(Active) Listening
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in conversations with youth ages 9-12 grade. The themes of the conversations were based on current events and connected to the underlying content of racial equity and social justice. College aged youth lead these conversations. What were the adults assigned to do? To listen. What did we hear? We had more listening to do.
Once upon a professional development session, I was instructed to practice “active listening”. We would know we were actively listening by paraphrasing, nodding our heads, eye contact. Still, I wondered, isn’t there something deeper? This blog post is intentionally short so that the reference list can be long. This blog post is intentionally short to reinforce the importance of listening. However, I would like you to pause to reflect on your own definition of listening before I leave you to the resources. Why? Because too often, in our work and our lives, verbs become nouns. Words like “community”, “belonging” and “listening”. They cease to be actions and become objects, things we have or don’t have. Stagnant and unchanging, once we have them, objects no longer need our attention.
The list of resources are both meant to be listened to and to teach listening. Several are organizations or publications that provide new reading materials daily or weekly. This is important, because ‘to listen’ is not a product we can hold, but a practice we repeat. If these resources do not speak your language yet, or you do not speak theirs, it’s okay to build your vocabulary, your stamina, and then, return to the conversation. And, thank you, in advance, for listening.
RESOURCES
Listen to the meanings of the words themselves. Words have histories too. Words have intentions. Words are forgotten. Words are stolen. Words are made. Words are shared. Words are not to be feared, nor ignored. Words are tools, and we choose how to use them. Below are two articles that illustrate the importance of building and rebuilding our vocabularies.
No, I Won’t Stop Saying “White Supremacy”https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2017/06/30/no-i-wont-stop-saying-white-supremacy/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=YESDaily_20200607&utm_content=YESDaily_20200607+CID_2c1d4854519bba2cfba5a740818dd058&utm_source=CM&utm_term=No%20I%20Wont%20Stop%20Saying%20White%20Supremacy
What Good Is Clean Air If People Can’t Breathe?
Listen to previously ignored stories. Words become events. Events together are stories. Stories solidify their ‘truths’ in histories. Some narratives will be uncomfortable on the ears, even more so on your heart. Listen anyway. Then, listen to your own stories. Listen critically on who you are, on the work you do and who you are in the work you do. ASCD provides professional learning and communities for educators. Below are three articles with reflection questions, listening to difficult topics as a life skill and infographics with action steps for use with yourself and listening to others.
How to Be an Antiracist Educator by http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/oct19/vol61/num10/How-to-Be-an-Antiracist-Educator.aspx
How to Talk “Taboo” Topics with Young Students
Why We Can’t Afford Whitewashed Social-Emotional Learning
Active Listening means you intend to take steps towards a goal after the moment of sharing and speaking ends. The resources below support action, specifically youth action, our shared work.
Talking About Race: This toolkit is a website compiled by the National Museum of African American History and Culture-Smithsonian https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
Notes from Minnesota 4-H director, Jennifer A. Skuza: This Center for Youth Development blog post includes resources about youth trauma, race and racialized violence https://extension.umn.edu/yd-news/notes-minnesota-4-h-director-jennifer-skuza
Digital Literacy and Youth Civic Engagement: Youth voice matters. Teaching Tolerance created an online professional development series for assisting youth share their voices. https://www.tolerance.org/podcasts/the-mind-online/digital-literacy-and-youth-civic-engagement
Mind/Shift Podcasts are examples of voices shared. https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/mindshift
