We teach because, not just regardless, of who they are.
As a former classroom teacher, I remember how bittersweet the end of each year was. Graduations, class trips, and assemblies signaled the conclusion of a collective annual experience. We had ideas of how a year might go, but through all the challenges and triumphs, I saw my students grow.
If we're lucky, we get to play a role in the growth. Usually, it started off with an idea that we wanted to transform students' lives coming in.
For thousands of educators, this sentiment is backed up by research, too. Those of us seeking justice in education teach students because of their identities, not regardless. The narrative about our children is that we should ignore who they are.
What the children and their communities are saying, however, is that educators should adjust what we do with their multiple identities in mind.
In a moment when multiple levels of government are coming for people with marginalized identities, I implore everyone to double down on commitments to community towards a more authentic unity. People across gender identities deserve the full breadth of what this world can offer. People across race, cultures, and ethnicities deserve this as well, domestically and internationally.
As someone who grew up in poverty, I recognize that these collective experiences and expressions make us all richer. I took these notions into teaching and now into teaching teachers and burgeoning policy makers. I wish for the rest of the world the same.
Never let people use our most marginalized people as wedges against each other. We need for our students and their communities to feel seen. We will win.
José
