Alounso A. Gilzene
Michigan State University
Time is against us, we’ve entered a new age, we are no longer able to just stand by
Time to reduce discussions and declarations of research as objective, sterile and void of emotion.
Time for old approaches, and structures that limit narratives but support oppression, to die.
Schools have been used to reinforce these structures societally and we need to challenge this notion.
Times are a changing and the professoriate needs to double down on a rejection of voyeurism.
We face policies and legalities that aim to strip away the individuality of oppressed students in schools
The leaders we study and train have the ability to restructure this schooling mechanism
And if we choose to study these systems then we cannot remain “Objective” and only follow the rules.
Times are changing, and objectivity and rule of law sometimes can teeter dangerously close to inaction.
So when we see marches for white supremacy and a lack of condemnation from government leaders
Do we continue to write about school leaders knowing full well that rule of law belongs to this faction?
Do we continue to support leadership practices and styles that submit to colonializing tools and features?
I hope the answer is no, because
Schools are changing, and while students of color have historically been denied access to capital,
We are entering an age where our nations capital is actively supporting ideas that threaten their space.
We can no longer dance around the issues as if narratives about systemic oppressional aren’t factual.
If we choose to study and work in education we need to be courageous and challenge these issues face to face.
We can no long just be doctors diligently digging for data to dissect by defining communities as defunct,
Delivering deficit narratives and details that destroy the dignity of demographics deemed dysfunctional.
Instead we need to be advocate academics, actively aggravating all the aggressive policies that aim to
Alienate our youth, and approach our actions, aligning them with activism always centering the wellbeing of kids
If we choose to work in education our research needs to expose the realities of oppression and power
Supporting strategies that protect students’ ability to learn in safe spaces while being treated with respect.
The courses we teach and the leaders we prepare must align with justice and not just lip service to the ivory tower.
Academics, focused on education, should be challenging oppressive systems, and have the ability to create an effect.
This work is necessary, and the lives of Black, LatinX, Indigenous, LGBTQ, ELL, Special Education etc students is dependent on it.
Because
Times are changing, and schools are changing and as academics studying education we will be forced to make a choice,
Do we stand by and just record the events as they happen, or do we actively engage, partner with schools and try to change the system we have studied for so long.
Michigan State University
Time is against us, we’ve entered a new age, we are no longer able to just stand by
Time to reduce discussions and declarations of research as objective, sterile and void of emotion.
Time for old approaches, and structures that limit narratives but support oppression, to die.
Schools have been used to reinforce these structures societally and we need to challenge this notion.
Times are a changing and the professoriate needs to double down on a rejection of voyeurism.
We face policies and legalities that aim to strip away the individuality of oppressed students in schools
The leaders we study and train have the ability to restructure this schooling mechanism
And if we choose to study these systems then we cannot remain “Objective” and only follow the rules.
Times are changing, and objectivity and rule of law sometimes can teeter dangerously close to inaction.
So when we see marches for white supremacy and a lack of condemnation from government leaders
Do we continue to write about school leaders knowing full well that rule of law belongs to this faction?
Do we continue to support leadership practices and styles that submit to colonializing tools and features?
I hope the answer is no, because
Schools are changing, and while students of color have historically been denied access to capital,
We are entering an age where our nations capital is actively supporting ideas that threaten their space.
We can no longer dance around the issues as if narratives about systemic oppressional aren’t factual.
If we choose to study and work in education we need to be courageous and challenge these issues face to face.
We can no long just be doctors diligently digging for data to dissect by defining communities as defunct,
Delivering deficit narratives and details that destroy the dignity of demographics deemed dysfunctional.
Instead we need to be advocate academics, actively aggravating all the aggressive policies that aim to
Alienate our youth, and approach our actions, aligning them with activism always centering the wellbeing of kids
If we choose to work in education our research needs to expose the realities of oppression and power
Supporting strategies that protect students’ ability to learn in safe spaces while being treated with respect.
The courses we teach and the leaders we prepare must align with justice and not just lip service to the ivory tower.
Academics, focused on education, should be challenging oppressive systems, and have the ability to create an effect.
This work is necessary, and the lives of Black, LatinX, Indigenous, LGBTQ, ELL, Special Education etc students is dependent on it.
Because
Times are changing, and schools are changing and as academics studying education we will be forced to make a choice,
Do we stand by and just record the events as they happen, or do we actively engage, partner with schools and try to change the system we have studied for so long.