Our default narratives box us in…
Stories help us make sense of the world. "Default narratives" are the familiar scripts we lean on when someone questions the validity of our story. In a way, they act as the first line of defense for the status quo by erecting an arbitrary boundary around what we believe is possible.
What if we reframed these narratives?
Instead of insisting that our classrooms are safe, we train our brains to think:
Classrooms are DYNAMIC. How can we help each other prepare?
Instead of lamenting that the Black kids just seem to struggle more than their peers, we train our brains to think:
Struggle is a sign of ENGAGEMENT. Why aren't more students engaged in the learning process?
Instead of dismissing our own ignorance as reasonable, we train our brains to think:
Ignorance is ILLITERACY. What skills do I need to learn to become racially literate?
Instead of assuming that all the (white) kids in our classrooms are innocent because they don't know better, we train our brains to think:
Students are AWARE of classroom dynamics. What questions have gone unanswered?
And finally, instead of simply identifying as someone who is doing their best, we train our brains to think:
I am ACCOUNTABLE. In what ways am I holding myself accountable?
Remember: "The raft is not the shore."