Personal Growth through Reflection

Journal entry: December 5. 2020

Becoming a More Equitable Educator-an MIT edX Online Course

During the months of April-June 2020 I participated in an online course through MIT edX. Because we had switched to remote learning due to COVID-19 and I was noticing immense issues of inequity in terms of how different districts and schools were handling remote learning, as well as how different students at my school were handling my class, I wanted to learn more about issues of equity in education.

The course provided me with an anchor during a difficult spring semester of remote learning that felt remote in all aspects of the term. All teachers who I knew felt immense stress during this time, whether due to students not showing up to class or pressure by parents and administrators to do more. At the same time, no one was working together or supporting one another. Not to mention many of us experienced personal and family health issues due to the pandemic.

At the same time, the murder of George Floyd sparked protests around the country and eventually the world. The issues of racism, police brutality, and for me, educational inequities, came to an explosive head and grabbed the attention of all Americans. It forced me to reflect on my role as a white educator of students of color (about 98% of my students are Latinx, Black, or Asian) and how I bring issues of race and justice into my class. I must admit that up to this point I have not explicitly involved these issues into my teaching. But I know now that it is imperative that I do so.

During our TLIIST meeting on October 10, 2020, Dr. Tameka Pollins spoke to our group regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. During her presentation we watched a video called "The US medical system is still haunted by slavery" that made me aware of some examples of the racist medical history of our country. We also discussed this issue and the discussion brought up many concerns including how important it is that I, as the only Biology teacher my students might ever have, teach them about how slavery and racism have affected science and medicine in our country. Knowing the history of how racism has affected science and medicine is important, but I don't want to contribute to a mistrust of these institutions, especially on the cusp of the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine. I am working on a series of lessons to incorporate the history, but also improvements to our system so that all people can benefit by the huge strides that we have made in science and medicine.