People talk about building walls quite a bit lately. Mostly these people want to build a wall between the US and Mexico. Oddly enough many of the people against such an idea build walls and may not know it. Every day people build walls of one kind or another between between themselves and other people. Individuals and groups construct barriers between those who think like they do and those who think differently. These walls are not visible. People block, unfollow, exit out, and move away from those whose social, political, or intellectual views differ from their own. From gated communities to social media, people separate themselves from people they disagree with or don’t want to deal with at all. By building these walls, however, are we losing opportunities to learn, teach, and grow together into better people and a better community?
When groups or individuals who disagree do come together, the interactions often dissolve into aggressive verbal interactions or physical violence. Classrooms run this risk as well. Teachers can either view difference in their classroom as an opportunity or nuisance. In my class this year we had many tense moments around the election, sexism, homophobia, racism, as well as power and privilege. These are tough but powerful moments. As a teacher I’m not immune to frustration or annoyance and I have to work quite hard to help each student learn something from these interactions. Otherwise students rely on what they know - retreating to the safety of their ‘wall.’ From these defensive positions they can blurt out extreme opinions and ultimatums. If you watch the news you’ve been privy to the loud if not violent see-saw of conflicting ideals. Bouncing from one extreme to another will not solve anything - unless of course you are trying to eliminate those that oppose you. Banishing or eliminating those with differing ideas or backgrounds not only fails to engage difference, but turns our world into a zero sum game of oppression. In hopes of creating a safe space, a risk exists that instead an authoritarian society without difference in voice or choice for the citizenry would be created. As teachers we can do more to support students earlier on in their lives so they can better negotiate differences and build supportive relationships with people even if they do not agree with them.
Not long ago I led a series of professional development workshops around diversity at a school. The workshops were to focus on diversity amongst the teachers and staff. Interestingly, many people felt that this community did a wonderful job celebrating diversity and providing an inclusive workplace. In some ways this was true. In other ways, not so much. Some folks felt there was a radical element that forced ideas into the curriculum unnecessarily (these ideas were primarily around gender, sexuality, and family dynamics). Other people were appalled by some faculty members expressing that they didn’t want to teach or interact with same-sex parents, or students who didn’t fit traditional gender roles. And still others only wanted to celebrate diversity but not make anyone uncomfortable or dismantle the status quo. And there was also a group of people who felt they were in the know about infusing diversity into the workplace, but really just came across more like the self-righteous diversity police. In a seemingly inclusive workplace, the sins of omission and commission were present but different. Not everyone felt included or equal. As a facilitator this posed an interesting problem. My solution was to emphasize two concepts - that there is room for everyone at ‘the table’ and we would all benefit from building bridges, not walls.
Before I go further let me say this - everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that opinion may be wrong. It is ok to be upset and angry. However, as I tell students - you don’t have to like your classmate, but you do have to work them. I also happen to believe that if you act like an ass you will be asked to leave. Some ideas, behaviors, and opinions are problematic and wrong. If you preach hate or act like an ass, we do not have to make room for or feed you from ‘our table.’ I guess, given these feelings of mine, another questions comes to mind. How do we (or should we) approach or absorb extremists into the dialogue?
In the first workshop my first goal was twofold. I wanted people to reflect on their practice in relation to diversity and power and ease these colleagues beyond the notion of diversity. For some people a bumper sticker advertising a celebration of diversity is enough. These folks like the idea of diversity, but don’t fully comprehend what a diverse community entails. My hope was to end the first session with people understanding that differences can be viewed as resources, not obstacles. My second goal was for individuals to recognize that whether they realized it or not, walls had been constructed to support those whose views held power. My third goal was to deconstruct the notion of equality as sameness, so that it was understood that often pushing equality really just reinforces the status quo of the dominant structures in play within a community. My long term goal for these sessions was to replace diversity and equality with equity and justice in the minds and actions of the participants ( I like this discussion of this idea - https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/03/30/colleges-need-language-shift-not-one-you-think-essay). People (those within the dominant groups) often become comfortable with the idea of diversity (it is safe and feels good). Others embrace the difficult work of engaging differences. Fewer folks embark on the tenuous journey to transform their community so that equity and justice exist for each member of the community. Moving from goal to goal like this represents a commitment by a professional community and each individual within that community to reflect, examine, and reshape their ideas and interactions around myriad constructs of race, gender, sexuality, and politics. As teachers, we have to help our students do the same.
Students wrestle with these same issues. In many cases they want to work through these ideas and might be better able to do so than the grown-ups in their schools. As mightily as adults struggle with these issues, students struggle twice as much. On the one hand despite their openness to understanding these issues, they might be less equipped at first to process and understand the complexities involved. On the other hand, students are technological natives, especially with social media, so they are conditioned to block, unfollow, and build walls against intrusions to their understanding by difference and others. Teachers and schools have a responsibility to support and facilitate the deconstruction of these walls within our classrooms and communities. Sure, there’s only so much time in the school day. However, if we do not make the time for this work, we will see more events like Charlottesville in the future.
As teachers we can help students and our colleagues create a place for everyone at our ‘table’ and build bridges across our differences. A seat at the table for all community members differs substantially from the usual main table and a series of satellite tables. Usually those in power get the good seats at the table and ‘others’ sit at the various adjacent tables or worse - the ‘kid’ table. I’m reminded of the first time I was invited to sit at the grown-up table at a family gathering. It sucked. I felt separate and compelled to be someone I wasn’t. Yet schools do this (and worse) to those outside the mainstream daily (Subtractive Schooling or Made In America). I’m reminded of my favorite quote from You Can’t Say You Can’t Play that reminds us it is the responsibility of the group, not the individual, to change so that those who are new, different, or have less power have a equitable place in the community. Change means reflecting on our behavior, building relationships, and recognizing different experiences. That is how we begin building our bridges and tearing down walls.
Creating a place that matters for everyone at the table is a good first step. Providing access to all the nourishment at the table is the next step. I’d say we must go one step further - make sure our table nourishes everyone - that each person gets what they want or need to be their best self. If we don’t make a meaningful space for everyone in our community, extremists will continue to hurl hatred and self-righteous cultural terrorism from the top of the walls. When that happens the rest of us will be left with the choice to seek safety behind their walls or to find shelter somewhere in the middle ground. If we don’t build bridges, many of us will have to choose from hiding behind the walls, or remaining stuck between the walls and becoming collateral damage.