The National Library of Medicine published an article in 2022 titled “Schooling While Black.” In it Mawule A. Sevon offered this definition of implicit bias—
An unconscious thought based on a particular characteristic.
In episode six, we discuss the way bias influences the decisions we make when responding to students who are not at their finest.
Show Notes
Choice Literacy sponsored this episode.
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Quotables
“We must ensure that we’re giving each child what they need to face every situation.
“’Implicit bias is an unconscious based on a particular characteristic.’ National Library of Medicine “Schooling While Black” Sevon 2022”
“We need to learn to pay attention to the things we’re paying attention to.”
“We all have bias, which plays a role in our work.”
“When we see surprising or unpredictable behaviors in kids, we start to tell ourselves a story about why that’s happening.”
“It’s most critical that we consider where our own beliefs and biases come into play as we interact with the children in our classroom.”
“Every kid gets what they need, not every kid gets the same thing.”
“One of the biggest ways that bias plays out as teachers or educators is when we start to associate certain characteristics with certain groups.”
“If we’re choosing not to check our bias, we’re choosing to let bias negatively impact their lives.”
“We must be accepting one another.”
“We need to do a lot of thinking about the bias and the stories that we’re telling ourselves about different kids for sure.”
“We see what we’re prepared to see.”
“When it comes down to it, we need to be able to identify how bias is impacting the decisions we’re making and where our bias stands.”
“Bias is influencing the way that we’re interacting with kids.”
“When we need a mentor text, we should look to our kids for their flexible thinking and for their ability to stand up for what’s right and advocate for each other. They know how to make sure voices are heard and everyone gets what they need.”
Let’s Be Social
Transcript (AI-Generated)
[00:00:00] Becca: It’s most critical that we’re considering where our own beliefs and bias come into play as we’re interacting with the children in our classroom and to ensure that we’re not treating them differently. Right. To ensure that we are giving each child a fair chance at everything, and we’re giving them what they need.
It brings up the conversation of fair and equal are two different things. Right. And so every kid gets what they need, not every kid gets the same thing.
There are so many complex layers to this. And you and I have had some really frank conversations around the fact that we’re two white women having this conversation about bias.
And I think it’s important to one acknowledge that, but also to talk about how we’re intentional about considering that in the decisions that we make.
[00:00:55] Intro: The National Library of Medicine published an article in 2022, Tit Schooling While Black.
In it, Savon offers this definition of implicit an unconscious thought based on a particular characteristic. In episode six, we discussed the ways bias influences the decisions educators make when interacting with kids who are not at their finest. This is sticky Hope.
Becca, you recently got a new car.
[00:01:37] Becca: Yeah.
[00:01:38] Ruth: What is it?
[00:01:40] Becca: We got a Jeep Grand Wagoneer to get everyone fitting in one vehicle but.
[00:01:46] Ruth: Not taking the really big.
[00:01:48] Becca: Right, right. We also have a. Yeah, we have a big Ford Transit 15 passenger van. That’s what we use when we need to keep everyone in their own row.
The Wagoneer is to get everyone to one place in a more efficient way.
[00:02:06] Ruth: So when you got it, did you start seeing them all over the place?
[00:02:10] Becca: Yeah. When my husband said that a Wagoneer was probably our best bet, I was like, what’s a Wagoneer?
And then we started driving around, and I was like, and there’s a Wagoneer and there’s a Wagoneer. And my kids are all like, look, there’s another one. Twinsies, right? Like, they’re all. They’re everywhere now.
[00:02:29] Ruth: They are. They’re everywhere. And it’s like, before there were none. You didn’t even know what it was. And now it’s just like, everybody in the state of Maine drives a Jeep Wagoneer.
This is bias, right? Like, really is. It is. It is just part of being human.
We need to learn to pay attention to the things we’re paying attention to. And with cars, like, it’s not a big deal. Right. Like, so I’m starting to see all these cars, but when it comes to kids, it becomes a really big deal. And we all have bias, and it plays a role in the work that we do. And I think we oftentimes see it. When we begin seeing unpredictable behaviors or surprising behaviors in kids, one of the things that we start to do is we start to tell ourselves a story about why that behavior is happening. You’ve been doing a lot of research, Becca, about just finding, like, this definition of bias that we can really hold onto and come back to again and again as we’re thinking about the ways we’re interacting with kids. Do you want to share that with us?
[00:03:46] Becca: Sure. So in my more recent reading, I came across this article, schooling While Black, that was published in the National Library of Medicine. It’s written by Savan and was published in 2022.
And it defined implicit bias as an unconscious thought based on a particular characteristic, and one of those characteristics could be race. And we chose that definition. I chose that definition intentionally because of this idea and the way that it so clearly states the idea of an unconscious thought. Right. Like, I’m not intentionally looking for Wagoneers everywhere that we go, but because it’s such a part of my life now, I’m noticing it more, and that is unconscious on my part, and it’s still very much a part of my world. And how that plays out in my life as a mom, but also a teacher is. It’s critical that I’m aware of that. And it can be seen in such a variety of ways. I think one of the biggest ways that we might not even consider bias, but is probably one of the biggest ways that bias plays out as teachers or educators is when we start to associate certain characteristics with certain groups, right? And so when you’re hearing like, oh, those are the title one kids, or those are the kids that go to spend all their day in the resource room, or those are the foster kids, that’s the new foster family. Or that’s the family that moved in just after Christmas, right? And you start to think, like, because they moved in just after Christmas, these things must be true about them when you know nothing about them, right?
And those are ways that bias play. Bias plays out in. In our daily lives as educators. And if we don’t take the time to acknowledge that and think about the truth to that, then we’re choo. We’re choosing to impact kids daily lives, right? If we’re choosing not to check our own bias, we’re choosing to let bias impact their lives in a negative way.
[00:06:04] Ruth: It’s so true. We just. Our brains really want to make sense of things. So when we see kids behaving in these ways that are surprising or shocking to us, our brains Unconsciously, even to ourselves, they’re going to start making a story. And that story is oftentimes based on our own perceptions, not based on reality at all.
And so I was talking with a group, and there was a student who was really acting in a lot of surprising ways, a lot of unpredictable ways. He was everywhere from being really distracted and not focused to aggressive. And one of the things that the team said was, maybe he needs medication.
And it made me think, like, oh, my goodness. I think that this is, like, an indicator of our bias coming into play. Like, this idea, like, if that’s my thought, maybe this kiddo needs medication so that they can conform to school. Perhaps some of my bias is coming into play. Do you think that’s true, Becca, or am I kind of.
[00:07:20] Becca: Yeah. So I think that idea of having an indicator towards bias, first of all, I like, love the idea of that. Right. So being able to name what might be an indicator of your bias coming into play sounds like a really important thing.
And there are these things that can cue in to your thinking, like, oh, that’s a spot where I need to stop and think about where my bias is coming into play. Because when you’re starting to think about, like, I see this child acting in surprising ways, here’s something I can do to solve that.
That feels more like you’re trying to make them conform to your expectation instead of you thinking about how you can support them. Right. Because, like, as educators, we’re not the doctors. We don’t know any diagnoses yet.
And, like, we don’t know what medication might help or not help, but we do know what we can do to help that child with the environment or different supports. And I think it’s super critical for us to stop and consider if we’re thinking something as significant as medicating a child is necessary, we need to at least stop and check to make sure our thinking is not influenced by our bias before we’re suggesting such a thing.
[00:08:38] Ruth: Yeah. I wonder if, like, another one of those indicators is, like, well, look at their last name. Of course they’re behaving that way. Like, I’ve. I’ve heard that, too. So it’s this that is bias coming into play, really influencing the way that we are interacting with kids. And it’s not. It’s just not. Right. It’s not helpful. It’s not.
It’s not connecting with kids. It’s not empowering them to make different decisions. It’s kind of like we’re trying to find a reason for some of this behavior that sometimes feels a little unreasonable, for sure.
[00:09:17] Becca: Something that just kind of came into my brain that isn’t something I had thought about before is the way that bias can negatively impact kids when adults are seeing it as a positive.
I currently have four foster kids living in my home, and they often act in surprising ways.
And I almost need to advocate for them to, to get written up for the behaviors to get documented because a lot of their teachers who love them dearly and are absolutely incredible people are like, well, they’re foster kids. They’ve lived a lot of trauma. I’ll give them a break. And while we need to have grace for their behaviors, we also need to hold them to expectations. And so at first it was really hard to convince people to support or to document them and to consider that a support for them as opposed to a punishment.
And like, luckily they go to a school that is wonderful and we’ve been able to get there together.
And I’m so thankful for that. But I just think about bigger picture, like, what other ways could bias be used when the adult is. Or bias could be influencing decisions when the adult is considering it a positive thing and it’s actually a negative impact. And it really stops with, or starts with stopping and, and thinking before you act on things that you feel people should be different. Right. Kids should be acting in a different way or their differences are causing that action. You need to stop and think about where your thinking is rooted as opposed to what that child should be doing differently.
[00:11:05] Ruth: Yeah, I hear us talking around, you know, like, what should a child be doing as opposed to accepting them for who they are. Like, I really think it’s important that we’re, we’re accepting one another. And that because we accept that doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with the behavior. And it feels to me like sometimes we get into this mix up that if I accept a child, then that means I agree with how they’re behaving. And that’s at least for me, that’s just not how it works. Like, I believe, like, I’m going to accept the child first and then we’re going to work together through a lot of connection and a lot of practice to begin having behavior that’s more acceptable for school, that’s more acceptable for society. And so that idea of belonging and you belong here really impacts the way that, that we see kids. And in order to then just accept who’s showing up in our room, I think, like, we’ve done a lot of thinking about the bias and the stories that we’re telling ourselves about different kids for sure. We, we see what we’re prepared to see. And I just think a lot often, like, I don’t know that, like the me 20 years ago would be prepared to see what I’m prepared to see now. And I think like when we’re, we’re thinking through this topic, if, if we are like, oh, I don’t have bias, or I’ve already dealt with that, like that is just, is just not true. Like we’re human and it’s this ever evolving thing, especially when we go back to that definition about its unconscious thoughts.
[00:13:03] Becca: Yeah. So I just went back to read that definition. Implicit bias is defined by Savon as an unconscious thought based on a particular characteristic. And so the characteristic can be anything from a last name to socioeconomic status, to behavior, to, to race. Right. And, and every layer of that is complicated and can be influenced by lots of opinions and things. But when it comes down to it is we need to be able to identify how bias is impacting the decisions we’re making and where our B stands.
[00:13:54] Ruth: Yeah. And it’s influencing the way that we’re interacting with kids.
We. I sent you a podcast from the American association of American Pediatrics. It’s the Healthy Children podcast. And it was about suspension and young children and other children, like older too. But it was, you listened to it with your 13 year old daughter and she was like shocked.
[00:14:19] Becca: Right?
[00:14:20] Ruth: Like, is this true, Becca?
[00:14:23] Becca: Yeah. So as most 13 year olds. My 13 year old is, is full of opinions and I was working on some things and listening to the podcast and she was in the other room writing but could hear the podcast and all of a sudden she like leaned over and she’s like, becca, is this true?
I was like, yeah.
And, and she looked at me and she was like, that’s just wrong.
And she was referring to this idea that kids, especially before they even hit pre K or preschool, are being kicked out of child care facilities and then eventually expelled or suspended from preschool for surprising and shocking behavior.
Particularly kids who. Black kids or kids who are marginalized. And it really gave some shocking statistics. And my 13 year old was able to identify how wrong that was and then was able to say, like, Becca, they’re not able to learn different. They’re not able to, to be able to gain skills and learn to do things differently if they’re just kicked out. Right. Like that’s just teaching them they don’t belong. And instead they like, they should be able to stay and be taught to do things that are are more appropriate. And she of course said that in a way more 13 year old way. But to hear my 13 year old acknowledging the way that bias was coming into play, there was a checkpoint for me and a reminder that when we need a mentor text, we should look to our kids for their flexible thinking and for their ability to stand up for what’s right and advocate for each other, because they know how to make sure voices are heard and everyone gets what they need.
[00:16:25] Outro: If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to hear more, please subscribe wherever you like to listen to podcasts. And if you’d like to even more hope, check out our website stickyhope.com for tools, resources and more.
This episode was sponsored by Choice Literacy, a powerful hub of articles, videos, and resources for teachers by teachers.