美国国家公共电台 NPR Want To Address Teachers' Biases? First, Talk About Race

Want To Address Teachers' Biases¹? First, Talk About Race

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Public school data shows that black students are less likely to be labeled gifted than their white classmates and more likely to be suspended. An elementary school teacher in Indiana is trying to break that cycle by getting her colleagues to talk openly about race and discrimination. Peter Balonon-Rosen of Indiana Public Broadcasting has the story.

PETER BALONON-ROSEN, BYLINE²: Suspension for many black students can be for things like disrespect, non-compliance - situations that require a judgment³ call. And that's important because what happens if a teacher's attitude towards race clouds that judgment?

AYANA COLES: Just fill in wherever.

BALONON-ROSEN: That's Ayana Coles. She's a teacher here at Eagle Creek⁴ Elementary in Indianapolis. In her room after school, it's hot, and the fans are on.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Are we just sitting around here, Ayana, or...

COLES: Anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Anywhere.

BALONON-ROSEN: Coles is black and one of just four teachers of color at the school. Throughout last year, she gathered co-workers in her classroom for open discussions on race.

COLES: We are going to experience discomfort⁵. We may or may not experience it, but if we have it, it's OK.

BALONON-ROSEN: Her goal - talk about race and biases that teachers could unconsciously bring to class. Coles says her son's schools have left him behind, that he's been suspended for minor⁶ reasons, that his teachers have never really connected with him. She wants teachers here to do better. Each meeting hits a different topic.

COLES: We talked about unquestioned assumptions like some parents or groups of people have no value of education or their parents are uneducated.

BALONON-ROSEN: This isn't a formal program. The 20 teachers gathered, including speech pathologist Dorothy Gerve, are here on their own time. She's the only other black teacher in the room.

DOROTHY GERVE: I actually had someone ask me, why don't black people speak right? And it threw me.

BALONON-ROSEN: Coles steers⁷ the group toward a discussion about Ebonics. When students use it, she says, it can trigger biases from teachers - who's smart, who's not.

COLES: I can remember being younger and if I used standard English, I'd feel like I was acting⁸ white. And so I was opposed to it because I wanted to embrace my culture and heritage, so...

BALONON-ROSEN: Coles says understanding cultural differences and privilege might get teachers to acknowledge then address their own biases.

COLES: I'm going to stop in a moment and let people - do you want to talk?

JASON COONS: Yeah, can I ask you something?

COLES: Yeah, go ahead.

COONS: So...

BALONON-ROSEN: Jason Coons, who teaches music, tells the group that in a school where most students are students of color, he feels some don't trust him as a white teacher.

COONS: At the end of the day, I'm just frustrated⁹...

COLES: Right.

COONS: ...With the fact that I don't feel like I can do anything about it. It's just...

COLES: I think that the - I have no answer for you, but this is what I will tell you. I absolutely was taught to not trust white people until I got to college.

COONS: Well, I was taught not to trust black people, so...

COLES: (Laughter) I get it.

BALONON-ROSEN: These sessions can get raw. But Jason Coons, who grew up in Alabama, says he's looking at things a little differently.

COONS: Like, what I think is misbehavior - OK, is this really actually something that needs to be addressed, or is this just because it's so different from what I grew up with that I view this as offensive?

BALONON-ROSEN: He says he's still learning.

COONS: I mean I'm thinking about the kids, but I mean I'm still growing as a person quite a bit, too, so...

BALONON-ROSEN: And Ayana Coles says she's helping¹⁰ her students break the silence on these tough topics, too. So I ask her, which group is it easier to have these conversations with?

COLES: Kids because they're honest. They're just like, this is what I think, so this is what I'm going to say - absolutely kids.

BALONON-ROSEN: Kids, like 9-year-old Lynae Gude. She says Coles, her teacher, helped her think a lot about the role both power and perspective have in the world.

LYNAE GUDE: Like, if you look at the world and you see negativity, you can be an advocate and say something about it.

BALONON-ROSEN: For NPR News, I'm Peter Balonon-Rosen.

1 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

5 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 steers   

n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• This car steers easily. 这部车子易于驾驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fodder fleshed the steers up. 优质饲料使菜牛长肉。 来自辞典例句

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。