Feature Article
Authors: Ryan Oto (University of Minnesota) , Ngan Nguyen (Racial Justice Community School) , Megan Custer (Racial Justice Community School) , Peder Ericson (Racial Justice Community School) , Nick Liebelt (Racial Justice Community School)
This paper recounts stories of a sixth grade teaching team’s efforts to help each other in the becoming of critical social educators. Struggling against the conditions of oppression in schools and the toxicity of what we call “copy room conversations” requires a kind of support and solidarity we created through our small collective that was grounded in vulnerability with and commitment to one another. This piece tells our stories in the hope that others who share our values might come together in their own school communities to form collectives like ours. We hope to provide a model for building solidarity with those who also aim to become critical educators and to reject the white supremacist politics of schooling.
Keywords: community, anti-oppression, critical love, belonging
How to Cite: Oto, R. , Nguyen, N. , Custer, M. , Ericson, P. & Liebelt, N. (2021) “Becoming critical: Exploring the confluence of justice, belonging, and love with 6th grade youth”, The Critical Social Educator. 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/tcse.11520