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Author(s): Tauheedah Baker
“Seeking to dismantle a power imbalance that legitimizes racist acts of violence, without addressing those classroom practices and the racial hierarchies in our curricula, perpetuates systemic racism. Only a transformative pedagogy, founded on racial justice, will allow us to realize our ideals of diversity and inclusivity.”
Baker reflects on the impact of transformative pedagogy on advancing racial justice. She begins contemplating Carter "Woodson’s assertion that racist acts of violence begin in the classroom and echoes an essential truth that is often overlooked when critiquing American education: Ending racism and racist acts of violence within our society begins by examining what is taking place in our classrooms."
Baker asks "So what does it mean to teach as a transformative educator?" and also answers it.
"-It means critiquing traditional pedagogy and continuously engaging in reflection and self-examination.
-It also means engaging in the continual process of social critique and developing an evolving sense of advocacy and social responsibility.
-Most importantly, for transformative educators, the status quo is never good enough, and it certainly is not good enough for their students. They want a better education system for all children."