The best outcome would be for the primacy of race to be acknowledged at government policy level, but there is a danger in making such a recommendation that individual higher education institutions or even the whole sector feel excused from local action until this happens.
There is also a need to temper recommendations with realism. So, what can we do now to create change? Educate ourselves to gain a deeper understanding of race in education.
It is our job to educate ourselves. It is not the job of people of colour to educate us. This must start with critical reflection on your own position and practice. What obstacles do you face and what privileges do you benefit from? In your own discipline how are certain voices and perspectives privileged whilst others are silenced?
If you teach you are certainly an expert in your own discipline as you relate to it from your own position. We must, however, humble ourselves and accept what we do not know and may never be able to understand. What is not considered core knowledge to our disciplines that really should be?
What does our discipline mean to students who are in a very different position from us? My PhD was based on my teaching on public law, and we looked at how the British electoral system operates. I always pressed on my students the importance of voting in elections. I never once recognised that many of my students would have not had a candidate who looked like them on the ballot — something that as a white man I confidently expect always to have. This kind of reflection will help us unpick the nature of our respective disciplines so that we can build truly equitable programmes.
While it is broadly disputed whether these changes are good or bad, it is my assertion that teaching becomes easier in the modern society than it was before, contrast to what some people may otherwise claim. To begin with, the quality of teaching, which is an interactive activity between teacher and students, is highly subjected to the ways people communicate in the activity.
In modern society, a broad range of methods and technologies that help improve communication efficiency, such as the Internet and remote instant video techniques that allow a group of people to organize a meeting via video, are introduced to us. These technologies have no doubt imposed positive impact on teaching, making teaching not only more available but also more interesting.
For example, one of my English teachers in college took advantage of the video of BBC news in the class, making the class extremely catchy and fun. In addition, sources of materials for teaching are enriched and diversified in compare with those in the past. Nowadays library is no longer the only source where teachers get their materials for teaching.
When I finally got the hang of teaching, I certainly had a lot of judgment for those I worked for. Leadership looked a lot easier from the classroom than it is for real. Leadership is not for the weak of heart. The kids make it worthwhile. Leadership is also worthwhile but different and much harder than it looks.
If it looks easy, then the leader is doing a phenomenal job of spinning plates and making it easier for the team to do what they need for kids. A masterful teacher or leader seamlessly orchestrates movement and inspires risk-taking behavior.
They accept responsibility instead of blaming others and are always looking for better solutions so that students win. At the end of the day, it is all about the students, no matter which position you are in. If we are going to present the best versions of ourselves, we have to stop pointing fingers and work together.
Being an educator is hard enough without the internal struggles that go on, so we need to work together to make the most of the resources and time we have.
Every educator does this job for a reason. Instead of assuming the worst, inquire about their why.
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