“Our classrooms really are a place where history can be changed.” – A Q&A with Orlene Badu

By Orlene Badu

If it were up to us everyday would be marked as a teacher appreciation day. Amongst the most important jobs in the world, that of a teacher can not be acknowledged enough. Teachers and schools play a significant role in not just impacting individual lives but society at large. In this short Q&A Orlene Badu, the author of How To Build Your Antiracist Classroom highlights just how much power teachers have within their own classrooms to further social justice and change.

What would you say to a teacher who is at the start of their antiracist journey and wanting to make a positive impact in the lives of their students.

You have so much to do, so much to learn. Your students will benefit from your new ways of thinking and your fresh approach and thirst for finding the best solution for equality.  But you also need to be that teacher that all your students can trust.  Particularly those that suffer racism and systemic barriers in their own and their families lives.  Can they trust you to see them for what and who they are, not what we think they are?  Can we be the trusted teacher that understands race and racism, sees the intricate web of systemic barriers, and works actively to dismantle those systems, ensuring we are constantly trying to understand where we are upholding them?

In your book you talk about a “thriving mindset”. Can you describe what it is and why it’s important?

It is really important as teachers and educators that we actively work to shift the mindset of our pupils from surviving to thriving.  We want them to excel and flourish, persevere and remain resilient, engage and be motivated, endure, persist, and build, in an antiracist world.  Whilst we want our students to build the resilience to be able to do all of these actions, we must, as teachers, leaders and change agents ensure that we do all that we can to support that thriving mindset. 

Academic thriving ensures that every pupil experiences engaged learning AND academic determination.  We know that for a child/ young person to thrive academically they must be psychologically engaged in the learning process and not merely engaged in behaviours.  Engaged learners mean students are meaningfully processing material, making connections between what they already know and/ or are interested in and motivated by what they need to learn.  They are energised by the learning process because of the learning opportunities and are able to discuss their learning with others. 

Racism can and does impact on every child's right to an environment in which they can thrive, and it is our job to challenge ourselves to ensure that we do this, provide the right environment for every child, and dismantle the inequalities that do exist to hold them back.

What are the key three things needed for an antiracist classroom?

My book! Ha! :D

First thing needed for an antiracist classroom is a teacher who is aware of their biases, fights every day to dismantle them and is committed to antiracism.  Our classrooms really are a place where history can be changed.  A place in which we can develop future leaders and nurture the skills that will ensure all of our children and young people thrive.  But that teacher must have a deepened racial literacy.  They must understand how race and racism has operated, both historically and today, to be able to challenge their own biases and that of the systems they provide and uphold.  If they are from the Black and Global Majority community, being the advocate.  If they are from the white community, being the ally.  Our aim must be to develop antiracist leaders of the future. A job we can do.

Looking back at your own childhood, if you could thank one of your teachers – who would it be and why?

Being a black child in inner city London, I didn’t have a black class teacher until I was 12 years old.  I had never seen a black teacher in a position of responsibility in my schools until that time.  This was a hugely important factor in my journey to headship.  It was important that I offer other children from the Black and Global Majority the role model in which they could see themselves in Education.  If I am honest, becoming a teacher was due to the experiences of being unseen in primary and secondary school, being labelled as positively average and underestimated.  I know this now, although it was difficult to understand as a child.  In all honesty, my Dad was my best teacher.  He never lost faith in me, always knew I was capable and fiercely fought for my ability to thrive.  I would never have made the gains I did in work and education without him.  His unwavering faith in my ability and his consistently high expectations meant that I had the supporter who was not going to settle for my school’s view.  He did the work to make sure I never gave up.  And never accepted this vision of mediocrity that many of my teachers continually attempted to label me with.  That was the teacher I always thank. Thanks Dad xxx

Book Details
How to Build Your Antiracist Classroom
Orlene Badu
May 2023
ISBN: 9781529791488

About the Author