This book presents the first-person stories of White women teachers who tell us not only how they have grappled with race in diverse classrooms, but how they continue to this day to be challenged by issues of color and privilege.
Judith M. James is a diversity consultant with her own company, Diversity Works. Her company facilitates the development of intercultural communications among different ethnic, racial, and cultural groups. Dr. James has worked in K -12 districts for over 20 years as a teacher, staff development trainer, and administrator. She has also worked in higher education for the last seven years teaching classes for educators and communication classes for students interested in becoming more interculturally competent. Beside her work in diversity, Judith is currently a test administrator for the University of Minnesota. Nancy Peterson who is now retired, taught early childhood special education (ECSE) in Minneapolis Public Schools for 30 years. She writes poetry and memoir and has been part of an interracial family for 33 years. She is working on racial awareness and social justice with groups in the organization she co-founded, Winds of Change. Julie Landsman has taught in Minneapolis Public Schools for 25 years. She has also been a visiting Professor at Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota, and an adjunct professor at Hamline University and Metro State University in St. Paul. She is the author of numerous books on race and education and a frequent speaker and consultant around the country and abroad. She can be reached through her website at jlandsman.com
Acknowledgments Foreword-Julie Landsman Introduction 1. Human Error-Bridget Christianson 2. For the Love of Clowns-Judith M. James 3. Look for Connections-They are There Adrift-Kate Tindle 4. Of Privilege, Approval, and a Savior Complex-Kat Griffith 5. My All-American Birthright-Rachel Stephens 6. The Screen Door. Race Around an Ordinary Life-Nancy Peterson 7. "Saber Dos Lenguas es Saber dos Mundos". Thoughts From a White Bilingual Educator-Peggy Semingson 8. Piano Lessons. A White Teacher Struggles to Share the Spotlight-Tara L. Affolter 9. Tap Dancing on Tile. Sidestepping Failure at Guilford Elementary School-Kat Richter 10. A Question of Balance. My Journey of Cultural Evolution-Tabitha Dell'Angelo 11. The Myth of the Lone Hero. How a School in Brooklyn Taught Me to Stay With a Broken Heart-Sharon Barnett 12. Paying Attention to Racial Matters. Personal and Professional Development-Terri Karis Contributors Index