Becoming A Warm Demander
I've written about this briefly in my discussion board with my SAGA group, but this is something I'm consistently working on. I had a coworker show an incredible example of being a warm demander last week.
We are reading what we call an "absent narrative" story in world history--a woman whose story is often left out. Her name is Abina, and she is a prosecutor's witness in a case regarding slavery on the Gold Coast of Africa in the time of imperial Britain. They are accusing Abina's husband/master of being a slave master, and she is corroborating that narrative. Our class had a short discussion on whether or not Abina was a slave or not, based on the graphic novel history we read of Abina's trial, taken from court transcripts in 1875.
One student brought a provocative question--if this was 2018, would a woman in an abusive relationship be treated the same as this African woman, or if the system hasn't change very much? I thought this was a very inquisitive question so I let the conversation run. Eventually, the conversation shifted to a young man who said 2018 is different because "a woman can simply leave the relationship and tell the cops and they'll believe her and there will be a trial and he'll go to jail". As adults, we know this isn't always possible. Some students knew this too. One young woman got so upset she left and went to the counselor's office. I let the conversation go because I was hoping it would get back to the original prompt. Unfortunately we ran out of time and we had to wrap up very quickly. All I got to say is that I hope every felt safe.
I told one of my office mates, who taught this young man last year, and she took on the role of warm demander a little better than I am able to at this point in my career. She took him aside and helped him understand the error of his statements and how it could possibly hurt others. I really admired the way she approached the situation. She knows the students and his background very well, but she also saw it as a teaching opportunity to correct some behavior.
We are reading what we call an "absent narrative" story in world history--a woman whose story is often left out. Her name is Abina, and she is a prosecutor's witness in a case regarding slavery on the Gold Coast of Africa in the time of imperial Britain. They are accusing Abina's husband/master of being a slave master, and she is corroborating that narrative. Our class had a short discussion on whether or not Abina was a slave or not, based on the graphic novel history we read of Abina's trial, taken from court transcripts in 1875.
One student brought a provocative question--if this was 2018, would a woman in an abusive relationship be treated the same as this African woman, or if the system hasn't change very much? I thought this was a very inquisitive question so I let the conversation run. Eventually, the conversation shifted to a young man who said 2018 is different because "a woman can simply leave the relationship and tell the cops and they'll believe her and there will be a trial and he'll go to jail". As adults, we know this isn't always possible. Some students knew this too. One young woman got so upset she left and went to the counselor's office. I let the conversation go because I was hoping it would get back to the original prompt. Unfortunately we ran out of time and we had to wrap up very quickly. All I got to say is that I hope every felt safe.
I told one of my office mates, who taught this young man last year, and she took on the role of warm demander a little better than I am able to at this point in my career. She took him aside and helped him understand the error of his statements and how it could possibly hurt others. I really admired the way she approached the situation. She knows the students and his background very well, but she also saw it as a teaching opportunity to correct some behavior.
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