Persuasive Piece

Literacy is necessary for the liberation of students. Communication is the most important tool that an active member of society can possess. Educators must foster literacy for our students to foster their liberation.

Firstly, educators must provide the necessary tools to foster literacy. This includes having a classroom library that reflects the students while also introducing them to new stories. Without this basis, understanding cannot be built upon. We must fight back against a curriculum built around white men. 

Continuing, educators must be anti-racist. It is not enough to be neutral, we must fight for continued liberation and be committed to being lifelong learners. Our world is constantly changing and our work does not stop when the bell rings at the end of class. Our work extends outside the classroom, to the texts we read, to the media we consume. We owe it to our students to be continuing our education by creating a culturally relevant curriculum. 

Most importantly, we must find comfort in the uncomfortable. There are going to be uncomfortable situations where we have to mediate and defend. As educators we must prepare for how to react immediately, but also the care we take following an event of harm. More than this, we have to beat the fear of making a mistake. If we never fail we will never succeed, letting fear paralyze us from making any decision is as harmful as taking no action at all.

Education is about much more than teaching a child to read or write. It is a multifaceted, multigenre profession that draws on aspects of society and so much more. Join scholars like Dr. Kimberly Parker in taking the initiative and finding liberation in an oppressive system.