“Left out of the conversation: Black and visible minority ethnic teachers

speak”

Rowena Arshad

ESRC Seminar Series

• Universities: Strathclyde (lead), Edinburgh (CERES), Southampton, Birmingham and the General Teaching Council

• Series title: Diverse Teachers for Diverse Learners (DTDL)

• 6 seminars 2011-2012

SEMINARS

• Seminar 1 International Perspectives on Teacher Diversity

• Seminar 2 Defining the issues

• Seminar 3 Teachers Sharing Experiences of their Professional Lives

• Seminar 4 Young People Sharing Perceptions of Teacher Diversity

• Seminar 5 Exploring the issues

• Seminar 6 A Different Future

Context

• Persistent low numbers of Black and visible minority ethnic teachers (BME)

• Pupil population increasingly diverse but teacher workforce still mainly white

• Experiences of BME teachers often tainted by isolation, non-recognition and racism

Seminar in Edinburgh

• Captured the voices of seven teachers (one male, six female) across primary, secondary and further education

• Small scale – cannot be generalised but illuminative

• No significant study on the voices of BME teachers in Scotland

Target audience

• Power elite of Scottish education e.g. Scottish Government, Local Authorities, Association of Directors of Education, School Leaders Scotland

• GTCS hosted the seminar. Power elite not present. Trade unions supportive and also attended by other academics and BME teachers

Theoretical lens

• Anti-racist approach

• Critical Race Theory

• Critical Theory

Methodology (1)

• Key access route - the EIS which is the largest teaching union in Scotland

• EIS mailed to all self-identified BME teachers• 8 responses went directly to the EIS who

ensured teachers were content to be involved• Teacher e-mail adderesses passed to research

team

Experiences sought in four themed areas

• To provide examples of what is possible for BME teachers when there are enabling opportunities and structures

• To discuss the types of barriers facing BME teachers in relation to promotion and progression

• To reflect on BME teachers’ experiences of initial teacher education

• To discuss issues that might impact on the BME teacher experience in school

•

Methodology (2)

• Seminar lead emailed all 8 teachers. 4 positive responses received

• Boost with three other teachers known to the seminar team e.g. one was a student just qualified, another was a teacher but also a part-time doctoral student and another was a teacher who a member of the team had worked with

Methodology (3)

• Teachers assured of anonymity and could provide their experiences without attending the seminar

• Their ‘stories’ could be captured by reading out an account written by themselves, playing an audio-tape of their contributions or to appear in person at the seminar

Methodology (4)

• Seminar organiser makes contact and explains what is required. All of these by telephone except one who wanted to meet face to face

• At least one conversation with each teacher lasting approximately an hour going through the project and identifying the area of contribution

• Multiple follow- up conversations took place with at least five to refine input

Methodology (5)

• Six of seven teachers wrote down what they wanted to say

• Six of the seven teachers decided to speak at the conference. One refused but provided something to be read out

• This presentation captures some emerging themes

On being different

“I remember my first day teacher training. It was September. I walked into my classroom and all my students were wearing jumpers, which is fine because it was cold. But they were wearing them on their heads. And I thought “what the hell?”. It was about September 11th, 9-11 and I was blown away. Just picture that for the moment. I was like – it was just a total shock.”

Abdul (secondary)

Hoda (wears a hijab)

“…when I went into a classroom a couple of teachers were having a discussion. I went to join in with the discussion and I had one of the teachers hold up a hand right in my face. And that really got to me, that really upset me and I thought this isn’t right. I am not being treated as a professional, as another colleague.“

Not in the 21st century…surely not

“…the first time he came up with the question ‘Is it possibly to do with race?’ after I had shared my experiences with him. I, at the time, just dismissed that because I thought, in this day and age, I just can’t accept that. I can’t accept that this would be happening due to the colour of my skin, possibly. I don’t know. So at the time I just kind of dismissed it. Put it aside and carried on with the year through the difficult experiences that I was going through.”

Hoda (Primary)

Noor (FE)

• Ignorance and fear of being getting it wrong allows much to happen in the name of culture

• Insensitive comments which demonstrate levels of potential ignorance/racism“We have students from Pakistan, India, Syria, Russia …we have quite a mix in the classroom and there have been terminologies used in the classroom, people have said things like, “oh, I think I am coming into a refugee camp” when they come into the classroom.”

Speaking up about racism

• Being confronted with racism (intentional and unintentional) meant BME teachers just had to speak up

• One teacher reported that she had not encountered racism in Canada…only since she came to Scotland

Dealing with racist encounters

• From staff -low key, humour, exploitative• From pupils – less respect, some direct

challenges• Not just aimed at visible minorities

“I have a Polish colleague who has a Masters in Forensic Psychology, but because there aren't any jobs in her field right now, she works in the units with the kids. One kid actually said to her "Why do you work here? You're Polish, you should either be picking berries or prostituting yourself. I was appalled.”

Playing white - fitting in“ I think I went through university like that and I went through primary school like that, where I was playing white. White my proxy. Didn’t want to be different, didn’t want to look different, although I do have a big nose!...

I worked in a mainly white school, mainly all white staff, pupils, parents, and that was fine because I fitted in, well I think…think I fitted in, because I chose to ignore or maybe I wasn’t aware of my ethnicity as much because I was playing white for so long that I thought I was white..”

BME role models “For the first time in my life I had tutors and

teachers who came from visibly world-wide backgrounds. The rawness of some of the feelings of my fellow students and the boxes some of us had built around ourselves and our identities throughout those years, opened up and the multi-faceted-ness of who we were, and who we could be, is something that was fundamentally liberating, and which stays with me to this day.”

Vicky, Primary

BME role models

“I am very aware of my BME visibility in my current job, in my life, but in my job at the primary school, and I have a broad range of students in my school, and I feel very positive to be there as a primary school teacher, as a role model and as someone who they can say “Oh well, there’s somebody who is a teacher, who doesn’t necessarily look like me, or someone who does look like me or looks a bit like me”. I’ve had a lot of comments like “You look a bit like my mum”, which is quite nice.”

Vicky, Primary

Lack of promotion and recognition“What’s the point! … Despite working hard and doing endless courses I have got nowhere. I don’t see the point in doing any extra courses any more. It is disheartening to see colleagues moving up the ladder without doing anything extra while I am stuck in the same rut.”

“ I do notice that if other members of staff do even the smallest thing it is brought to everyone’s attention and praised. My contribution appears to always be downgraded.”

Khalida, Primary

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Impact on individuals

• Hurt• Constantly feeling vulnerable• Unrecognised• Anger/frustration/sadness at being

treated unfairly• Feeling stupid and paranoid• Disheartened• Working constantly to ‘not let it get

to me’

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On the positive side….

• Where pro-action is taken by colleagues and management to challenge racism, this is very much appreciated

• International students bring a wider perspective and positive experiences

• Initial teacher education CAN make such a difference

Conclusion

• Findings from repeated studies point in the same direction

• Continued disinterest from Education power elite – why?

• BME teacher experience can be a lottery- this does not inspire the next generation

• Sleeter (2004) and others suggest – more BME teachers are needed to push issues forward