The organization I work for supports individuals with diverse capabilities and disabilities, from a variety of cultural backgrounds. In our training, especially our Orientation Training, we support staff to think about and examine their own cultural biases and how these might impact the work they do with individuals and families. For example, in the classroom portion of our first Orientation Training for new staff, we spend three hours exploring the diversity and culture of group members, to give our staff an opportunity to reflect on how their cultural biases and beliefs impact the way they interact with colleagues and stakeholders. I found several ideas in chapters 8 and 9 in the book The Student Teacher by Brookfield (2015) that helped think more deeply around diversity and culture discussions in the classroom. Below, I have highlighted one of my favourite learnings.
In Chapter 9, I was particularly interested in Brookfield’s discussion around acknowledging that racism is alive and well in me/us. Brookfield states that “what was missing from (his) teaching was a full disclosure of how the ideology of White supremacy was alive and well within (him)” (Brookfield, 2015, p. 113). Recently, I did several consecutive training sessions around the province about our enhanced planning process. During this time, I came to realize that as a middle-class white trainer, I needed to acknowledge my ignorance about the cultural diversity in the room to have any credibility with our very culturally diverse staff groups. Moving forward, I will take Brookfield’s advise around using narratives of my own struggles with diversity to open up conversations and introduce activities in our training. I have done this occasionally in the past, but after reading Brookfield’s thoughts about internalized racism and narratives, I believe it is important for me to be more intentional about sharing my own struggles in this area. I believe it is only by sharing our mutual awkwardness about cultural diversity that we can truly move forward in becoming a truly inclusive work place that can successfully support a diverse group of individuals and families.
Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
(3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
In Chapter 9, I was particularly interested in Brookfield’s discussion around acknowledging that racism is alive and well in me/us. Brookfield states that “what was missing from (his) teaching was a full disclosure of how the ideology of White supremacy was alive and well within (him)” (Brookfield, 2015, p. 113). Recently, I did several consecutive training sessions around the province about our enhanced planning process. During this time, I came to realize that as a middle-class white trainer, I needed to acknowledge my ignorance about the cultural diversity in the room to have any credibility with our very culturally diverse staff groups. Moving forward, I will take Brookfield’s advise around using narratives of my own struggles with diversity to open up conversations and introduce activities in our training. I have done this occasionally in the past, but after reading Brookfield’s thoughts about internalized racism and narratives, I believe it is important for me to be more intentional about sharing my own struggles in this area. I believe it is only by sharing our mutual awkwardness about cultural diversity that we can truly move forward in becoming a truly inclusive work place that can successfully support a diverse group of individuals and families.
Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
(3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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