Roberto Germán [00:00:01]:
Welcome to our classroom. In this space, we talk about education, which is inclusive of, but not limited to what happens in schools. Education is taking place whenever and wherever we are willing to learn. I am your host, Roberto Germán, and Our Classroom is officially in session.
Roberto Germán [00:00:31]:
Welcome back to Our Classroom. Lately been thinking about the phrase cultural humility, which is different than cultural competence. I think that distinction is important because competence suggests arrival, while humility suggests ongoing work. Listening, learning, reflecting, adjusting. Recently been processing some communication that I've had with a sister in the faith, friend of the family. And it deeply moved me. This is a Dominican mother navigating school experiences with her son in Southern State. And what struck me wasn't just the frustration she felt.
Roberto Germán [00:01:20]:
It was the clarity, the honesty, the love for the culture and her refusal to abandon it in order to be accepted. So she wrote, my son kept getting in trouble for things that I believe were due to a lack of understanding of our culture. Immediately, I knew what she meant, because so many students are not being disciplined for harm. They're being disciplined for difference. Difference in communication, tone, energy, expression, family norms, cultural expectations. And schools often interpret those differences through a dominant cultural lens. One line that especially stayed with me, she said, I'm not trying to blend in. I love my culture, and my kids love it, too.
Roberto Germán [00:02:22]:
That right there is the episode, because too often, inclusion in schools quietly becomes a simulation. I wrote about that in my book Blue Ink Tears. Read the poem Cafe con Leche. And those. When I say those, I'm referring to inclusion and assimilation. Those are not the same thing. There's a difference between helping students navigate systems and teaching them their culture is a problem to fix. And this is why I keep coming back to humility, right? And thinking about this notion of cultural humility and what that actually means, not competence, because competence sounds like, I took a course, I had a training.
Roberto Germán [00:03:10]:
I understand those people. But humility says I still have more to learn. Humility asks questions. Humility listens before labeling. Humility recognizes my norms and not universal norms. That's huge in education. Now. What's important here is that in this story, not everything was great and not everything was negative, right? Listen.
Roberto Germán [00:03:40]:
We wrestle with tension. So the parent also shared that her son's homeroom teachers demonstrated interest as well as action and culturally responsive communication. And she called that a win. That matters, right? We need to count our victories when they come, because people don't need perfection. They need sincerity, responsiveness to feel seen. Another powerful moment, this same parent described meeting with another elementary school where administrators took time to learn about her family and background. And she said, I felt seen and heard. And that line is so important because culturally responsive work is not ultimately about optics.
Roberto Germán [00:04:33]:
It's about humanity. People know when you're performing inclusion, and people know when you genuinely care. So I'm gonna keep going on things that stood out to me, if you don't mind. She shared that another woman, now in her 30s, said, you're the first person to validate my feelings. I want you to think about that decades later, still carrying those experiences, still carrying misunderstanding. That tells us something important. Some. Some school experiences don't disappear.
Roberto Germán [00:05:15]:
People carry them into adulthood, especially moments tied to identity and belonging. So for educators listening, I think this episode is an invitation not to shame ourselves, but to slow down to ask, what assumptions am I making? Whose norms am I centering? What behaviors am I labeling? Am I trying to understand or control? Because cultural humility changes the posture. And posture matters. So one thing I deeply appreciate is about this parent's messages, the communication that we've had, is that she repeatedly said, I want to work with the school. That's important. This wasn't burn it all down. This was see us, listen to us, partner with us. Right? Many families are asking for exactly that.
Roberto Germán [00:06:23]:
We know the demographics of schools are changing. Lorena and I did an episode on this several episodes back. I can't remember the number of the episode, but look through the archives. There are many systems, norms and expectations that are not changing alongside of them. And that gap creates tension, not because diversity is a problem, but because misunderstanding is. Therefore, maybe cultural humility starts here, not with mastery, but with curiosity. You know, one of our norms is to lead with curiosity. Not with defensiveness, but with reflection.
Roberto Germán [00:07:10]:
Not with fixing students and families, but with asking, what might I not yet understand? Because students should not have to erase themselves in order to belong. Teaching truth. Lead with courage. Belong to a community that gets it. Join My Classroom Gold community of educators committed to equity, truth and impact. More information at multiculturalclassroom.com till next time. Keep listening, keep learning, Keep leading with humility. Peace.
Roberto Germán [00:07:49]:
As always, your engagement in our classroom is greatly appreciated. Be sure to subscribe, rate the show and write a review. Finally, for resources to help you understand the intersection of race, bias, education and society, go to multiculturalclassroom.com Peace and love from your host, Roberto Germán.
