On Nov. 29, Redwood conducted a “Stop-and-Learn” following various racist incidents in the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD). These racial concerns are best understood in the context of a video showing a Tamalpais High School (Tam) student saying the N-word while other students laugh. The video spread quickly amongst students and staff, prompting a school walkout, organized by the presidents of the Black Student Union (BSU) at Tam.
An email sent to students and parents on Nov. 7 from superintendent Tara Taupier initially responded to the incident, though many felt more needed to be done. This resulted in members of the community appearing at a TUHSD board meeting on Nov. 14 to express their concerns and opinions. Speakers like Angela Carter, the BSU adviser, communicated to the Board what they wanted to see happen regarding district anti-racist education.
Student board representatives sit together, listening to trusties discuss their current plan regarding education around race. (Photo curtesy of Aanika Sawhney)
The “Stop-and-Learn” was previously decided on by the Board, based off of earlier presentations similar to it, regarding fentanyl and suicide. It was intended to be implemented in all the schools in the TUHSD before the end of the fall semester. The presentation began with guiding questions and classroom agreements, which encouraged respect in the classroom and in class discussions. Students then responded to prompts designed to unpack the power of words, honing in on the intent of words versus the impact. Students were asked where casual racism at Redwood originated and what they could do if they heard a peer using it.
After receiving the “Brief History of the N-Word” junior Jaden Shapiro shares his main takeaways with a classmate.
To increase engagement, the presentation featured a wide variety of activities for students to partake in. The activities included a “read-pair-share” on the brief history of the N-word by the Anti-Defamation League, and a video entitled, “White and Wondering Why You Can’t Say the N-Word,” for students to watch and respond to. Junior Skylar Bramlette found the discussions to be the most effective part of the presentation and also attributed part of the effective conversation to her science teacher, Amy Mastromonaco.
“I definitely think that the most effective part [of the presentation] was the class discussions. My class was pretty talkative and there were never any awkward silences. Ms. Mastromonaco made the room as comfortable as it could be,” Bramlette said.
Junior Zander Basco overviews the district’s Zero Tolerance Policy in depth. (Photo courtesy of Hailey Carlton)
The teachers were trained on how to teach the material prior to the event, as English teacher Steve Hettleman recounted.
Mr. Hettleman leans in closer to hear students’ thoughts on the impacts of hate speech.
The teachers concluded the presentation by passing out the district’s Zero Tolerance Policy on racist acts. The printed format allowed students to take a copy and study it further on their own. The reactions to the policy were overall positive for the staff, including for Spanish teacher Maria Civano.
“It’s a first step and students make a valid point in terms of communication with the district [about] what there should be in the future,” Civano said. “There’s always room for improvement…and I think we can learn from that to continue this work.”