☰
World NewsCovid-19NewsUK NewsUS NewsPolitics2020 electionCultureLifePeopleTechEntertainmentIdentitiesGenderClassLGBTQ+RaceEducation
Start writing a post

How teachers of color are finding a sense of community

October 24, 2020
white table with black chairs
Photo by MChe Lee on Unsplash
Indy100-Conversations
and
Breanna Robinson

Growing up in an area where I was the minority, it was rare for me to see teachers or other authoritarians of color. When I did eventually encounter them, they were substitute teachers or security guards. I would notice their expressions when confronted with social, racial, and economic issues that minority students faced. Still, they were often hesitant because they didn't want to say the wrong thing or didn't want to educate other staff members on anti-discriminatory practices (which is something people should already have a grasp on).

This sense of pressure provokes the feeling of obligation to take on the responsibility of educating people on discrimination in the educational setting, which is mentally and emotionally draining, especially with the onset of the pandemic and many race-related incidents brought on by the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many other men and women of color.

Despite the harrowing reality, it's refreshing that many grassroots organizations continuously emphasize relationship-building, social justice, and self-care for educators of color during the grueling workday ( it's beyond necessary). Experts suggest that educators of color need to take the time for themselves to refocus and recharge. As they take this time, it's understood that a community with other educators from similar backgrounds is vital to discuss and exchange ideas about experiences in the education system.

"It's definitely not easy, and it takes effort. I have worked in four different schools during my career. Each experience has been different," says Tori C., a high school administrator in New York reflecting on her experiences as a teacher. "Feeling a sense of community was much easier when I was still a teacher and worked at predominantly Black schools. I was able to build friendships with my colleagues and felt a strong familiarity. I attribute that to working in a school environment with staff, students, and people in general that looked like me. It's great to work alongside people that have shared experiences, are like-minded, and are committed to providing Black students with an education and the skills/tools to achieve and be successful, the same as we were before them."

Scholars say that there is an "invisible tax" on teachers of color in other instances of race-related stress. They sometimes take on roles outside of what they were initially hired to do, such as acting as a translator for parents who speak other languages, mentorship for students, and school disciplinarians, to name a few.

Simultaneously, teachers of color can be ignored or undermined if they make suggestions or express interest in formal leadership positions, which I've witnessed from some close friends and family that work within the education system.

The Institute of Education Sciences collected data on the number of educators of color in the nation. The discovery indicated that they are roughly 20% of the national education force in the country. 6.3% of educators are Black, 9.1% are Hispanic, 2.2%are Asian, and less than 1% of teachers are Native American, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.

Despite there being many local and state efforts throughout the country to hire a more diversified body of educators to teach a diverse student population, the numbers haven't necessarily changed within the past decade— teachers of color leave the profession at an accelerated rate to their white peers.

School districts recently started planning anti-racist training in the wake of civil unrest and the Black Lives Matter movement; officials must ensure that those efforts are meaningful and constant to all staff members involved. Many experts suggest that teachers of color might want to consider opting out of some of the initial conversations about race relations. Choosing to avoid these conversations may even act as a form of self-care for those teachers during this turbulent social climate.

When it comes to finding a sense of community, it's evident that systemic barriers can take a toll on mental wellness and the desire to stay within the classroom. Rita Kohli, an associate professor in The Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside, co-founded The Institute for Teachers of Color, committed to racial justice. This organization curates an annual three-day professional development conference whose mission is to garner a sense of community and support lacking in minority teachers' workplaces.

For more resources on inclusion, organizations to find a sense of community, or become an ally to teachers of color, click here!

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
education

Trending Topics

Can tech help female entrepreneurs break the bias?

Women founders continue to come up against common challenges and biases
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Written by Kelly Devine, Division President UK & Ireland, Mastercard

Starting a business may have historically been perceived as a man’s game, but this couldn’t be further from reality. Research shows women are actually more likely than men to actively choose to start their own business – often motivated by the desire to be their own boss or to have a better work-life balance and spend more time with their family.

The recently published Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurship 2021 found that in the category of 'Aspiration Driven Entrepreneurship’ – capturing those who actively choose to start their own business – women in the UK surpass men: 60% vs 56%. And Mastercard research from February 2022 found 10% of female business owners started their business in the past two years compared to 6% of men – meaning women were 67% more likely to have started a business during the pandemic.

Yet, there are common challenges that women founders continue to come up against - not least the gender imbalance in the household and long-held biases which are still prevalent.

In the UK, women are almost three times more likely to be balancing care and home commitments than men, and this was exacerbated during the pandemic as the additional barriers of school closures and lockdowns meant that the care time of dependents rose significantly on a day-to-day level for women. In addition, women were less likely to have access to a home office, greatly impacting the work they were able to accomplish when working from home was the only option.

It's also widely known that female business owners are still more likely to struggle to access funding for their business ideas. According to Dealroom, all-women founding teams received just 1.4% of the €23.7bn invested into UK start-ups in 2021, while all-male leadership teams have taken almost 90% of the available capital.

Without financial support, and when juggling significant time pressures both at home and at work, how can women grow their companies and #BreaktheBias (as this year’s International Women’s Day termed it)? What tools or support can save them time and money, and give them the headspace they need to focus on building their business?

With female owned businesses collectively estimating revenue growth of £120 billion over the next five years, solving this problem is bigger than supporting women – it’s about supporting the national economy.

Using tech to level the playing field

There are clearly societal issues at play that need to be resolved. But when we look at the rise in technology businesses during the pandemic, we can plainly see an alternative source of support critical for business growth: digital tools.

A third of female business owners say new technologies will be crucial to the success of their business in the future and one in five say it is the most important thing for business growth.

With new technology comes new ways to pay, create, and work. And yet there are barriers that prevent business owners accessing this technology. Women are significantly more likely to say they want to use more digital tools but don’t know what is best for their business and also more concerned about the security of digital tools.

When technology is adopted by businesses – whether using online accounting solutions or messenger services for communicating with staff – it saves them time, allows them to maintain and grow their customer base, and ultimately increases cost savings and profit.

By drastically improving the training and support that is available to women-owned business to access and utilise technology we will allow these businesses to grow and succeed. And we know there is demand for it.

Research done by the IFC and Dalberg shows that female entrepreneurs are more likely to invest time and money in business development. This includes product development, customer base expansion, and digital tools and training and there are plenty of services available offering this type of support – many of them for free.

One such programme is Strive UK – an initiative of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth – which aims to reach 650,000 micro and small business owners across the UK and empower them with the tools they need to thrive in the digital economy through free guidance, helpful tools and one-to-one mentoring.

Working together with small business experts – Enterprise Nation, Be the Business and Digital Boost – we hope to ensure hundreds of thousands of UK female business owners have the tools they need to succeed and reach their ambitious goals. Because this ambition remains strong in the UK, with female business owners largely optimistic about the future despite the multitude of challenges they are facing. Four in ten say they will grow their business in the next five years – compared to only a third of male business owners – and they’re also 35% less likely than men to say they plan to downsize or close the business.

But if we do not empower female entrepreneurs to access the tools and technology they need to grow, there is a risk this optimism could be misplaced. Support programmes that provide business owners with guidance and mentorship can help ensure this isn’t the case, allowing female entrepreneurs to not only survive but thrive in the months and years ahead.