By Olivia Pappas (Wheelock, ’22)

As a junior who went from being undeclared in the College of Arts and Sciences to an Elementary Education major in Wheelock, I have taken courses across the board. From Statistics to German, to Early Childhood Development, I have been able to experience so many different topics. However, SO210: Confronting Persistent Social Inequalities in American Schools, and WR202: Children’s Literature have impacted me the most. These classes challenged my own views, biases, and understanding of the world as I pursue a career in education as a white woman.

As you may know, American schools are predominantly filled with white female teachers. Yes, I fit right into that stereotype. This means I especially need to put in the work to reflect on, identify, and examine my own assumptions about students, teachers, and schools.

In SO210, that’s exactly what I have been doing. In class, we focus heavily on examining issues of race, social structure, culture, gender, and identity. Through reading impactful excerpts from scholars like Ibram Kendi, Bettina Love, and Gloria Ladson-Billings, having thoughtful class discussions, and crafting critical thinking essays, I am analyzing my own stance on inequality in schools step by step. In order to create a more equitable environment for my students, I have to first learn about where inequity in schools exists so I may begin to break it down in my own classroom.

In WR202, we have discussed representation in the classroom and what it means for students to read books where their genders, cultures, ethnicities, and religions are recognized and appreciated. I have read countless #OwnVoices stories, where authors share the same marginalized identity as the character(s) in their story. Through analyzing current book lists and creating my own, I have gained a new awareness and understanding of critical issues surrounding children’s literature beyond the texts themselves. The class taught me how the texts I choose to incorporate into my own classroom will have a huge impact on how my students will learn and make their own assumptions as well.

As a future educator where I will have students from all diverse backgrounds, it is especially important that I continue to take classes like these to expose myself to new perspectives, become more knowledgeable about social justice issues, and learn how I can incorporate them into my classroom daily. I need to understand these issues of educational equity so that I can learn how to best support all of my students and set them up for success. I am grateful that BU requires these classes for education majors so that we are prepared to teach the next generation of students.

Reflecting on myself, I acknowledge that I am constantly learning and that it is a privilege to be able to learn about these social justice issues and inequalities, rather than experiencing them. I want to create a classroom environment where my students feel safe, loved, represented, and supported. That means I must be educated on these topics and break down my assumptions or misconceptions before I am ready to support a group of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students. I am looking forward to my development as an educator and as a person as I continue my education courses at BU over the next year!