#BARWE215
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Inquiry Resources
    • How to Start a BARWE Group
    • Norms
    • Problem of Practice Protocol
    • Discussion Protocols
    • Bringing in Coconspirators
    • Facilitators Troubleshooting Guide
  • Current Series 22-23 School Year
    • September: How do we (re)connect and (re)commit to a/nother year of striving towards being antiracist educators?
    • October: How does a practice of accountability connect to our anti-racist work?
    • November: Where has accountability shown up for us in the past and where can we grow?
    • December: How can we be in accountable and transformative relationships with our students in order to create spaces for Black, Brown, and Indigenous students and all students of color to thrive?
    • January: How can we be accountable to our Black students in our planning and teaching practice?
    • February: What does accountability look like in your school or organization?
    • March: How can we give a genuine apology when we commit racist harm?
  • New Groups Start Here (Series 3)
    • September: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in ourselves and our institutions?
    • October: How can we as white educators center Black joy in our classrooms and schools?
    • November: How can we more deeply reflect and/or apply what we learned about white supremacy culture and Black Joy?
    • December: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in our curriculum?
    • January: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in our curriculum?
    • February: How can we create classroom culture that resists white supremacy and that nourishes Black joy?
    • March: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in our classroom culture? How can we co-create joy with students?
    • April: How can we help develop staff culture that resists white supremacy culture and makes space for Black joy?
    • May: How can we help develop staff culture that resists white supremacy culture and makes space for Black joy?
  • Previous Inquiry Series
    • Inquiry Series 1 (2018-19 SY) >
      • August 2018: Why do white teachers need to talk about race?
      • September 2018: How can our curriculum challenge dominant and oppressive ideologies?
      • October 2018: How can we identify and challenge implicit bias in our own practice?
      • November 2018: How does whiteness affect our practices, relationships, and expectations in the classroom and the school community?
      • December 2018: How do we disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline?
      • January 2019: How can we ensure that our schools value Black lives?
      • February 2019: Why are teachers of color so important for our schools and how can we increase their numbers?
      • March 2019: How can we support colleagues of color and build anti-racist work environments?
      • April 2019: How can we implement culturally relevant teaching to challenge the culture of power that exists in schools?
      • May 2019: How do we push our schools, classrooms, and communities to incorporate more equitable disciplinary practices?
      • June 2019: How do we move this conversation forward and include more educators?
    • Inquiry Series 2 (2019-20 SY) >
      • September: What does it mean to develop an anti-racist identity as a white educator?
      • October: How do our implicit biases affect our students?
      • November: How could incorporating ethnic studies in our classrooms and schools help make our curriculum more antiracist?
      • December: How can we ensure that our school discipline policies are equitable and do not push girls of color out of school spaces?
      • January: How can we ensure that our schools value Black lives?
      • February: How can we recruit and retain more Black teachers in our schools?
      • March: How can White educators be accountable to their colleagues of color?
      • April: How can we interrupt anti-AAPI and xenophobic narratives in our classrooms and school communities?
      • May: How do we support our students during this crisis and connect to the larger fight to dismantle race and class oppression in our communities?
    • Inquiry Series 4 (2021-22 SY) >
      • September: How do we prepare ourselves for a year of striving towards being antiracist educators?
      • October: How can we take action when doing anti-racist work in spite of real or perceived risks?
      • November: How can we build lasting partnerships with co-conspirators?
      • December: What is a risky topic in my curriculum and how do I lean into that topic instead of shying away?
      • February: What barriers exist to forming partnerships with our students?
      • March: How would a commitment to equity principles increase our capacity to build authentic partnerships with BIPOC colleagues?
      • April: How would a commitment to equity principles increase our capacity to build authentic partnerships with BIPOC colleagues?
      • May: How do we develop a better understanding of Black educators’ realities in order to better support them?
      • June: How do we reflect on our year of BARWE work and move our antiracism work forward?
  • Summer Events
    • Summer 2019 "Seeing White" Discussion
    • Summer 2020 Reading Series >
      • Summer Reading 2020: Purpose
      • Zoom Meeting 1: Stamped
      • Zoom Meeting 2: Stamped
      • Zoom Meeting 3: We Want to Do More Than Survive
      • Zoom Meeting 4: We Want to Do More Than Survive
    • Summer Series 2021 >
      • Why are we accepting payment this year?
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Inquiry Resources
    • How to Start a BARWE Group
    • Norms
    • Problem of Practice Protocol
    • Discussion Protocols
    • Bringing in Coconspirators
    • Facilitators Troubleshooting Guide
  • Current Series 22-23 School Year
    • September: How do we (re)connect and (re)commit to a/nother year of striving towards being antiracist educators?
    • October: How does a practice of accountability connect to our anti-racist work?
    • November: Where has accountability shown up for us in the past and where can we grow?
    • December: How can we be in accountable and transformative relationships with our students in order to create spaces for Black, Brown, and Indigenous students and all students of color to thrive?
    • January: How can we be accountable to our Black students in our planning and teaching practice?
    • February: What does accountability look like in your school or organization?
    • March: How can we give a genuine apology when we commit racist harm?
  • New Groups Start Here (Series 3)
    • September: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in ourselves and our institutions?
    • October: How can we as white educators center Black joy in our classrooms and schools?
    • November: How can we more deeply reflect and/or apply what we learned about white supremacy culture and Black Joy?
    • December: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in our curriculum?
    • January: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in our curriculum?
    • February: How can we create classroom culture that resists white supremacy and that nourishes Black joy?
    • March: How can we identify and challenge white supremacy culture in our classroom culture? How can we co-create joy with students?
    • April: How can we help develop staff culture that resists white supremacy culture and makes space for Black joy?
    • May: How can we help develop staff culture that resists white supremacy culture and makes space for Black joy?
  • Previous Inquiry Series
    • Inquiry Series 1 (2018-19 SY) >
      • August 2018: Why do white teachers need to talk about race?
      • September 2018: How can our curriculum challenge dominant and oppressive ideologies?
      • October 2018: How can we identify and challenge implicit bias in our own practice?
      • November 2018: How does whiteness affect our practices, relationships, and expectations in the classroom and the school community?
      • December 2018: How do we disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline?
      • January 2019: How can we ensure that our schools value Black lives?
      • February 2019: Why are teachers of color so important for our schools and how can we increase their numbers?
      • March 2019: How can we support colleagues of color and build anti-racist work environments?
      • April 2019: How can we implement culturally relevant teaching to challenge the culture of power that exists in schools?
      • May 2019: How do we push our schools, classrooms, and communities to incorporate more equitable disciplinary practices?
      • June 2019: How do we move this conversation forward and include more educators?
    • Inquiry Series 2 (2019-20 SY) >
      • September: What does it mean to develop an anti-racist identity as a white educator?
      • October: How do our implicit biases affect our students?
      • November: How could incorporating ethnic studies in our classrooms and schools help make our curriculum more antiracist?
      • December: How can we ensure that our school discipline policies are equitable and do not push girls of color out of school spaces?
      • January: How can we ensure that our schools value Black lives?
      • February: How can we recruit and retain more Black teachers in our schools?
      • March: How can White educators be accountable to their colleagues of color?
      • April: How can we interrupt anti-AAPI and xenophobic narratives in our classrooms and school communities?
      • May: How do we support our students during this crisis and connect to the larger fight to dismantle race and class oppression in our communities?
    • Inquiry Series 4 (2021-22 SY) >
      • September: How do we prepare ourselves for a year of striving towards being antiracist educators?
      • October: How can we take action when doing anti-racist work in spite of real or perceived risks?
      • November: How can we build lasting partnerships with co-conspirators?
      • December: What is a risky topic in my curriculum and how do I lean into that topic instead of shying away?
      • February: What barriers exist to forming partnerships with our students?
      • March: How would a commitment to equity principles increase our capacity to build authentic partnerships with BIPOC colleagues?
      • April: How would a commitment to equity principles increase our capacity to build authentic partnerships with BIPOC colleagues?
      • May: How do we develop a better understanding of Black educators’ realities in order to better support them?
      • June: How do we reflect on our year of BARWE work and move our antiracism work forward?
  • Summer Events
    • Summer 2019 "Seeing White" Discussion
    • Summer 2020 Reading Series >
      • Summer Reading 2020: Purpose
      • Zoom Meeting 1: Stamped
      • Zoom Meeting 2: Stamped
      • Zoom Meeting 3: We Want to Do More Than Survive
      • Zoom Meeting 4: We Want to Do More Than Survive
    • Summer Series 2021 >
      • Why are we accepting payment this year?
#BARWE215

NORMS

​As you facilitate this work with your peers, it is important to keep some norms in mind. You can open your sessions by reviewing these (and more, if you’d like to add) with your group. Inspiration for these norms came from the “Four Agreements for Courageous Conversations About Race” from Singleton and Linton.

This BARWE Inquiry series was designed with the understanding that it is not the sole responsibility of people of color to educate White people about race. White people must take responsibility for our own growth to be anti-racist educators and community members. It also matters how we approach this work, so please keep the following norms in mind while engaging in these discussions:
  • Please approach this inquiry series as a learner. We all have room to grow with our understanding of race in our schools and communities. No one is an expert who has come to explain race to others; we are striving to be in dialogue with one another to learn and grow collectively.
  • The work of growing our race consciousness is messy and mistakes will be made. We understand harmful impact is possible even with good intentions. Given this, we encourage folks to offer each other support, feedback, and corrections. We invite you to meet potential discomfort with curiosity and openness rather than defensiveness.
  • The inquiry series does not take the place of anti-racism trainings that school districts can and should offer. When done well, such trainings are valuable. Nevertheless, we believe that any one-off training is inadequate, and this inquiry series is designed to encourage the ongoing reflection on race in our teaching and in our schools.
  • As white people engaged in this work, it is important to maintain humility around the topic of race when in dialogue with our colleagues of color. The goal will never be to explain to a colleague how they should feel about race; rather, we want to learn how to be productive coconspirators in the work towards racial justice in education and society.
    • It is important to listen actively to people of color in these conversations - and to respect and value their experiences.
    • At the same time, we should not expect people of color to do the work for us. We need to actively engage in reading and study - and can learn much about racism from these practices. We also need to share our perspectives and experiences.
  • Keep the focus on RACISM. It is easier to shift the conversation to colorblind versions of the topics; nevertheless, we must persevere through any discomfort to identify how race is central to our work and advocacy for justice in our schools.
  • Finally, as you keep in mind the ongoing nature of this work, please expect and accept non-closure. It is OK to “hang in uncertainty” and not rush to quick solutions. We believe sustainable, meaningful growth will result from the commitment to reflection.
If there are BIPOC participants in your group, we recommend the following additional norm: 
  • To our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color participants, we recognize the additional stress that discussing racism can place on folks when it is so much a part of their daily reality. Please take care of yourselves however you need to.

Below is an abbreviated version of the norms: 
  • Please approach this inquiry series as a learner.
  • We encourage folks to offer each other support, feedback, and corrections. We invite you to meet potential discomfort with curiosity and openness rather than defensiveness.
  • This inquiry series is designed to encourage the ongoing reflection on race in our teaching and in our schools.
  • As white people engaged in this work, it is important to maintain humility around the topic of race when in dialogue with our colleagues of color. We want to learn how to be productive coconspirators in the work towards racial justice in education and society.
  • Keep the focus on RACISM. 
  • Please expect and accept non-closure. It is OK to “hang in uncertainty” and not rush to quick solutions.
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