You are an 8th grade teacher at McDuthie County Public Schools in Harthsdale, Mississippi. You are in your second year of teaching in a school dominated by older, tenured teachers. One day, a new student arrives at your class named Emma. Emma is a very nice, intelligent girl from the inner city. Emma is a biracial student who moved to the Mississippi to live with her mother after her parent's divorce. Emma also had complications as a child that have confined her to a wheelchair. With her mom working two jobs to cover her health bills, Emma is left in a difficult position in her new school, and the students are noticing. Being biracial, Emma is constanlty forced to address her race, and potentially, which side she falls in line with.
"Am I black?
Am I white?
Am I right?
Am I wrong?
Is it even my choice,
When the world has already written my song?" (5)
One day, you notice Emma sitting by herself on the playground when two students approach her. One student asks Emma why she can’t move her legs, and then the other one proceeds to make fun of her biracial heritage. You clearly see that Emma is upset about this afterwards, and notice she has anxiety in class afterwards. What should you do?
[[Not saying anything to her. You are just there to teach her. Things outside of that might be considered too much, and take away from your work with the other students, so you contact her mom and let her know she needs to deal with it./Page 2]]
[[You go talk to Emma after class, and explain that she needs to “toughen up” if she wants to make friends with the other students. You explain to her how she needs to fit in and be as normal as possible to have a good time at her new school/Page 3]]
[[You ask Emma if she wants to talk to you after class, and assure her of how amazing of a student she is in your class, and that you are so honored to have her as a student. You also mention how amazing her project was in class the other day. You finally let her know that you are always available to meet if she needs anything/ Page 4]]
Even though you didn't say anything to Emma, you still feel bad about the whole situation. Every time the class goes to recess, you continue to see Emma by herself, and notice that she always seems sad in and out of class.
The next week, you see that Emma has shown up tardy to class for the third consecutive time. The other students whisper to one another and point at Emma. Emma sees the students acknowledging her tardiness, and begins to get upset. What do you do?
[[Tell Emma to go to the principles office. The rules are the rules, and she has to face the consequences for her actions. Hopefully this time around she will learn not to be late to class./ Page 5]]
[[You tell Emma to go to her seat, and decide not to do anything about the matter. You presume it has something to do with her getting around in her wheelchair, but hope she’ll learn to manage her time better in order to get to class on time/ page 6]]
[[You pull Emma aside after class, and ask her why she was late for class. She tells you she has trouble getting into school in her wheelchair. You go to the principle and discuss what can be done to make it easier on Emma to get to class on time. Finally, you begin to writing a policy for the school in order to teach faculty and students about disabilities education, and train them on how to help students being oppressed for their disability/ page 7]]
As you tell Emma to toughen up, she begins to cry and explain how hard things have been moving away from her father and her friends. You feel terrible knowing how hard things have been on her, and apologize for telling her to "toughen up" during these hard times.
After your talk with Emma, you have the class fill out a form that includes what ethnicity there are. Emma does not know how to answer this question, as she is both black and white, and asks you for help. What do you do?
[[You tell her that she needs to pick the one she feels most comfortable with, and just pick that one/ page 11]]
[[You tell her to put both down, even though the instructions clearly say choose one. You then go to the administrations office, and discuss possible reforming of the policy to allow multi-ethnic students the right to choose all ethnicities that apply to them/ page 12]]
[[You tell her to put other, and not not worry about it. If there is no multi-racial answer, then the only option is other/ page 13]]
When you meet with Emma after class, she begins to open up to you about how hard the move has been and how she misses her dad and friends. Although this may be a hard time for Emma, you can tell her attitude is a lot better after your talk with her.
Later on in the semester, Emma comes up and talks to you about potentially starting a club at school for disabled students in knowing more about disabilities. She needs a teacher to be a supporter of the club, and has come to you for help. What do you do?
[[You become a supporter of the club, but then take over most of the leadership involved with the club. You plan the activities and meetings yourself, and Emma is just a member of the club./page 26]]
[[You decide that you really don’t have the extra time to help Emma out, and decide not to be a supporter. You don’t think there is enough students interested, and it would fail./ page 27]]
[[You decide to support Emma’s new club, but let her lead all of the planning of the club, and take more of an advisor role. You think that Emma’s drive for the club will lead to an awesome way for students to become more aware of disabilities. / page 28]]
Although it made sense to send Emma to the principles office, you begin to wonder why she isn't getting to class on time, and realize it may be due to her disability.
The principal brings you and the other teacher into the classroom to discuss Emma’s tardiness, and asks both of you what they should do about it:
[[Recommend that Emma being warned again, and then punished for her actions. She knows when she needs to be in class, and you cannot make exceptions for students. You make a point to mention that her mother should be called, and let her know that her daughter isn’t showing up to class on time/ page 8]]
[[You recommend the school talk to Emma about why she is late, and make changes within the school to allow Emma either more time to get around the school, or change some of the schools features to be more user friendly. This is not something that Emma can fix on her own, but a situation the school has never considered nor planned for adequately/ page 9]]
[[You don't say much of anything. It is not your job to punish the child, it is the principle's. You don't want to feel guilty for punishing her, so you leave it up to them.]]
Although you decided not to punish Emma, you are still aware of why she is showing up late and decide to not to anything about it. This response may not hurt Emma, but it does not help her either with her transition to her new school. If something like this happens again, you should try to do something to help Emma out in this hard time.
[[See Your Fate #3]]
Emma opens up to you about how hard things have been moving here, and begins to confide in you. This make you feel closer to Emma, and feel good about approaching her on the matter. Making the new policy invigorates you, and makes you feel good about your place in the school as well.
Upon making the new policy for the school, some of the older teachers protest the new policy as unnecessary for affecting only a few students on the school and making the teachers job harder. You have most of the support of the faculty, but want full support. What do you do?
[[You talk to the other teachers and administration about how all the teachers who oppose the policy are older and too set in their ways. You talk to the principal about possibly replacing the teachers with younger ones who are more tolerant of a diverse student body/ page 10]]
[[You sit down with the older teachers and talk about what things they do not like about the new policy. You will work with them to make sure that they feel included on the new policy, and have a voice in what is in it/ page 11]]
Not only have you tried to convince Emma to normalize with the rest of the students, and cover up who she really is, but now you have punished her for something she can’t help with out talking to her about. You have neglected your duties of being an ally, and left Emma facing multiple forms of oppression.
[[See Your Fate #1]]
By getting the school to talk to Emma about her troubles, you are fighting back against the institutional oppression of disabled people in her school, as well as making Emma feel like part of the process as a whole. By including her, you are making her opinion feel valued, and eliminating adultism out of the equation.
[[See Your Fate #2]]
By calling the older teachers and looking to get them replaced, you are using the form of oppression known as ableism. Although some of the teachers may be older and disagree with your policy, it does not mean that they are inadequate at their job. Just because they are older doesn’t mean they can’t teach as well as younger teachers.
[[See Your Fate #1]]
By talking to the older teachers and understanding their issues with the new policy, you have not only made the older teachers more involved with the process, but you have also kept in mind their abilities when it comes to implementing the new policy. You are not only helping out Emma with Ableism, but also helping the older teachers deal with ageism.
[[See Your Fate #2]]
When you tell Emma to put down both answers, you see her smile and confidently put both down. Even though it was something small action, you feel better knowing that Emma is happy about putting down both answers.
For an upcoming project, Emma is having trouble getting supplies outside of school. With her mom working multiple jobs, she does not have time to take Emma to the store to get the supplies nor the money to do so. Emma has been a great student so far, and if she doesn’t do the project, it could have a big affect on her grade. What do you do?
[[You tell Emma to get as much done as she can till her mom finds time to take her to the store. You explain that the things for the project are not expensive, and none of the other students are having issues. It is not your job to give students the supplies. If she is not prepared for the project, she will get a bad grade/ page 14]]
[[You go around the school and see if there are any extra supplies in the school. Although it is not your job to do this, you realize how time pressed Emma’s mom is with work, and want to help in any way you can/ page 15]]
By making Emma choose the “other” option, you are putting in Emma in a position that you made her choose: being someone other that has no identity. Through doing this, you are showing Emma that she isn’t one of the primary races, and is something different from the rest of the class. This makes Emma feel isolated from her classmates in her new school.
[[See Your Fate #3]]
Even though your job as a teach does not require you to get all the supplies for your children, it is oppressive to tell Emma that she must get the supplies in order to get a good grade. This is a form of classism that makes Emma feel left out when she can’t have access to the supplies that most of the other students have. By warning her that she could potentially get a low grade on the project for lack of supplies, you are judging her academics on her lack of money, which is unethical. Therefore, this response is oppressive to Emma.
[[See Your Fate #1]]
By doing whatever it takes to help Emma find the school supplies for the class, you are being an ally to Emma and her mother. Money should never be a matter when it comes to the education of a child, nor grading of their work. By realizing this, you have shown Emma that her lack of money will not hold her down in school, and taken some of the stress of her mother.
[[See Your Fate #2]]
Even though your intentions are good with helping Emma making a club for students with disabilities, by doing all of the work for her you are taking away from a chance for her to grow as a student and as someone who is disabled (2). You put Emma in a situation to believe that she cannot do anything on her own, and this is a type of ableism.
Despite you taking a leadership role in the club, Emma gets a few of her fellow disabled students to sign up for the class. When a student who isn’t disabled tries to join the club, Emma tells them they can’t. What do you do?
[[You tell her that she can do as she wishes. She founded the club, so she can determine who she wants to be in it./ page 28]]
[[You explain to Emma that by not allowing the student into the club, she herself is being oppressive and exclusive of others. You then explain how even though the student might not be disabled, he can help be an ally for you and your friends./ page 29]]
[[You tell her not to let the student in the club. The club is for disabled people, and someone who isn't can't help with the cause.]]
Although you do not directly tell her no, by doing nothing you are giving Emma less chance of rising above the oppression she is facing in her new school. If she gets no support, then her club will never arise into anything, which can be the same as oppressing her. Even if another teacher may support her, you were her initial confidant, and now Emma may begin to question her relationship with you.
Emma later found a teacher who would sponsor the club for her, and has gotten a few other students to come join the club. Emma comes up to you after class, and asks if she can give a presentation to the class about disabilities. What do you do?
[[Of course! This is a great opportunity for Emma to become more confident by speaking in front of her class, and help educate them on disabilities and how they can be better about helping people with them./ page 30]]
[[Although the idea is good in thought, you have a lot of things left to cover in your class, and don’t think her presentation is worth getting behind in your schedule./ page 31]]
Not only is your decision to help Emma by supporting her club good, but letting her lead in the process of starting the club will give her sense of importance and independent in her new school. This could be the point where she embraces her disability, and moves forward with being proud of who she is and helping teach people about this oppression she faces on a daily basis. It is your choice now: do you accept the consequences of your actions and see your fate, or do you start again and change Emma's fate.
[[See Your Fate #2]]
[[Start]]
By allowing Emma to not let the student in the club, you are failing to help create an open and welcoming environment for all students. This could have been an opportunity for Emma to create allies in the school to help promote disabled education.
[[See Your Fate #3]]
By explaining to Emma why she should let the student join the group, you are teaching Emma about the idea of allies and how they can help her with dealing with the oppression with ableism. You have provided Emma with a valuable tool moving forward
[[See Your Fate #2]]
By giving Emma the chance to speak in front of the class, you are helping educate your students and make them more aware of helping disabled people. Allowing Emma to give the presentation by herself also helps Emma feel more proud of who she is, and can potentially help more students reach out to join her club and become allies.
[[See Your Fate #2]]
Not only did you not support Emma with her club, but now you are denying her the chance to connect with her students about her disability. Although the club has a few members, this is a chance for education on ableism and to teach your students a valuable lesson beyond the textbook.
[[See Your Fate #1]]
The following answers you have given are Neutral responses to Emma and her situation. Although you didn't outright oppress her, you did not help her out and be her ally either. Due to this, you are still promoting oppression by witnessing it with Emma, yet doing nothing about it.
Next time you are in a situation where you witness oppression, think about what you could do to help, rather than sitting around and doing nothing about it. You never know how much you may help someone, or the relationships you may build.
[[Start]]
[[Citations ]]
Congratulations!
Even with all of the different types of oppression that Emma is facing, you have become an ally to her, and given her hope for you class and beyond. By taking the time to understand Emma and the struggles she has gone through, you yourself have grown as a teacher and person.
The job is not done, though. Millions of incidents like Emma's happen every single day. It is our duty as citizens to look out for these events, think critically, and help find was to resolve these serious incidents in our society. This is not only with others, but within ourselves too. As the reading "Toward a New Vision" from RSDJ said:
"Each of us is called upon to take a stand. So in these days ahead, as we examine ourselves and each other, our works, our fears, our differences...I urge you to tackle what is most difficult for us all, self-scrutiny of our complacencies" (4)
So keep shining the light towards a bright future, and keep helping students like Emma resist the years of oppression our society has tried to put on her.
If you wish to start the story again and explore the different types of oppression, click the link below.
[[Start]]
[[Citations ]]
Although some of your intentions may have been good at heart, the fact of the matter is that you have continued the cycle of socialization and oppression with Emma (3). Emma is someone who is oppressed in multiple ways, from her being biracial, a kid, a woman, and disabled. In order to help Emma out, you must be able to identify all of these different types of oppression that she may face in school. Not only should you be aware of the oppression, but help Emma out and become her ally to ensure her chances of succeeding in your class and beyond.
So think about the actions you have chosen, and consider starting new with goals of liberation for all. If you wish to understand more about the matter, consider reading "Readings for Diversity and Social Justice" or "A Different Mirror". Either book will give you access to text full of a diverse group of stories of people who had their voices and ancestors oppressed.
If you wish to become an ally with Emma, you may start over by clickling below, and thinking critically about your decisions until you successfully become an ally.
[[Start]]
[[Citations ]]
1: RDSJ Reading #14: Patrolling Racial Borders by Heather Dalmage
2: RDSJ Reading #124: Allies to Young People by Jenny Sazama
3: RDSJ Reading #6: The Cycle of Socialization by Bobbie Harro
4: RDSJ Reading #129: Toward a New Vision by Patricia Collins
5: The Skin I’m In: Biracial Poetry. (2008, December 23). Retrieved December 7, 2015, from http://minglecity.com/profiles/blogs/the-skin-im-in-biracial-poetry
By forcing Emma to choose between her two races, you are forcing her to give up half of her identity. This is not an ally response to the matter, and makes Emma choose between which side she feels more close to, causing her to normalize into something she isn’t fully. You have noticed that Emma's attitude in class is getting worse, and her grades are declining as well.
[[See Your Fate #1]]
By not speaking up and allowing a principle, who has no first-hand interaction with the situation, to make the decision leaves you feeling bad. Emma was given detention, and still has trouble getting to class on time. You must decide now if you are okay with your option, or if you wish to start new and change Emma's fate.
[[See Your Fate #3]]
[[Start]]
By explicitly telling Emma to not allow the student in, you are teaching Emma that it is okay to oppress the student who could genuinely want to help in the club. Also, by making the decision for Emma, you are taking away an opportunity for her to critically think about the situation and make the right decision. At this point, your decisions have had multiple repercussions. Now you must decide if you wish to see your fate, or start new and change Emma's fate.
[[See Your Fate #1]]
[[Start]]