Understanding White Privilege in the Classroom

1. Facilitated by C. Josh Simpson, Ed.D.

2. Session GoalsA the end of today’s session, my hope is that all participants will be able to: • Recognizethe influence white privilege has on our society • Explainand anticipate howwhite privilege may show itself in the classroom • Applyat least one suggested action in the classroom, and begin to do so today!

3. Recognizing white privilege… My recent opportunity to see what was unseen to me

4. “To redesign social systems, we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions.” Peggy McIntosh, Ph.D

5. Explaining white privilege #1- The Power of Normal • The power of normal refers to simple, everyday conveniences that white people aren’t forced to think about • This privilege allows white people to move through the world with an expectation that their needs will be readily met • Examples include: • Being in the company of people of their race most of the time, in most places • Having people of their race represented in media and pop-culture • Buying a box of ‘flesh’ colored bandages that matches their skin tone • What else comes to mind?

6. Explaining white privilege #2- The Power of the Benefit of the Doubt • White people are more likely to be treated as individuals, rather than as representatives of (or exceptions to) a stereotyped racial identity • Examples include: • Being able to fail without speaking to the abilities of my racial group • Being able to succeed without being called a credit to my racial group • What other examples can we think of?

7. Explaining white privilege #3- The Accumulation of Power • Students Learn a Powerful Lesson About Privilege • Examples of accumulated power include, but aren’t limited to: • Generational wealth or likelihood of inheriting owned property • In a study from 2014-16, results showed 71% of white households owned their homes compared to 41% for other races • Educational access • In 2012- 6% of white students attended a high-poverty schools whereas 40% of black students attended high-poverty schools • Occupational access • In 2017 the unemployment rate was 8.1% for black and 4.3% for white Americans when controlling for highest level of education obtained • Income • Wage gap statistics reveal that, when we control for education obtained, black men with 11-20 years experience in their field earn 23.5% less than their white counterparts • Others?

8. How can I advocate for those “in the rows behind me?” • Educate yourself and others • Once you’ve seen what you might have not seen, don’t ignore it • Don’t use discomfort as an excuse to disengage • If you see white privilege in action, speak up • Teach students how to develop a growth mindset • Help students identify and overcome their limiting beliefs

9. Suggested action #1- Help students develop a growth mindset In afixed mindset- people believe their abilities and qualities are fixed. They spend time documenting their talents and not developing them. They believe talent alone creates success-without effort. And they are wrong! In a growth mindset- people believe that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. ‘Brains’ and ‘talent’ are just the starting point. Growth mindsets create a love of learning and the resilience that is essential for great accomplishments.

10. Steps to Developing a Growth Mindset (Dweck) • Praise students wisely • Aim to build perseverance and resilience over reinforcing “talent” • “Gamify” the learning experience • Try to reward effort and progress toward goals rather than focus solely on outcomes • We educators may recognize this as engaging in formal assessment • Change the meaning of effort and difficulty in the minds of students • In a fixed mindset, effort and difficulty mean “I am no good if I have to work this hard.” • In a growth mindset, effort and difficulty are signs that “I am getting smarter.”

11. Suggested action #2- Help students identify their limiting beliefs • Limiting beliefs beliefs that constrain us in some way • By believing them, we do not think, do or say the things they inhibit • Our often about ourselves and our self-identity • We hold beliefs about our rights, duties, abilities, permissions • We hold beliefs about other people and the world in general • What beliefs have we learned from society or American culture? • How might these beliefs limit us?

12. Steps to Overcoming Limiting Beliefs Identifying the Current, Limiting Belief Developing the New, Growth-Oriented Belief Envision how your life would change if you didn’t hold this belief anymore Create a new belief that serves you One that improves your life and your ability to take action Measure yourself Ask “Is my behavior changing?” Create metrics/evidence of success • Identify your belief • Ask yourself- “Where did I come up with this belief?” • Seek the source • Look for supporting evidence • True or false

13. Conclusions • White privilege is the unequal distribution of advantages in our society • White privilege is continuously perpetuated by the accumulation of power over time • All students can benefit from the development of a growth mindset • We as faculty can start by developing a growth mindset of our own!