Bending The Arc January 2020
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How much of this truth can I bear to see and still live
unblinded?
How much of this pain
can I use?
- Audre Lorde, from "Need: A Choral of Black Women's Voices" in Chosen Poems, Old and New, 1982.
Welcome to 2020!
Imagine, we get this auspicious number 2020, how will we make this year better than the last? I can't help thinking about perfect vision: 20/20. What would it mean if we were able to see clearly all the time, both close up and at a distance? What might we discover that we previously missed?
And what is our vision for social justice education with our students this year, this month, this week?
Lots of big questions to explore.
I've begun my new year reading the work of poet and essayist, Audre Lorde. Up to this point I was only familiar with a couple of her most famous quotes and through a collection of essays, talks and interviews in Sister Outsider (1984), I am finally learning the wealth of her contributions to feminist scholarship. In an interview with author Adrienne Rich published in 1981, Lorde uses the quote above to illustrate how our fear of anger can keep us from looking at a problem or injustice and see it clearly for what it is. How do we turn our pain and rage into something that can move us forward?
Heavy? Yes, but look at how the year has begun: Australia in flames, Indonesia drowning, the US on the brink of another war. What kinds of possible futures are we building with our students in light of these anxiety inducing circumstances? Given the current (and seemingly perpetual) tensions in the Middle East, this month I'd like to offer some resources which will improve our understanding and appreciation of Islam and Islamic culture.
Education journalist, Melinda Anderson, recently tweeted out a thread of resources designed to help educators prepare for students' questions and concerns regarding Iran, Iraq, the Middle East and Islam. Among those resources I want to highlight a couple which may be of particular help in providing relevant information and insights.
The Teaching While Muslim website offers a host of resources for both the classroom and for your personal learning.
On their blog, I found this entry: 8 Must Have Books That Make Muslims Visible In Your Classroom.
I also asked my network for suggestions of videos that would be suitable for classroom use:
Here's a short video of young Muslim Americans reacting to Islamophobia
Some additional resources:
Teaching Tolerance also provides a comprehensive lesson plan for debunking Islamophobic ideas geared to secondary students.
Finally, I want to draw your attention to a demonstration of Islamic geometric patterns and how to create them. Complexity, creativity and detail are brought together in this process combining math and art.
For something different, consider sharing this music video, "Hijabi" by rapper Mona Haydar with students. It's one of my faves.
As we greet our students in 2020, let's think broadly about vision. What kinds of visions for a positive future can we create with our students? How will we learn to see the best in each other with greater clarity and focus? Even if we currently cannot see with 20/20 vision, we can dream of the world we would want to see if we had it.
Peace,
Sherri
PS: February is Black History Month in the US and March is Women's History, so plan ahead!
* images via Pixabay.com and Giphy.com