We speak with Jillian McRae and Sam North, English and history teachers at Ossining (NY) High School, and their student, Alaysha. For 15 years, Sam and Jillian have co-taught a college-level course called “racism, sexism, and classism: a popular approach.” They focus on pervasive systems of power, and encourage students to discuss their own experiences of privilege, disadvantage, and intersectionality.
Overview
00:00-00:46 Intros
00:46-01:54 Ossining’s demographics
01:54-03:35 Latiné as an alternative to Latinx or Latino/a
03:35-06:27 Origin of SUNY Racism, Classism, & Sexism course
06:27-09:16 Why students take the course
09:16-10:37 “Popular approach” in the course title
10:37-14:26 Curriculum
14:26-17:02 Avoiding “losing” students during controversial topics
17:02- 18:47 Student conversations outside of class
18:47-21:15 Impact on other classes
21:15-23:47 Impact on ethical thinking
23:47-25:52 Religion
25:52-28:15 Materials
28:15-28:25 Alaysha: what she values in the course
28:25-31:59 Conversations in class; for example, relationships between Black boys and Black girls
31:59-35:23 Teachers modeling relationships for students
35:23-40:23 Ossining: Increasing equity and implementing culturally responsive education
40:23-43:15 Outro
Transcript
Click here to see the full transcript of this episode.
References
- SUNY Racism, Classism, Sexism – Book List
- Racism, Classism, Sexism: A Popular Approach – University at Albany Fall 2020 – Spring 2021 – Syllabus
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
Credits
Images taken from “Jillian McRae and Sam North: Race conversations in the classroom”, a video directed by Manauvaskar Kublall (Future for Learning Vimeo)
Soundtrack by Podington Bear