Ep. 7: Foster Care 101: A Primer for Teachers and Other Humans

November 16, 2017 by Hope Teague in current events, social emotional learning

Our EQ this week: How does being an interchangeable white lady impact your work in foster care?

Special Guests: Skylar Cole from Treehouse & Brianna Richardson a foster-to-adopt parent

Our guests help us understand many of the dynamics of the foster care system, including the fact that it is inherently reactive. We discuss how people of color have contact with CPS, DSHS, and foster care more often than white people. This disproportionality affects the youth we teach in a big way.

The assumptions made by those in the system are normed to white middle class values (middle class families are also much less likely to be investigated by CPS). Black families are two times and Native American families are three times as likely to be investigated as white families. Children of color are also less likely to be reunited with their families. We discuss a variety of related topics like dependency hearings, restrictions on foster parents, compensation and conditions for foster families, the serious lack of foster homes, and the subjectivity unintentionally built in to what is meant to be an objective system (which also mirrors systemic racism).

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Skylar: Everyone needs to watch this video "What Mandated Reporters Need to Know about Racial Disproportionality in the Child Welfare System"
Brianna: Read "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Parents Knew" and check out the website Fostering Together for resources.
Annie/Hope: Go read up on Washington’s recent consolidation of Child Protective Services into the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Reflect on the fact that this department now also houses the juvenile justice system and what that means for youth. Go to the community liaison or Treehouse representative at your neighborhood school and see what kind of support foster youth need right now. Take action to help those kids! If you have the capacity, consider how you might contribute mentorship or a safe, loving home for foster youth.
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Episode 6: Passive Aggressive Wypipo

November 03, 2017 by Hope Teague

Our EQ this week: How can white women use their privilege to disrupt the culture of passive aggressive behavior and whitesplaining/mansplaining that emerge in many professional workplaces?

Episode Disclaimer: If any of the stories or examples in this episode seem familiar, it’s purely accidental, coincidental, and unintentional.

Join Hope and Annie as they discuss the ways in which white women engage in passive aggressive communication. These IWLs rehash an amazing video by MTV's Decoded White People Whitesplain Whitesplaining and Hope learns a new word-- hepeating. As you listen, you'll certainly think of your own experiences with passive aggressive forms of workplace communication.

Pop Critical Theory:

Today’s pop critical theory comes from the delightful intersection of sociology and linguistics - word blending. White women love word blends as much as your one quirky uncle loves puns. The IWL’s favorite word blend is obviously brunch - that’s breakfast plus lunch, natch - but we won’t wax poetic about waffles on THIS episode. The practice of word blending has brought us such gems as mansplaining and whitesplaining, two terms that are invaluable in our quest to explain the nuance of interpersonal and professional communication in the workplace. We have to give credit where credit is due - Rebecca Solnit coined “mansplaining” in her seminal essay-turned-book, Men Explain Things to Me.

Timeless or Terrible:

Trunk Shows

Stella & Dot
Tupperware
Tea Light
Cabi (buy from our friend!)
Trades of Hope (buy from our friend!)
10,000 Villages

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Hope: Tom Rademacher’s post Can We Talk About How Many White Women There Are in Schools and his interview with me.
Annie: Read up on “cross-cultural communication” theory. Make and implement a plan for your own cross cultural communication (without tone policing!)

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Episode 5: Don't Send a Letter, Have a Conversation

October 19, 2017 by Hope Teague

Today’s essential question is: how do we build a sense of community and family across economic, racial, and cultural differences?

Special Guests:

Sheree Cooks, Public Education Family Engagement Advocate and Community Member; Received the 2017 Gold Star Community Partnership Award from TPS
Megan Clark, Family Engagement Liaison

We cram so much into this 50 minute episode, it’s like a teacher’s bag(s) on a Friday - bursting at the seams. What’s the difference between parent involvement and parent engagement? How do schools build (authentic) cross-cultural bridges? Why does it matter that we use language like “our school” rather than “my school” when we talk with parents and families? How do you balance your passion for your work and necessary self-care? How do we address the well-intended, color-blind teacher that raise our children to be empowered to fight systemic racism and color-blindness? Sheree and Megan break it down with painful, heartfelt, and sometimes hilarious anecdotes. These experiences are shared from their lens as parents.

They will be back on the show to share more stories from the perspective of community partners, highlighting the successes and challenges of engaging community and families.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Megan: Get involved in your community. Talk about the work that is being done and connect organizations with those who are passionate about the work.
Sheree: Give where you can. Support programs that encourage community engagement. Participate in community events such as the Eastside Nature Walk on October 28.
Annie: Read the article “Family Engagement: Resource Roundup” from Edutopia

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Episode 4: Shame Bell Your Gender Norms & Pumpkin Spice Yogurt

October 05, 2017 by Hope Teague

Our essential question is: what is gender and why does it matter?

Hope & Annie continue their conversation about gender norms. What happens when we reject them? How do we work on making our relationships more equitable? The IWLs hit on double standards for girls in school dress codes, how LGBT folks disrupt gender norms by sharing household chores, and the disproportionate amount of emotional labor female-identified folks tend to do in the workplace.

Today’s pop critical theory is deviance. Deviance is behavior that violates social norms. Deviance actually serves a really important purpose - if you deviate from the norm, it's often because you're figuring out your identity and finding a sub-group to belong to, which can be really empowering. It can also be alienating, since you're separated from the group that sets the norms. How are we rewarded when we deviate? How are we punished? How many people need to be deviant before it becomes the norm? Deep thoughts!

References:

This episode we forgo our usual timeless or terrible conversation and opt for a Pumpkin Spiced themed segment where we actually taste PS themed foods from our favorite white lady store, Target. From poptarts to gum, listen to our lip-smacking reviews.

Spoiler: This is nasty

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Hope: Samoan Third Gender--Read about it! Samoan Boys Raised As Girls The Feed/SBS Viceland
Annie: “Environmental Racism is the New Jim Crow” published by the Atlantic on June 5, 2017.

Episode 3: Seeing, Being Seen, and the Panopticon of Life

September 21, 2017 by Hope Teague

Our essential question is: What does race, gender, and class have to do with seeing and being seen?

This episode Annie & Hope are joined by two specials guests Tacoma personality Bernadette Ray and business woman Soneya Lund of the Saol Salon in Yakima. From racial coming outs to deconstructing white beauty standards, the ladies ring the “Shame Bell” on ridiculous standards that society tries to hold us to. These honesty, raw, and personal stories of the womanhood will touch you.

Today’s pop critical theory is the metaphor of the panopticon, originally conceived by white dude political philosopher Jeremy Bentham and his brother. It’s basically a round prison so the guards in the middle can see prisoners, but the prisoners don’t know when OR IF they’re being seen. Remember - it’s a metaphor! But it was once built as an actual prison! What’s this have to do with us as women? As white, black, and brown women? How do (sometimes insidious) standards of beauty and conduct keep us in check?

Timeless or Terrible:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Hope: 2 Dope Queens comprised of Phoebe Robinson who wrote You Can’t Touch My Hair and Jessica William who has a new show The Incredible Jessica James on Netflix
Annie: Go Google image search Robert K. Merton’s “deviance typology,” then go down the sociology of deviant behavior rabbit hole on Wikipedia. Spend a little time thinking about your own deviance #winkyface
Bernadette: give an authentic compliment to a woman of color
Soneya: Go read Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

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Episode 2: Fish Crackers and White Supremacy

August 31, 2017 by Hope Teague

Our essential question is: What is white privilege and why do we need to talk about it?

Defining privilege as unearned advantage or right based on group status, Annie and Hope breakdown examples of white privilege from shopping without receipts to traveling without being stopped. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there! Privilege is systemic. IWLs talk briefly about gendered and whitewashed toys, including where you can find some rad Barbies with afros (Etsy). BONUS TRACK: other diverse Barbie-like dolls, because representation matters.

IWLs experiment with a new segment in the show called “pop critical theory.” Today's segment focuses on intersectionality. Intersectionality originally comes from feminist sociological theory and the work of Kimberle’ Crenshaw, who says that discrimination or criminal behavior against women can be targeted or intensified based on that woman’s race. So intersectionality has the power to compound your oppression, BUT! It can also be a source of personal power, because it gives you the ability to stratify different groups, AKA be in more than one group at a time.

Articles mentioned in the episode that you should go read RIGHT NOW:

Harper's Sept 2017 Issue The Rise of the Valkyries
NPR’s “The Women Behind the Alt Right”
Lipstick Fascism

Timeless or Terrible: Annie and Hope weigh in on the staples of interchangeable white women everywhere.

Today’s topics--boot cuffs and the obsession with talking about generations (leave those millennials and their avocado toast alone).

Do Your Fudging Homework: Go read Tim Snyder’s book, “On Tyranny.” It’s like pamphlet-small, no excuses. Go Google pictures of the Panopticon so you can get an idea of what it looks like. Go read up on the idea of the invisible or imaginary audience. Take notes and prepare to discuss.

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Episode 1: An Introduction

August 10, 2017 by Hope Teague

This episode of IWL is brought to you by cardigans, the uniform staple of interchangeable white ladies everywhere. Today’s essential question: what’s an IWL and why does it matter?

Annie & Hope discuss where the term “Interchangeable White Lady” comes from and what the challenge is for white female teachers working with diverse students. The term original defined as “smiling, 20-something in her Target cardigan standing in front of a Smartboard” in Hope’s blog post The Interchangeable White Lady: An Introduction. In actuality, this label refers to the way students view their teachers. The concept was created in the context that 80% of educators are white women, teaching students of color (stats vary depending on source). Student perception is key. Relationships are crucial. White female teachers need to consider how students perceive them and accept the challenge this creates. It's a challenge to:

To teach in a culturally responsive way based on the students before us.
To view our instruction through the lens of traditionally marginalized youth.
To distinguish ourselves as allies in the fight against institutional racism as we equip young men and women through the power of education.

Annie explains her own reactions to being an IWL. Paraphrases Roxanne Gay’s idea that you don’t need to apologize for being born white or wealthy, but to acknowledge how those traits are favored in society and how they make your movement through life different and often easier (and how you should use that privilege to help others move more easily). Annie also shared her deep, fangirl-like appreciation for the illustrious and fabulous Mary Yu.

Timeless or Terrible: Annie and Hope weigh in on the staples of interchangeable white women everywhere. Today’s topics:

Do Your Fudging Homework: Go read Jeff Raikes’ article “Color-Blindness Is a Cop-Out” and “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh.

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/IWLpodcast or follow us on on Twitter @IWL_Podcast

Episode 0: Introducing Interchangeable White Ladies

July 20, 2017 by Hope Teague

Deconstructing privilege.
Confronting biases.
Working on being less basic.

We're launching the Interchangeable White Ladies podcast a show where we discuss education, culture, and local activism. We’re teachers so we have an essential question--How can white women use their privilege to deconstruct white culture, confront their own biases, be better allies, and be less basic? Listen to the Interchangeable White Ladies podcast to learn about all that and more!

Hosts: Hope Teague-Bowling & Annie Jansen