Why We Kneel How We Rise by Michael Holding

Author:Michael Holding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2021-06-24T00:00:00+00:00

Teachers expect problems from Black kids. And at a heartbreakingly young age, too. The results prove how deeply rooted racial biases are. Don’t take my word for it. Walter Gilliam, who led the research, said: ‘Implicit biases do not begin with Black men and police. They begin with Black pre-schoolers and their teachers, if not earlier. Implicit bias is like the wind: You can’t see it, but you can sure see its effects.’

Thankfully there is good news. Teachers don’t want to be racist, unconsciously or otherwise. They believe they are there to help kids grow and learn. They are there because they really love their job and they love kids. I know all those teachers in my family would say this. No teacher is in it for the glory or the money. So only one of those 135 teachers wanted their data withdrawn from the study. I wouldn’t want to speculate as to why but the other 134 were embarrassed by the findings and are already making a difference and, as I said, helping to start to solve the problem. It would be great if these studies and their results were highlighted more so that people could learn from the experiment and realise the existence of this unconscious bias. If you’re not aware of it, you can’t fix it.

In Britain, this same bias exists. In 2010 a study found that Black schoolchildren were being systematically marked down. Low expectations from teachers damage their prospects because their unconscious bias is telling them ‘these kids aren’t smart’. The study found that when you took the teacher out of the equation and conducted an external assessment, the children performed better.

The study was done by the University of Bristol. One of its co-authors was Simon Burgess, a professor of economics. He said that the issue was particularly pronounced in schools where there are fewer Black children. ‘What is worrying is that if students do not feel that a teacher appreciates them or understands them, then they are not going to try so hard,’ added Burgess.

One teacher trying to tackle that is Jeff Harriott. Jeff is originally from Australia and is now a head of school in Manchester. He sent me an email after he saw my speech on Sky Sports. He was spot-on with what he wrote to me about teaching and education:

Make sure we are part of the solution and not reinforcing the problem. I guess it’s a bit like trying to open a locked door and no one will give you the keys. We can bang and bang but ultimately we have two choices: we can walk away, it’s too hard, continue our ignorance, continue to restrict what’s on the other side, or we knock the thing over and open up new possibilities. Our curriculum is an ever-evolving piece and what you have said this week is ensuring that we are even clearer on what we need to do. Your voice, your comments, you will have an everlasting impact on our school.

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