I have been thinking about inclusive teaching and how to be a good tutor recently.
In a lot of the things I have been reading talk about how a good tutor 'never takes sides' but in the examples given I wonder if abstaining is in fact read as silence and I strongly believe that silence works in the favor of the oppressor.
For example one text has this example:
"We were ten weeks into Introduction to Afro-Am and were discussing Louis Farrakhan," a young instructor told me. "Near the end of section, a very smart Jewish woman said, 'Only uneducated black men would believe in Farrakhan.' Six black men in the class turned on her and attacked. "Class ended, and she ran out of the room, down the hall, in tears."
"I went after her and told her that if she was ever going to understand this stuff she had to go back the next time and listen very hard to what those guys, highly educated, say about why they might believe in Farrakhan.
"I then went back into the classroom. Luckily the men were still there, still talking about the incident. I told them that if they were ever going to get it, they had to listen very hard to why a Jewish woman might think that only the uneducated would believe in Farrakhan."
This young man was able to turn a hot moment into a profound learning opportunity for his students. He did it by keeping his head, not taking sides, and letting both groups know that they would gain immeasurably by understanding the arguments of the other side
In that instance what the woman said was racist, by going back to the group that had defended themselves regarding racism and telling them "if they were ever going to get it" they had to listen to what was a racist comment - is surely to me not treating the two sides equally, its treating them the same but not equally as they were no equal participants one person said something racist about the group they belong to. The two ways this example were worded shows two very different approaches the white girl gets told to listen and understand, while the people who were affected by the racist comment get told they need to 'get it' - the latter being a much more aggressive comment/approach - this makes me question the writer and their internalised prejudices that have led them to decide this is the 'right' way to teach.
I don't know what I feel should should have been done in that instance. Should the tutor have pointed out that it was a racist comment when it happened? or should the debate have happened as it did but the after-talks been handled differently. The same thing said to the woman, but also with an explanation of what you said was racist and that is why they reacted in the way they did, and then say to the men 'sorry that you experienced racism in my class, I have talked to her, are you feeling okay? and then say that in future, while racism won't be tolerated in the classroom that discussion was a good opportunity to find out why a woman might think that only the uneducated would believe in Farrakhan". Or am I wrong and the above example the right way to handle it?
I want everyone in my classes to feel that they are safe and opinions valued, I worry that if I let racist comments be said without any challenge from me it will create an atmosphere where people from non-white backgrounds will feel that themselves and their opinions are less valued in the class and so will be reluctant to speak/interact and it might impact their learning and performance. But at the same time I don't want to shut down any discussions that would lead to the students having a debate about the issues and growing as individuals - if you never talk about these issues peoples views won't change.
What makes you feel welcomed and safe in a classroom in situations like this?
If this happened to you what would you want your lecturer/tutor/teacher to do?
If you teach how do you handle these instances in your classroom?
