Article

Humanity is Not a Thing: Disrupting white Supremacy in K-12 Social Emotional Learning

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Abstract

White supremacy is pervasive in K-12 education and frequently enacted through traditional social emotional learning (SEL). We ask: How do current iterations of SEL reinforce white supremacy? If white supremacy frames humanity as a thing, how do those of us invested in SEL that is humanizing frame it differently? We attempt to engage this question by examining two vignettes from our own experiences that illustrate how white supremacy is reinforced by popular approaches to SEL while simultaneously evading recognition. We then reimagine SEL using Camangian’s (2019) framework on humanization as a platform of departure and offer two final, personal vignettes that reveal how SEL might be enacted to humanize every student, particularly BIPOC students. Critical questions and recommended readings are provided.

Keywords: inservice teaching, school counseling, K-12 education, white supremacy, social emotional learning

How to Cite:

Drake, R. & Oglesby, A., (2020) “Humanity is Not a Thing: Disrupting white Supremacy in K-12 Social Emotional Learning”, Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis 10(1), 1-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/jctp.11549