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By Courtney Warren
I love social media. I’m super active on Tik Tok and have learned so much about different teaching strategies just over the last few months from this crazy clock app. However, one other thing I have learned is that there is a huge stigma around the Mississippi academies, and I had to be careful about who I allowed to comment on my videos.
Growing up in Georgia, while I attended a boarding school, the history of how the academies came to be was not new to me. It was only a few months ago when someone commented on one of my videos that I had “no right” to talk about teaching when I taught at a “historically racist institution.” That was pretty eye opening. Other Tik Tok teachers came to my defense before I ever had to speak up. I’m proud of my school. I’m even prouder of my students.
That being said, I do know there is a strong history of segregation when it comes to the private academies of our state. I know that we have academies in Mississippi that include board members who flat-out refuse students of color to this day.
With February being Black History Month, and the month where we focus on love, I wanted to take a second to talk about how my students of color have made my job and my life that much richer.
When I began several years ago as a teacher in our community, I absolutely loved the fact that I was able to choose the books I teach. My headmaster is incredibly encouraging when it comes to our reading culture. I chose books I loved and was excited about. I chose books I thought the students would enjoy, as well.
It was during the end of January several years ago that a very precious freshman asked me, “Mrs. Warren, how come we don’t read books about Black kids?” I had no idea how to answer him. So the next month, for Black History Month, that’s all we did. But I knew trying to teach them about these Black authors was going to be a challenge, when I myself didn’t know much. What I learned was so stinkin’ cool.
That month, I let those freshmen teach me. Our students of color took over class each day, without knowing it, and shared the information they learned from their parents, grandparents, and the Canton Public School District. They shared about music, poets, the Civil Rights Movement, and more. It was awesome to see these 14-year-old kids fill the gaps with their own experiences. It was awesome, and it was an honor to be a part of it.
Without diversity, we can’t learn.
It’s important to note that it’s not their job to educate me. The following summer, I spent my months examining the books on my own shelves. I wanted to really think about the authors I was recommending and teaching – did they really represent all of the students in my classroom? The answer was no. I was once again encouraged by my headmaster to make the change. Make sure everyone found themselves between the pages and, in doing so, make sure they knew their stories mattered. Without them, I never would have found some of my favorite authors. I never would have gotten lost in some of the most amazing books. I looked at my daughter’s shelves and saw the same thing. This led me to reach out to other author friends and those at We Need Diverse Books to find some really cool stories.
When COVID first happened in 2020 and was followed up with the Black Lives Matter movement, I stayed pretty quiet on Facebook, knowing that, no matter what I said, I wasn’t going to win. But I also knew, because we weren’t in the classroom, so many of our students weren’t getting that constant reassurance that they mattered, despite all of the mess they were seeing on social media. Coach and I took an afternoon to reach out to our students of color to let them know we loved them, supported them, and saw them. We cried with a few of them as they admitted that they were a little afraid. We promised we’d do everything we could to keep them safe when they were in our care.
Now, the point of this isn’t to be a white savior in any way. There’s only one savior – and He wasn’t white.
My point is, it’s February. A lot of people are still out there that think children of color don’t belong at the desk beside my blonde-haired, blue-eyed child. That’s wrong.
There are people that think children of color shouldn’t be allowed to play basketball at certain schools. That’s wrong.
We need books with people that don’t look like us. We need movies with people that don’t look like us. And we need those books and movies to not just be centered around social justice but be centered around adventure, and magic, and spooky monsters, and sports.
We need our students to teach us. I know I do.
In a community where race is often in the conversation, I think we can all agree that it’s the people that make the community better. Good people make a good community. Not white people and not Black people – just good people.
I’m so grateful for all of the wonderful people I’ve met in our community, whether that be at school, working for this paper, or hanging out at Kylie Melons.
Below are a few of my favorite books recommended and read by my students. You can find them at our Canton Public Library. I hope this month you find something you love, spend time with people you love, and - if needed – educate yourself and find something different to love, and realize that, no matter what color we are, we should always choose love.
BOOKS
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Tristen Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
Rocket says, Look up! by Nathon Bryon
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