Forward.

Summer is finally here? Or is it?

It's hard to tell this year as we have been home since March. 

But the temperature is hotter and I'm getting less emails so it must be summer break.

I think many educators are feeling a little adrift this year as we settle into summer break. 

Doug Peterson highlighted this blog post by Lisa Corbett on This Week in Ontario EduBlogs. 

Lisa was writing about the last week of school but I think this description -

"I’m a ship lost at sea this week – meandering here and there with no real aim." 

- applies well to the first week of the summer. 

We haven't had any real routine here at my house. We are halfheartedly attempting to break the reliance on screens built from months of two adults attempting to work with two young children in the house. We are trying to get outside every day but it's HOT. We need to clean, tidy, organize and straighten all the makeshift works spaces and craft areas that have sprung up. 

But we haven't. Not really.

For the last two weeks I have taken part in the #QuarantineEd chat on Thursday night hosted by Matthew R. Morris and Jay Williams. Both discussions were open, honest and thought provoking. Last night's was interesting as the topic was supposed to center around summer plans but one participant asked an amazing question- 

"Do you think people will burn out or tire of anti-racist education?" 

(I'm paraphrasing and convinced their wording was better than mine. That was the gist.)

Wow. 

So many people shared honest concerns- that'll be worksheet-ified, that it will become something on a checklist to say we've covered it, that people won't see their place in the system and won't do the work, that people will find excuses not to do the work.

A big takeaway from last night for me was-

“You can only meet people as deeply as they have met themselves”

Which means as an educator it is my job to meet myself as deeply as possible. 

To look inwards, to reflect on my place of privilege, to consider my role in past wrongs, to unlearn and re-educate myself, to name and disrupt racism when and where it occurs in my sphere of influence. 

Doug also shared a blog post by Amanda Potts on This Week in Ontario EduBlogs and although I missed the broadcast of the show on Wednesday, reading the blog post really spoke to me. 

Is what I am doing enough? 

Is it enough to read and unlearn? Is it enough to listen and try to understand my role and to do better?

Is it enough to discuss my new learning with other educators and those is my life?

Is it enough to advocate for more books by Black and Indigenous authors for the library collection? To advocate for more diverse authors and illustrators that represent the tapestry of our world?

  To advocate for more books with diverse characters? 

I don't know.

I do know that I will keep reading, I will keep listening, 

I will keep discussing, I will keep learning, and I will keep advocating.

At first I thought picking my own word for July would be difficult given that

 I only picked June's word 13 days ago.

 I know that I originally posted that I might just keep unlearn for two months. 

But I want to be intentional in my own reflections and I want to stay committed to my goal of choosing one word each month for 2020.

Forward. 

July's word is connected to June's word... 

Unlearn. Forward.

As a white woman I recognize that my journey will be unending. 

I will be working every day to acknowledge what I don't know, 
to learn what I don't know, to de-centre myself, to do the WORK every day.

To learn forward.