and people, are lifelong learners who are the future of our country. Spreading this awareness in classrooms is important. Instead of teaching about these everyday issues, past or present, students should understand what people had to live through. I'd suggest weekly current events, asking students to write a 200-word summary of an event going on in our present. As a whole class, we come together after and compare this to our past to show the flaws or successes. 

After reading this article I realized that an antiracist education is not about the environment, it's a way to practice love. It's important for all students to feel wanted and appreciated, especially in a classroom. School for some students is already difficult enough, the expectations and pressure are through the room. Imagine on top of that, students fear coming to school because they believe they are undervalued. One of the strategies this article talks about is for teachers to take a pause and think to themselves about what equality means. How can teachers make a classroom feel comfortable for all students? That is the idea of this whole article, asking teachers to get everyone in class to know each other.  It's more than knowing their names; it's getting to know them on a personal level. 

I think the best way to get students to interact with each other is by setting up groups based on class interests. The teacher could set up a poll on these questions, put the students in those groups based on their answers, and bond in that way. No hard feelings from the teacher, if the students want to talk about how this class is boring, so be it. The end goal won't be them bonding over class, it'll be them bonding over more things based on previous ones. Meeting new classmates in high school can be awkward, setting them in groups should make this process easier. Once students know each other's names and interests it'll be a more inviting environment. Once this happens students can openly talk about the issues, we as a society have nowadays of days, the more open opinions a class has the easier it is to talk about them. 

This article focuses on our future, school systems would benefit if they created a more equitable and just environment. This article goes through three steps to help build our future and more positive school systems.  The first one is to "self-educate and acknowledge racial traumas." The first step is to self-educate yourself about antiracist practices and self-reflect for the best preparation. Teachers need to understand past racial traumas students may have so they can help in any way. This can be a tough subject for students, the best thing teachers can do is to be open and tell the students openly that they're more than welcome to open up about anything. The more a teacher can learn the better the classroom is. 

The second way is to address where you go wrong- let students know you aren't perfect, so they don't expect it from themselves. We all have strengths and weaknesses, the only way we can improve is by addressing this and figuring out ways to help. This goes a longer way than we think, it creates a calmer environment because students know it's okay to make a mistake. This connects to antiracist education because it all connects to the comfortability of a classroom. The more students feel comfortable the more they'll be okay with talking and having successful conversations. 

The last topic is addressing your gaps- showing your students it's okay to not be aware of certain subjects. Talking about an antiracist education or even the history of this can be cutthroat, no one wants to say the wrong thing.  Knowing that these students all want the same things can help with that.