For me…this quote from Ijumaa Jordan says it all!
I’ll allow your initial shock, but we’re still going to move forward. It’s not going to stop us. We still had to talk about…we still have to move forward, because right now children are being harmed”
Here are just a few of the topics we dive into:
- Developing humility
- Classroom rules
- Characteristics of the White dominant culture
- Referring to others as our “friends”
- Implications for prioritizing the individual over the collective
- Where White Supremacy “shows up” in professional development
- And so much more!
Listen Now
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
Bonus – Ijumaa and I hosted a webinar titled “A Critical Conversation About Racism and the Pandemic”. Click here, scroll down, and then start at minute 12:12 to learn more about steps you can take to be anti-racist, especially during a pandemic.
Double Bonus – Be sure to follow me (and Ijumaa – see links below) on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter because we have two big announcements coming up that you won’t want to miss!
And so, we can grow together, because that gives me hope. It’s not necessary that we actually have to know the same thing or do the same work, but that we’re willing to do the work together to make those, the changes that we want, to move to that world where all needs are met, where there’s no lack. ~ Ijumaa Jordan, ECE Consultant
SHOW NOTES
Transform Challenging Behavior: Dr. Barb O’Neill’s main website that describes her approach of tapping into children’s propensity for play to address “challenging behavior”. We can motivate them to want to listen, cooperate and participate. Includes information about the services she offers and her blog.
Transform Challenging Behavior Online Conference: Registration page for the TCBOC which ran May 6-12, 2020. Packages still available. Includes the speaker lineup. Spanish subtitles and daily workbooks in Spanish are also available.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism: This book by Robin DiAngelo describes what is meant by “White Fragility and how we might build our capacity in the on-going work towards racial justice”.
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor: This book by Layla F. Saad “leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy, so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too”.
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide: This book by Carol Anderson, an acclaimed historian, “reframes the conversation about race, chronicling the powerful forces opposed to black progress in America”.
The 13th: This film provides “an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality”.
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Speaking and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom: This book by Bettina Love draws on “personal stories, research, and historical events, and offers a vision of educational justice inspired by the rebellious spirit and methods of abolitionists”.
Parker Palmer: The main website for Parker J. Palmer, “a world-renowned writer, speaker and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change”.
Guest Bio
Ijumaa Jordan is an early education consultant with a focus on reflective practice, culturally relevant teaching, and developing anti-bias curriculum for young children and adults. Ijumaa works with teachers and administrators to facilitate professional development in a “community of practice” model that promotes reflective teaching practices and leadership. She has more than twenty years of teaching in early education and directing. She brings her skills and experiences as a teacher, leader, and mentor, and a strong belief in the value of a play-based and emergent curriculum to my keynote presentations and workshops.