We described and shared the materials we are currently using to teach and reflect the cultural differences and contrasts in our respective languages and countries. The discussion ranged from the celebration of festivals and holidays in the lower school to a much deeper dive into the social, political, and racial issues reflected in the middle and high school  programs. We established from the start that one of our goals is to continue our move away from Eurocentric culture and to bring to the fore underrepresented people, cultures, and the inequity and bias reflected in our world today, taking every opportunity to remind our students of their privilege and their responsibility to engage, participate and effect the much needed change the world is poised to make.

Unable to separate our curriculum from the population and faces we are teaching, we recognize the integral perspective of our native and bilingual students, who are often hesitant to share their voices. We talked about how we are currently serving them and how we can involve them better by putting them in leadership roles and building their confidence and comfort in sharing their ethnic identities in an environment of whiteness.

Our department believes that respect for people, language, and cultural difference is at the center of the conversation on how to deconstruct bias. Exposing our students to the customs and people of varied cultures while acknowledging stereotypes and misperceptions can lead to greater cultural awareness, understanding and compassion.

Moving forward, we agreed to be more observant, sensitive, and open to trying something new in our classes, or doing something we already do differently. Learning a language is a life skill, so we will do it together, by being  open with our students, teaching them to ask for help and seeing vulnerability as a doorway to equality.

To be continued…..