"Where is our role in this? As with all things, the first questions we can ask ourselves are, "What part do I play in the existence of this issue in our school culture?" "How can I begin to change the way our school culture perpetuates this behavior?" On the surface, these seem to be simple and clear cut questions. However, upon honest reflection about the influence we exert, if we think we have none, we need to think more deeply.....
"How can I begin to change the way our school culture perpetuates this behavior?" There is a clear beginning point. Address language first. Language is a keyhole into the speaker's bias. But there is another consideration. Often children use language they have heard, and give little thought to its meaning. They use it without awareness of the harm being done. The permission to use any language that demeans does more than affect the recipient. Whether the user of the language knows what they are saying or not, the targets, as well as the observers, are given a message that this is a hostile environment...."
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