Asao B. Inoue's Infrequent Words

Entry 22 There is a lot more to say about each of these habits. They form an antiracist orientation to one’s life, teaching, students, curriculum, practices, school, discipline -- everything. That’s what’s needed today since we cannot expect schools and colleges to fix the racist and White supremacist problems of society institutionally. Institutions don’t dismantle themselves. The good news is: We can orient ourselves compassionately against such a society and its institutions in order to dismantle racist structures, practices, and the like. Then we get to remaking things anew.  In my own practices and research, as well as discussions with teachers, and observations of classrooms (primarily in secondary spaces), I’ve found the following twelve habits embodied by most antiracist teachers. I’ve grouped them into three categories for convenience. I do not claim that this is a definitive list of habits, nor that I’ve adequately described the parameters of each. It’s my best attempt at...

Entry 21 So if we cannot have an inherently antiracist pedagogy or practice, then what can I offer you? I can offer an antiracist orientation to our work, language, and the larger schools and societal structures around and in us. We can be antiracist towards systems, not so much people. My discussion of racist discourse is from an antiracist orientation. It’s meant to illustrate one kind of antiracist orientation that an ELA teacher might take. This is why I titled this blogbook What It Means To Be An Antiracist Teacher . It’s not “ how do you be an antiracist teacher,” it’s “what it means” to be one.  The how is really up to you. It is your laboring in the conditions you find yourself in among the people near you. I cannot do this laboring for you, nor can I know the important details of the how in your place with your students. You must inquire and respond to these things constantly. It’s hard work because once you figure out something, inevitably things change, and you’ve got ...