1/ Who I am as an Author;
I am a 25+ year teacher, who tutor, reads to children and coaches a swim team. I resigned in July of 2021, from my 22 year assignment as an urban, inner city public school teacher. Also, I was an alumnus of this same district. During this time I became a divorce survivor and single mom. Mom of an almost 19 year white male.
The Trump presidency era has brought out so many details in the reality of my life and I can no longer be quiet.
I need to tell my story to white people, especially white men, because I know they can take it.
As an aspiring writer, during the Covid Crisis, I spent time working on my writing again. First, I met with a song lyricist and shared a piece I wrote. I have a BMI account but I am not sure, write songs, short stories or a book. I read books and am always researching.
2/ Similar Books;
-White Fragility
-Hillbilly Elegy
-The American Dream
-Why I no Longer Talk to White People About Race
-Push Out; The criminalization of black girls in schools
These are just a few of the books that I have read in the last few years and that lead me to want to write my own story.
3/ Why my book matters & who needs to read it;
My white son, father and brother need to read it, or atleast listen to the audio version because I love them but I can still tell them and other white males that they need to wake up!
My brown/black cousins and students need to read it because I want them to know that I saw them, I heard and I want to do better, actually I want all Americans to do better.
I know we, as Americans can do better!
Synopsis
Am I Just a White Female Teacher?
11-2-2015
As I sit in the airport terminal in Washington DC, I reflect upon the journey that has brought me here. I began my teaching career, as a High School student enrolled in an Early Childhood Education career center class. I wanted to be a Kindergarten Teacher. I was always one who put the children first, thinking how I could teach them in a fun way. I was eager to learn so I took every internship, class assignment and babysitting opportunity that came my way. I was very observant and would help tie shoes, wipe noses, entertain or do what I felt was needed. Supervising teachers told me that I had the gift.
As a career center student I decided to create a community service project. I wrote a skit to teach young children the importance of bike safety and helmet use. A group of my classmates helped me pull this off and we presented to several preschool and elementary settings. I presented my project at the regional and state FCCLA competition in hopes of winning and being able to go to nationals in Florida. I was young and wanted to get out of Ohio. I ended up losing the competition and not traveling to Florida with my school. I was angry but the following year came back as an FCCLA judge, because I understood the power that the project gave me, even though I lost.
I worked two part time jobs and attend a community college full-time but still stayed networked with my former career teachers and FCCLA. I was finding my path. In 2011, I was hired as the Early Childhood Education Career Teacher for the district I graduated from and replaced one of my mentor teachers. I am one of her success stories because she empowered me and modeled. I had no idea of the battle I would have to obtain a Teaching License in Ohio and that is an even longer story... I will share my survivor story of the Ohio Resident Educator process another day, because today I want to tell you how I came to be in DC by joining the Teacher Leadership Initiative.
My grandfather was very stern, real and set in his humble ways. He told me that unions are what saved Americans from the great depression and he should know, he lived it. My grandfather retired from the Columbus Fire Department the year I was born. I knew as a young girl that my Dad, who was a non-union blue collar worker, struggled to make ends meet and would tell me of the corruptness at his job. My Mom, a devoted stay at home Mom and Grandma, worked briefly for a retailer. My Dad would say get a union job, if you’re going to do this teacher thing. Teaching and little Director Experience in the private sector frustrated me and I was feeling a call to public school.
At 21 with an Associate Degree and Ohio Pre-Kindergarten teaching certificate, my mentor Teacher asked me to apply for an assistant position. In 1999, I started my career teaching public school children. I was a non-traditional college student, back before it was defined. For two years I got involved in the school and with my local classified union. In 2008, after earning my Master’s Degree in Education, I transferred unions and positions, becoming a Teacher and part of the NEA. I have passion for what I do and for all Teachers! It makes me upset that Charter and Private school teachers are underpaid. They are not my enemies; I know that they have a passion to educate, just like I do.
The education systems in America frustrate me, as I read about mismanagement of money, data scrubbing in all school settings and as a classroom Teacher who was navigating my own district’s confusing path to obtain funds, for real world field trip opportunities; I read my local union’s newsletter for the TLI project. I signed up that day, back in the fall of 2014. I had no idea that my work would be selected to represent the 1,000 public school teachers who make up TLI. I am humbled and thankful for the honor of this opportunity. My work is not over and that is why I am joining my local union as a member of the “Social & Economic Justice Committee,” advocating for education and poverty in America.
The journey still continues, so stay tuned, because I will need your help in making sure our point is heard by the powers in Washington D.C.
11-19-2017
"This Wednesday was the 298th day of the year. There are 67 days left in 2017. If the current pace of killing keeps up, 2017 might close with 132 homicides. The city’s record, which came in 1991 when Columbus was in the throes of the crack-cocaine epidemic, stands at 139." -Decker (The Columbus Dispatch 10-27-17)
What is common about today & 1991... Racial tension, poverty, drug addiction, gun violence, homicides...
I have had so much weighing on mind over the past couple of years. Racism and prejudice is something I strive to be aware of and to not fall to everyday. I want to believe that I am colorblind and just see people, especially students, for who they show me that they are. The reality is that I have prejudices. It was so powerful on Tuesday 10-24-17, when Suzanne Roberts of Unifying Solutions, as a white women, who grew up in Bexley, Ohio said, "I am a racist." This was during a training meeting with fellow teachers, who are a part of the "Social and Economic Justice" group. I began to think, well then we all are racist.
I chose to be apart of this group because I am a survivor of poverty and the inner city, just like the students I teach. I really want to be involved with issues regarding the affects of social & economic injustices. I tend to follow my ideology that poverty is what connects us; us meaning all of the races; Caucasian/white, African-american/black, Hispanic, Asian, Native-American and etc. I feel that the media and people of wealth use our skin color & race differences, to turn us against each other. I have to admit that it is difficult to explain my thoughts to my white friends or any of my friends. I said in a group meeting that I feel that my white family and friends struggle to see "white privilege," because they are still struggling with poverty. The struggle is real.
I work 2 jobs trying to make ends meet. I have applied and looked for 1 job that would pay me more, but I don't think it exists. My son attends a public suburban school and I have to pick up working events that puts funds in his account along with the booster's, because I can't afford to pay the "pay to play fees." If a scholarship was available, I probably just made a little too much for it. My white friends will say things well how much did they spend on entertainment... that tattoo...that vacation? Then I start to feel ashamed that I go on vacations or buy tickets to a concert. Does this really matter? Poorer than you or me people don't deserve to travel or take a vacation, to relax or enjoy paying to be entertained? If I can't help my white friends see that poor people deserve a life too, then how will I help them see white privilege?
I had no idea that states drew red lines, meaning banks give home loans in certain zip codes to white families and then other zip codes of depreciating value to blacks. I had no idea that blacks were not recruited to fight in World War II which meant they were not recipients of the first GI Bill monies. I knew, from my urban public school 8th grade African-american history teacher, Mr. Milner, that a slave only counted as 3/5 of a person. Also, I graduated from East High School, located in a historical African-American neighborhood, because at the time I was white and got bused there due to the desegregation efforts of the district; meaning instead of walking to my neighborhood school, I got on a bus and went from the west side to the east side, so the school could be more equal of white and black students. Again, I learned that we collectively have more in common, mostly due to the struggles of poverty, than are uncommon factors, meaning the color of our skin.
Another thing I know is that my grandparents were born into poverty and 3 generations later that I am doing a little better then they were. My fraternal Grandfather enlisted in the Army during World War II at the age of 17. My maternal grandfather was Cherokee Indian, looked it up and was a butcher in Columbus, he knew not to tell people that he was an Indian from Kentucky. Even my fraternal Grandfather, who I love dearly, said that my mom came form the other side of the tracks, from the hillbillies. In his time you married your own people, my Dad was Irish Catholic but didn't marry someone more like him. The fact is, my Indian Grandfather got paid a lot less in his lifetime compared to my white Irish Grandfather. I got the impression from my grandparents that we don't trust black people. Thus, in the 1990's when one of my white girl cousins got pregnant with a black baby, it brought some of this up.
Prejudice and racism is always a part of who we are and it is around us. I do not have all the answers, but what I have shared today, is what is in my heart.
I had insulting racist comments said to me, from both white and black people, while I was a 16 year old carrying my 5 month old baby boy cousin, who is biracial but looks black, so is he just black? Today he is in his twenties and he has to face this world as a black man, I worry about that. I can't fully know what that is like. I refuse to just be another white female teacher, yes I am white and yes I chose to be a teacher but I question everything around me. I always think twice before I write up a student, is it because of a repeated behavior and does have to do with their color or if they are male?
I can see that the education system is leaving African-Americans out. How have I seen this? A few years ago, my teaching assignment including me reading test questions to students who was given this accommodation. I began to see that these students were mostly African-American males, next group white males, so mostly males and then a few African-American girls with a couple bilingual children. I began reading about the school to prison pipeline. I believe "white privilege," because I can see it year after year, in the number of African-American children retesting or having challenges to get to that Ohio High School diploma, this is just one of the main things I see directly.
I will leave you some resources to reference. One is a quiz I took from Harvard that helps you determine your bias. I scored as moderate, "automatic preference for white over black images of people's faces. Also, I preference males with family and females with career. I was trying to not show any bias as I sorted face images to good or bad words and I have been told I am pro women, but my results showed differently. Thus, I have to own it.
I will use my voice to provide equity of opportunity for all to eliminate division and promote coexistence.
IAT test/s is available at; http://havard.ed/implicit/takeatest.html
Other sources;
Elliot, Jane. "Blue-eye/Brown-eye Experiment" Retrieved 10-27-17 https://youtu.be/1CtrpLh6TKk
Green, Laci. "Is Racism Over Yet? Retrieved 10-24-17 https://youtu.be/h_hx30zOi9I
Johnson, Tracey D. (March 2016). Columbus Education Association, Community in Crisis Summit.
Pinto, Erica. "The Unequal Opportunity Race." Short film for the African American Policy Forum" Retrieved 10-26-17 https://youtu.be/vX_Vzl-r8NY
NEA (2014) Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Realtionships & Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools." Download toolkit: www.otlcampaign.org/restorative-practices
Roberts, Suzanne and Erin Upchurch. (September 2017) Unifying Solutions in conjunction with Safe Conversation About Race.
The Southern Poverty Law Center. Let's Talk! Discussing Race, Racisim and other Difficult Topics with Students. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved tolerance.org/materials/orders
White, Sr., James A. (October 2017) Performance Consulting Services. www.safeconversationaboutrace.com https://www.facebook.com/healingtheSCAR
Dear White Son
Dear White son, Dear white father, brother
I love you but sorry not sorry.
America gave you a leg up, steps forward.
It’s time, time for you to listen, that your journey is not ours.
Those who are female,
Those who are black, brown, those behind the whites.
Dear White son, Dear white father, brother
I love you but sorry not sorry.
America gave you a leg up, steps forward.
I am a woman.
I have not gone mad.
I have become educated, knowledgeable, powerful, sad.
Fucking furious as Sophie Heawood.
Dear White son, Dear white father, brother
I love you but sorry not sorry.
America gave you a leg up, steps forward.
It’s not easy to make it in your Daddy’s world,
This man’s club of founding fathers,
Can you hear me,
Can you hear me,
Can you hear the brown and black voices,
Can you hear?
Can you do better?
We can do better.
Dear White son, Dear white father, brother
I love you but sorry not sorry.
America gave you a leg up, steps forward.
Can you see?
See, 75% black brown verses 17% white taken
Taken out by police.
Let’s talk about these games,
Games on these streets.
We gotta question this system
Dear White son, Dear white father, brother
I love you but sorry not sorry.
America gave you a leg up, steps forward.
It’s time to stop fighting change.
What are you afraid of?
Poverty?
Whatta you gotta lose?
By Rebecca McGrath-Hinkle
mrs.mcgrathh@gmail.com
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I need support financially to focus on and continue writing my story.
I hope you enjoyed my start.
I appreciate any support or feedback.
