In this episode we discuss the cultural competency continuum. We focus in on color blindness and the potential risks of subscribing to a color blind ideology.

This, our third episode, is titled, “Miss, I can’t be a teacher. I’m brown.” That statement was made by an african-american girl in 1st grade. Only two years into her public school career and she has already been made to believe that teaching is for white folks. The focus of the show is the lack of diversity in the nation’s cadre of teachers. What percentage of the US teaching force is white? Does it matter? Clearly, we think it does, but why?

Shannon and Linda talk about the troubling experience of being called a racist as a teacher. Learning from her mistakes, Linda gives some suggested steps to take if you find yourself in this situation.

Tune in every other week for a discussion on various topics in education that connect to cultural competency, research based strategies, and real life experiences. Our commitment to our listeners is to provide strategies and techniques each show that are immediately applicable in classrooms and schools.