COL Inquiry #2: If you know, you know! Knowing my biases to understand myself

The purpose of this blog is to identify any possible biases, prejudices and actions of privileging that I may have, that might influence my approach to teaching.  According to the Tapasā to 'know oneself fully is to understand one’s own biases, prejudices and actions of privileging’ (Tapasā, pg 7).  I wanted to understand what this meant further so I did some research.

To start with, I did what a lot of people do when they try to figure out the meaning of something, I googled it.  I put in ‘understanding own bias in education’ and I found a really interesting opinion piece article about The Pygmalion Effect. The article was called "Focusing on the wrong end of the problem" and it shared how students grow into their teachers’ expectations.  

The article was published in June 2021 and the writer Anton Blank did a small experiment.

“At an Auckland secondary school this month, I asked a group of eight Māori and Pasifika students to try sitting with Asian and Pākehā students, and come back a week later with their findings. All, except one, got more attention from their teachers. All, except one, got more attention from their teachers. The student who reported no difference was already sitting with a diverse group of friends.

The lesson here was not just seating the students differently that the relationship with the teacher changes, it was about how a teachers perceptions unconciously influenced their actions.

In economic theory, this is called a nudge — an environmental change that encourages humans towards a desired behaviour.  If, therefore, we understand racism and bias as an aspect of the human condition, that we are all capable of these behaviours, we can make sense of the political and social world and navigate it more successfully. 

If we use the iceberg analogy, most of a teachers behaviours and triggers sit below the level of their conscious awareness.  They don’t realise they spend more time with Asian and Pākehā students. Māori students see it, though, and retreat to the back of the classroom, where they sit in groups and disengage". 

To understand my bias, prejudices and actions of privileging, I need to provide context.  I am Samoan and was born and raised in South Auckland.  My parents were migrants in the early 70's.  In my professional experience I have taught at my secondary school for 23 years and have been involved in various roles in and out of the school.  The following wonderings are based on my own experiences (so please don't judge me):

My Maori Students

I am always worried about the Maori students in my class all of the time.  I always think that their families are probably displaced in our community and that Glen Innes is most likely not their whanau, iwi, hapu or tribe and that they are probably disconnected to this place.  There maybe one or two who come from well-supported, strong cultural homes but the sadly a lot of our kids don’t come from these homes. A few of our Maori students have very strong Pasifika friends and would identify more closely with them and their cultures, than their own.

When I think of my actions towards my Maori students, I think I am probably too nice and understanding and not expecting too much especially it might be too hard for them and sympathise with them.  I'm just happy that they are at school.  I want them to succeed but it’s ok if they don’t because it’s not their fault.  This then lowers my expectations of them, which means I am continuing the cycle of low expectations and underachievement that I always say I am fighting against.  What a hypocrite! Hmmm not good.

My Pasifika Students

Most of our Pasifika kids come from very strict backgrounds and are deeply rooted in their church and their cultures.  Economically, parents or families are working. There are very few full Tongan students that don’t know how to speak Tongan which is amazing.  The most challenging of our Pasifika students (and these are mostly boys) come to school to find their place in the hierarchy of their social and peer groups and sometimes they forget the key values of respect and service.

My actions to the Pasifika students is that I have very high expectations of them because I know that they came from proud people who worked hard for them to get where they are.  I always say to them that they are ‘standing on the shoulders of their ancestors’ and wherever you go, you take your identity and your people with you.  I see them excelling and being the best versions of themselves and my actions towards them reflect this.  I am tougher on them then the other students in the class because they need to work harder then everybody else for the who they are.

I am what the kids call ‘chilled’ so the attention is usually redirecting or supportive rather than strict when it comes to managing classroom behaviour.  Sometimes this then becomes a lot of positive affirmations for the naughty kids and a lot less attention on the kids who are actually working.  I fear this happens in most of my kids classes.  This is something I need to look further into and this has a direct impact on the expectations I have of the kids in my class.

Raising achievement for my kids to an equal playing field.

Do I treat my Maori students differently to my Pasifika students? I think I do and part of it is because I am a Pasifika person and can relate to the Pasifika kids, it's a given.  It's not what I want to do but it's what I know.  What I need to do now that I've identified important biases (conscious and unconscious) is to think about ways to understand how to raise my level's of expectations for all the learners, but I must make a more concerted, conscious effort for my Maori students now that I think I know my biases. I found an image that I think is appropriate.  I want to break down the barriers which starts with knowing oneself, accepting that we all have biases and prejudices and start actions to address it. That change starts with me.