Thoughts on Colorblind Ideology

The following reflections are in reference to the article Colorblind Ideology is a Form of Racism by Monnica Williams Ph.D., posted on the Psychology Today website.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/colorblind/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism
What are your views on Colorblind Ideology?
Views of Margo Isabel
Colorblindness is a very difficult concept to understand if you spend most of your day in a White majority community, and potentially live in a white majority neighborhood.  Accepting or rejecting colorblind ideology, I believe, depends on your experiences engaging with difference. The stance I take on colorblindness is a professional and personal one – one that reflects my view as an educator and as a white woman, who throughout her life, has been actively engaged with multiple ways of viewing and experiencing the world. The article above on colorblind ideology from Psychology Today defines Colorblindness as: “… the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity.” In my view colorblindness is both disrespectful and unresponsive to the individual and collective needs of those who form a community. By being blind to ones color, culture, ethnicity, ability, disability, gender, or sexuality, we are ignoring an important part of a persons identity. By ignoring community members’ identities, those individuals may feel invisible, misunderstood, and sometimes rejected. This sense of exclusion, especially in adolescents, can be very damaging to their self-identity, which ultimately leads to an array of problems for the individuals as well as for the community. Many times these problems remain invisible, although they are fermenting under the surface. A true inclusive and culturally responsive community rejects colorblind ideology.  Those who support a colorblind mentality unintentionally alienate many members of the community. These individuals leave, rebel or silently suffer.We are a school family. We are not treated equally, nor should we be. We lead differently; we teach differently; and we learn differently. We are trained, guided, and supported as we explore and experiment with different pedagogical tools and methodologies. We are expected to differentiate and meet the needs of a vast range of intellectual and cognitive abilities.  However, are we trained, guided and expected to represent, lead, engage, and expose one another to multiple perspectives and worldviews? Some may say yes; some may say no; others are unsure – it remains a grey area. We are a diverse school family – we need to work together to ensure that all individuals feel like true members, and not as guests in our school home.  Our students will not enter a colorblind society – preparing them to enter a diverse society should be intentional; it should be part of our curriculum, program, traditions and professional preparation. Thoughts on Colorblind Ideology
Views of Barry L. Davis - friend and colleague 
“Can’t we just get over this race thing?” “Why do you guys always bring this up?” “I have friends who are (place the appropriate color here), and they don’t always talk about race, they’ve moved on, why don’t you?” These are all questions that I have heard recently, leading me to believe that the Pink Elephant in the room is still race.  When I hear these comments, or people say that they are colorblind, I feel invisible. The one aspect of who I am that has impacted my entire life is being dismissed. I was black first. If I were left on the street of Harlem when I was born, those who found me would say they had found a black male.

When I hear people say that they don’t see race or they have a colorblind ideology, I can only hope that they really mean something else. Perhaps they mean that they see and appreciate race, and don’t see it as a negative thing. However, in my heart I believe a colorblind viewpoint to be a copout, a way to say,  “move on, we’re over this?” I have never heard a person of color say that they do not see color. Color is such a large part of our daily existence, especially living in an environment where we are the minority. To ignore my color is hurtful. It shows me that you don’t understand, see, or appreciate part of who I am.
As is mentioned in the article, as long as blind means not being able to see something, colorblindness can only be seen in a negative light. In the article, multiculturalism is suggested as a remedy or alternative to colorblindness. I see this as just another way to minimize the importance of race and color, a way to peacefully include color into the diversity dialog. In the end, it still minimizes who we are, as well as our history and experience in society.

Instructional Leadership and My Learning Day Among the KC Stars

Last week, I finished another Leadership 2.0 session; the week’s topic was on Instructional Leadership, led by Chris Wejr. Just before the session began I was finishing up a two thank you notes that I was preparing for a Kindergarten class and their two teachers who welcomed me in their classroom for an entire day last Thursday! As Chris spoke about Instructional Leadership I realized how connected his words were to my day in KC.  Chris and other leaders in the chat area commented on our role as “learners.”  Spending the day in each classroom this year is one of the many ways I am “learning about learning.” Observing, engaging, helping, and reflecting throughout a whole day enables me to see the big picture of each developmental age, as well as to better understand how each piece of the puzzle (content area, time of day, transition, specialist class, daily 5, writing workshop, enrichment, play, recess, lunch, snack……mood, weather, celebrations!) neatly fits, or doesn’t into the overall program. Through this learning and reflecting I can respond, encourage and when needed provide “gentle nudges” either to the teachers or to other administrators that could lead to positive change. I agree wholeheartedly that the focus of my time in each classroom is on the “learning rather than the teaching.”

Another learning component of my days in the different classrooms is to experiment with a variety of reflection techniques, and push myself to explore new tools. For my first class, a fourth grade, I wrote a letter to the students, which the teacher was able to email to the entire class. For this second kindergarten class, I prepared a simple two-minute thank you recording that I have asked the teachers to play for the students during morning meeting. You can hear it below, or read the transcript. I included a thank you for the teachers as well.
As I continue this learning journey through different classrooms, I am looking explore different reflection techniques. Do you have any suggestions? I envision making an e-book of a day, or creating an iMovie with snapshots of a day. Please comment and share your ideas on how to record my reflections during these learning experiences!
Transcripts:
Dear KC Stars:Thank you, Gracias, for allowing me to spend the day with you last Thursday. With all the talk and activities around Halloween, Pumpkins and Spiders – I really began to realize that Fall is really here. But what was so cool was how much you learned about shapes, letters, sounds, weight, estimation and the variety of Spider webs all revolving around the cool things that Fall has to offer. I also learned so much throughout the day– I never new about the “funnel web.” I also had lots of fun making my “Shape Scarecrow” which proudly is hung in my office.

And you certainly were all Stars learning how to share, work together, and respect one another. I heard I am sorry when a KC Star bumped into a KC friend, I heard Thank you when a pencil was handed to a KC friend. I did see that taking turns was a bit of a challenge at the listening center, but with a reminder you were able to take turns. I saw so many smiles on your face and learning seemed to be great fun!
Keep it up KC Stars, you have a wonderful year ahead. And remember to thank your teachers. They did so much to prepare for that fun filled day of learning.
Thank you so much for allowing me to spend the day in KC.

Happy Halloween KC Stars!


Dear Emma and Lisa,
Thank you for allowing me to spend the day in KC. I had a grand time! I really enjoyed understanding the pulse of 4-6 year olds. Very interesting that Daniel knows the age of each KC Star! Should we hand him a copy of Yardsticks and ask him to comment on the developmental differences of his classmates?  You are both doing an awesome job in KC – it is so nice to see how well you collaborate and seamlessly work together to plan and carry out the day in KC. Some of the things that really caught my eye were the following:·          Fabulous job keeping those KC Stars moving! Within one hour Lisa directed 3 different get up an move activities – which clearly the Stars enjoyed! And little to they know how much that movement benefits them.
·          Recognizing and providing a variety a sensory experiences to meet the different learning needs of the students was clear: from writing on the mini chalk board, to using play dough to make an O, to listening to books on tape reading with the teacher or alone silently, all children needs were met.
·          Very in-tuned with the learning needs of the kids and using responsive classroom techniques to redirect was frequent: lots repetition of expectations and directions in a direct and caring manner.·          I was very impressed with the smooth transitions from center to center as well as from homeroom to specialist class. The children moved with ease and I clear idea of what was expected of them. They reached and left each destination with a smile on their face.