Culturally Sensitive and Sustaining Teaching
Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Toni Rose is joined by Liz Kleinrock to talk about the importance of representation, cultural responsiveness, and fostering inclusive learning environments.
Toni Rose and Liz reflect on their shared identities as Asian and queer individuals, highlighting the scarcity of representation in their own educational journeys.
Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:
Representation Matters: Liz emphasizes the distinction between representation and affirmation. She stresses the significance of seeing oneself in the curriculum and media, recounting her own experience grasping at any shred of representation, no matter the ethnicity. She encourages individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds to take control and write their own stories, reinforcing the importance of representation. Liz Kleinrock states, "Representation could not be more important, especially as we've had all these mainstream conversations about struggling with impostor syndrome."
Building Trust and Empathy: The conversation underscores the significance of fostering trusting relationships with students. Toni Rose shares their experience of seeking student feedback and adjusting her teaching accordingly. They advocate for a classroom environment where students and teachers alike can make mistakes and learn from them, emphasizing accountability over perfection. Toni Rose Deanon emphasizes the value of communication, saying, "I think another lesson of how to educate yourself in the most effective way."
Empathetic Approach to Change: When addressing the challenge of gaining administrative support for anti-bias and anti-racist work, Liz encourages educators to approach administrators with empathy and a collaborative mindset. She highlights the complexity of an administrator's role and suggests constructive dialogues and partnerships.
This conversation serves as a reminder that educators play a vital role in shaping a more inclusive and empathetic society by prioritizing representation, empathy, and collaboration in their classrooms.
Discussion questions for PLC and PD:
How can educators strike a balance between providing representation for all students in the curriculum and ensuring it goes beyond superficial diversity to offer genuine affirmation of their identities?
Liz and Toni Rose stress the importance of fostering trusting relationships with students, allowing room for mistakes, and being accountable for them. How can educators implement these principles in their classrooms to create an environment where students feel safe and empowered to express themselves?
When facing resistance or lack of administrative support for anti-bias and anti-racist work, what strategies can educators employ to initiate productive dialogues with school administrators and build partnerships that promote a more inclusive learning environment?
Our Host
Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that she never had growing up, so she focuses on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around her. As a queer Filipinx, she understands just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. She especially loves being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.
Our Guest: Liz Kleinrock
Liz Kleinrock (she/her) is an antibias antiracist educator and consultant based in Washington, DC. A transracial adoptee, Liz was born in South Korea and grew up in DC before attending Washington University in St. Louis, MO. After graduating, Liz moved to Oakland, California, where she served as an AmeriCorps teacher with Girls Inc. and Super Stars Literacy for two years. Following her service, Liz moved to Los Angeles and earned her M.Ed from UCLA's Teacher Education Program. After a year student teaching a 5th grade class in Watts, Liz joined the founding faculty of a startup school in East Hollywood where she spent seven years teaching 1st through 4th grades.
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