If this is your first year doing this series as a group, we recommend working through Inquiry Series 3.
Don't forget to give us feedback!
Overview:
Last month, we encouraged groups to discuss what accountability looks like at their schools. This month we encourage folks to look at their individual practice of accountability, and in particular focus on the act of apologizing. This month’s article gives an excellent overview of accountability, reminding us that “Accountability should be proactive. We should be forthcoming about our mistakes, rather than hoping no one finds out about what we’ve done. Ideally, we would proactively communicate with others as soon as we know we’ve messed up or haven’t done what we said we would do.”
Mia Mingus explains how we are all bound to make mistakes, and certainly this is true for white teachers. We are bound to make mistakes after being taught racist ideas and internalizing ideas of white supremacy. Giving a genuine apology resists white supremacy culture characteristics such as the right to comfort and fear of open conflict. We challenge participants to be vulnerable in this month’s conversation, in order to continue the growth that we have been making this year. As we narrow our focus to apologizing, trust that doing the deep work of analyzing our own harm and role in conflicts will strengthen relationships and prepare us better for future mistakes.
Primary Resources:
The Four Parts of Accountability & How to Give a Genuine Apology
The Accountability Resources document is available if your group would prefer a different article to read. We will continue adding resources and linking this document for the remainder of the year. If you know of any resources that you think should be on this list, please email us at barwe215@gmail.com.
Guiding Questions:
Facilitation Reference Guide:
Feedback Form:
As we grow in year four, we hope that one person in your group can take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form to let us know how it went.
Here is a takeaway from a previous meeting:
Don't forget to give us feedback!
Overview:
Last month, we encouraged groups to discuss what accountability looks like at their schools. This month we encourage folks to look at their individual practice of accountability, and in particular focus on the act of apologizing. This month’s article gives an excellent overview of accountability, reminding us that “Accountability should be proactive. We should be forthcoming about our mistakes, rather than hoping no one finds out about what we’ve done. Ideally, we would proactively communicate with others as soon as we know we’ve messed up or haven’t done what we said we would do.”
Mia Mingus explains how we are all bound to make mistakes, and certainly this is true for white teachers. We are bound to make mistakes after being taught racist ideas and internalizing ideas of white supremacy. Giving a genuine apology resists white supremacy culture characteristics such as the right to comfort and fear of open conflict. We challenge participants to be vulnerable in this month’s conversation, in order to continue the growth that we have been making this year. As we narrow our focus to apologizing, trust that doing the deep work of analyzing our own harm and role in conflicts will strengthen relationships and prepare us better for future mistakes.
Primary Resources:
The Four Parts of Accountability & How to Give a Genuine Apology
The Accountability Resources document is available if your group would prefer a different article to read. We will continue adding resources and linking this document for the remainder of the year. If you know of any resources that you think should be on this list, please email us at barwe215@gmail.com.
Guiding Questions:
- What are you taking away from this reading that feels useful?
- Is there a time that you made an apology regarding your own racist action, microaggression, or participation in white supremacy? Focusing on the “What” section of the article, are there parts of your apology that went well? Parts you would change? What was your motivation for apologizing (i.e., was the goal to ease your conscience or to make amends with the person you harmed)?
- Focus on the “How” section of the article. What gets in the way for you when you think about making an apology to someone you’ve hurt? How can you take responsibility for your emotions such that the other party doesn’t feel responsible for your comfort?
- Is there a time you were held accountable by a person of color? What supports did you have in this situation? What supports were in place for the person who held you accountable?
Facilitation Reference Guide:
- Set a day and time for your group to meet. Make sure to send reminders.
- Send this month’s Primary Resource to your group. Look through the additional readings to see if there is another reading that might be better suited to your group and its interests.
- Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Norms and Discussion Protocol.
- Pass the Hat and collect donations for SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project this month.
- Complete the Feedback Form.
- Prepare yourself for April by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on April 1st.
Feedback Form:
As we grow in year four, we hope that one person in your group can take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form to let us know how it went.
Here is a takeaway from a previous meeting:
Thank you all for your feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month we are suggesting donations for SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project. SOIL was founded in 2020 by Mia Mingus, the author of this month’s primary article, in order to build the conditions for transformative justice to grow and thrive. According to their website, “We do this through political education, skills building, formation development and strategic partnerships. We envision a world where everyone is able to effectively respond to, transform and prevent harm. Our north star is to break and end generational cycles of harm and violence.”
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month we are suggesting donations for SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project. SOIL was founded in 2020 by Mia Mingus, the author of this month’s primary article, in order to build the conditions for transformative justice to grow and thrive. According to their website, “We do this through political education, skills building, formation development and strategic partnerships. We envision a world where everyone is able to effectively respond to, transform and prevent harm. Our north star is to break and end generational cycles of harm and violence.”