FNED Post #1: On Identity in the Classroom
The focus of this week's readings is identity. What is it, how is it formed, and what does it mean in our classrooms?
Kirk and Okazawa-Rey's article, "Identities and Social Locations: Who Am I? Who Are my People?" provides a thorough overview of the fundamentals of identity and how it can be formed and changed throughout time. Throughout the text, it is clear that the authors recognize the fluidity and intersectionality of a person's identities. As a white Hispanic woman, I appreciate their recognition of the fact that navigating various socially-constructed spaces can be difficult for folks who do not easily fit into one category or another. Many times throughout my life I have felt like I had to "choose one aspect of [my] identity over another (50)," when I don't easily fit into constructed categories. I think about the fact that often people want identity to be easy, which is why when getting to know someone questions like "where are you from?" and "what are you?" often come up. This is a natural human way to want to get to know a new person, and it is easier for us to wrap our heads around someone if we know what "boxes" they fit into.
When thinking about identity, I believe it is so crucial to consider and think about the identities we ourselves hold as leaders and as educators, especially if we expect our students to do the same in our classrooms. This act of introspection is essential if we ever hope to engage in conversations around race, class, gender, socioeconomic status, disability status, etc. with fidelity. I truly think that everyone who works in an urban school setting should be exposed to critical-race theory and expected to engage in dialogues around their own identities.
Priya and Steinberg's article, "Locating Yourself for Your Students," gives a brief account of the importance of sharing parts of our authentic selves with our students. They claim that providing this information to our students helps form a "safe space for students in which to discuss sensitive racial and ethnic matters." The authors go on to explain their own experiences with sharing their racial identities with their students and their positive outcomes. In my own classroom this year, while working on an assignment based around Sandra Cisneros' vignette "My Name," I provided a background of my name and my ethnicity/race to my students. Many of them were surprised to learn that I was Hispanic as well. But opening myself up and being vulnerable as a model allowed students to see me as more than just an authoritative figure, but as a real human being with real, and perhaps even relatable, lived experiences.
While I stand completely on the authors' side that the practice of locating our identities for our students is necessary, I was left wondering: where do we go from here? How do we continue naming and exploring our own identities in the classroom beyond first day of school introductions?
Kirk and Okazawa-Rey's article, "Identities and Social Locations: Who Am I? Who Are my People?" provides a thorough overview of the fundamentals of identity and how it can be formed and changed throughout time. Throughout the text, it is clear that the authors recognize the fluidity and intersectionality of a person's identities. As a white Hispanic woman, I appreciate their recognition of the fact that navigating various socially-constructed spaces can be difficult for folks who do not easily fit into one category or another. Many times throughout my life I have felt like I had to "choose one aspect of [my] identity over another (50)," when I don't easily fit into constructed categories. I think about the fact that often people want identity to be easy, which is why when getting to know someone questions like "where are you from?" and "what are you?" often come up. This is a natural human way to want to get to know a new person, and it is easier for us to wrap our heads around someone if we know what "boxes" they fit into.
When thinking about identity, I believe it is so crucial to consider and think about the identities we ourselves hold as leaders and as educators, especially if we expect our students to do the same in our classrooms. This act of introspection is essential if we ever hope to engage in conversations around race, class, gender, socioeconomic status, disability status, etc. with fidelity. I truly think that everyone who works in an urban school setting should be exposed to critical-race theory and expected to engage in dialogues around their own identities.
Priya and Steinberg's article, "Locating Yourself for Your Students," gives a brief account of the importance of sharing parts of our authentic selves with our students. They claim that providing this information to our students helps form a "safe space for students in which to discuss sensitive racial and ethnic matters." The authors go on to explain their own experiences with sharing their racial identities with their students and their positive outcomes. In my own classroom this year, while working on an assignment based around Sandra Cisneros' vignette "My Name," I provided a background of my name and my ethnicity/race to my students. Many of them were surprised to learn that I was Hispanic as well. But opening myself up and being vulnerable as a model allowed students to see me as more than just an authoritative figure, but as a real human being with real, and perhaps even relatable, lived experiences.
While I stand completely on the authors' side that the practice of locating our identities for our students is necessary, I was left wondering: where do we go from here? How do we continue naming and exploring our own identities in the classroom beyond first day of school introductions?
Thanks for this thoughtful response Cristina. You brought up a bunch of great points around the critical practice of teacher reflexivity, the complex configurations of identity, authentic sharing and relationship-building with students, as well as the importance of critical race theory for all urban (and I would argue plain ALL) teachers. Your last question is great--where do we go from here? How does this work of locating ourselves extend beyond early introductions? I hope we will take that up tomorrow as a class.
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Victoria