Microaggressions
take place every day but mostly go unnoticed by the aggressor, but not the
target. Microaggressions are described as brief everyday indignities that may
be verbal, behavioral, or environmental, communicated intentionally or
unintentionally, and contain an insulting message (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2012). I was fortunate this week not to notice any microassaults, which are
intentional, overt discriminations. I am sure there were some minor
microaggressions that took place; however, I am still training my brain to pick
up on them. Being more mindful and observing things more closely this week has
helped me notice when hidden biases come out towards others who are different than
me. This week was such an eye-opener.
I can share about an experience I had during my undergraduate studies. I took a
class on teaching English while at Temple University. We were studying
different dialects and phrases around the United States. I answered a question
correctly regarding another name for a creek, and one of my peers was shocked
that I knew the answer. Her remark was, “How did you even know that?” I
explained to her and the rest of the class that in Maryland, we have other
names for the creeks in our area. At the time she made me feel like I was not
smart enough, or capable to answer that question because no one else in the
class knew. I was one of five minorities in a class of about twenty-five
students. The moment was very uncomfortable, and I believe she did not
intentionally mean to offend me, but she did. I brushed off the microinsult and
just laughed, but I was definitely uncomfortable.
Reference
Mrs. Ryan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. This week has also opened my eyes to microaggressions. Many times I do not believe people realize they are offending others. I believe we all need to be very careful with the words we use.
Alissa
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI love it when people are shocked because I know something they think I don't either because I am a woman, grew up in a small rural community or simply because I am "just" a preschool teacher. I do have to admit, though, that there are still times that my own daughter amazes me with some of the things she comes up with that are unexpected simply because I have never really seen her take an interest in the subject before or has hidden her talent all these years!
Thanks for sharing.
Ms. Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment of microagressions. People who make comments do not always realize what they are saying or how it affects others. Sometimes we do not know the reasons behind the microassualts, which is what makes us most uncomfortable. In your situation, you assumed that the student thought you would not know the answer because you are a minority member. This could have been the case, or it could have been that you were a woman. Either way, I can see how you were offended. This week's material has truly helped me to understand how microaggressions affect others. It will help me to change the way that I communicate with others, especially families.