I wrote recently, reflecting on what we might mean by decolonising the mathematics curriculum. I linked this to teaching mathematics through the use of traditional tales from the Caribbean. Last week I was invited by a UK organisation of lecturers in mathematics education to reflect more on the notion of decolonising the mathematics education curriculum. I took the opportunity to look back over 40 years of engagement with issues of mathematics teaching and social justice.
So, two vignettes. Tony, aged 22 in his first teaching job (1982). He is walking down the corridor in the ‘Maths block’ and about to enter his classroom. As he turns to his door, he hears racist abuse being shouted at the only Black student in the school. Tony doesn’t teach this student, or the student shouting the abuse. Tony stops the abuser and says (well shouts), “Don’t you ever use that sort of language again.” The student looks confused rather than angry. This surprises Tony. A week later the student (the abuser) appears in his classroom. He says, “Sir, is it true you are married to a Black woman.
This isn’t the case but clearly the student needed to rationalise the unusual event of his racist language being challenged by a teacher. An early example of the institutional racism faced by Black and Brown students in education, which unfortunately continues today, as evidenced by the testimony of Aseem Rafiq this week.
Before the second vignette a little context setting. In 1988 I moved away from teaching mathematics in secondary schools to take up a post in Leicester with the title ‘Advisory Teacher in Anti-Racist’ education. The role involved training one teacher in every school in the region to act as the conduit and lead on anti-racist and multicultural education in their school. During the induction it was explained how as part of the role all staff, a multi-ethnic team of 12 advisory teachers, were expected to become involved in education at a structural level. In my case, I chose to join the governing body of the local primary school. We were also expected to work over the summer holidays at ‘summer schools’ which were held to support new arrivals and children who needed additional support, particularly with language. This was to acknowledge that the fight for social justice must take place at a structural level as well as a curriculum level. There was also further training to support us all in challenging racism wherever and whenever we saw it.
So, to vignette number two. Some four years after joining the Multicultural Centre in Leicester, Tony is Chair of Governors at the local primary school. He is chairing the appointment panel for a new Head Teacher. One of the applicants in a colleague from the Multicultural centre, a Sikh Woman. She is clearly the person who most closely meets the recruitment criteria. The panel agree, but the Local Authority representative on the panel cautions against the appointment suggesting she is ,”insufficiently experienced.” The discussion goes on and on until Tony asks, “Who has the final say in the appointment?” “The governing body had the power of appointment, the LEA acts in an advisory capacity.”, he is told. So, after a very long discussion the Governors choice is appointed. The next morning there is a queue of Asian parents outside the new Headteacher’s office. Each parent wants to congratulate the new Head and to show their children that ‘people like us’ can become headteachers. The Head has a long and very successful career in Headship and other leadership roles behind her now. But, without a governing body who were prepared to challenge and over-rule the local authority this career may not have started.
I suggest that sometimes we need to work outside mathematics education to work towards social justice. My next blog will return to specific examples from mathematics but for now, two questions for us all to reflect on:
- When did you first notice injustice in educational settings? What did you do about it?
- We all find ourselves in positions of power on occasions? How do we use this position to work for social justice.
Dr Tony Cotton 23/11/21
Tony is the editor of Mathematics Teaching, the journal of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics. For more information go to www.atm.org.uk . He is also the author of Understanding and Teaching Primary Mathematics, published by Routledge. This blog is written in a personal capacity.
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