“This has taken me a few days to write.”
I struggled because I am a white woman still dealing with my white fragility. Another white person has just been internally promoted to an Assistant Superintendent in Penfield, from PHS Principal. She is a woman. I have no doubt she is qualified and ready. Internal promotion is important for consistency of vision, employee engagement, shared and aligned approaches to the work. And still, our district can’t seem to hire one person (definitely not in a leadership role), that would be identified as BIPOC. So, I struggle to fully celebrate this announcement.
As a woman, I am pleased to see more women moving into leadership and senior leadership roles. For far too long, in “women dominated” fields, men still held top ranks, while women served the work…education, healthcare, human service, non-profits. We have been seeing that shift, most often to white women. As a white woman today, I feel empowered to achieve, I feel support to “climb” and to “take down the patriarchy!” I am allowed to feel ambitious (to a point), whereas my mother was not and my grandmother was discouraged.
A few years ago, I participated in an online symposium about diversity and equity in non-profits. Nobody knew each other, but we could engage via the chat. I wrote that “white women may need to step back.” Ugh. That received a LOT of comments. I didn’t say white men should step back. I have forgiven myself, because women are socialized to be nurturing, encouraging, and selfless. I played right into it.
What I should have submitted was that we need to actively create space and build policy that promotes women, and particularly women of color.
In Penfield:
- of the 7 Administrators at Penfield High School, all are white.
- 5 are women.
- of the 5 Administrators at Bay Trail Middle School, all are white.
- 2 are women.
- of the 4 elementary Principals, all are white.
- 1 is a woman.
Yet, women comprise over 75% of the teaching workforce in public education. White teachers comprise nearly 80% of the workforce in public education. However, charter schools have higher rates of both Black and Hispanic teachers. Hmmm…due to these internal promotions, two Principalships have opened. Principals are even closer to our students than district leadership. We have an awesome opportunity to show our Black, Brown, Native and Asian students that THEY MATTER, THEY ARE SEEN, THEY BELONG. We have an opportunity to show all students that Black, Brown, Native and Asian educators are experts and leaders and that they are part of a typical demographic of educators.
But, they cannot be alone. All new hires for the 2021-22 school year should demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion. It is the only way to “walk the talk” when it comes to building equity. It must feel safe and uplifting to be a BIPOC working for the PCSD.
So, while I will not denounce a woman being promoted within her field, I will continue to hold the district accountable to processes and decisions that maintain the status quo. Penfield can be a leader in this regard. The opportunity is right in front of us.
4 Responses
Thank you for this thought provoking piece. I love your passion to see Penfield set an example for its BIPOC students that they, too, can aspire to leadership in the schools if they want to. Too many BIPOC children do not consider education careers for many reasons, but including the fact that they do not see many, if any, role models out there. I’m a Board member-elect in Rush-Henrietta who will be seeking to work and hold our district accountable on this front as well. As a white woman, I thought long and hard before running for office and had numerous calls seeking to recruit other qualified people of color in my district to run for the Board. Alas, I was not successful in that recruitment so I put my hat in the ring myself. But I seek to represent and align with the voices of our BIPOC and New American residents in the school district. Thank you for your advocacy, and for sharing your views about this important topic.
Thank you Rachel! Good luck in your bid. And keep up thw recruitment! We are doing the same in Penfield.
Thank you Rachel! Good luck in your bid. And keep up thw recruitment! We are doing the same in Penfield.
What does “F******” mean?
“women are socialized to be nurturing, encouraging, and selfless. I played right into it.”
What desirable changes could result from women’s “moving into leadership and senior leadership roles”? As people move into positions, they are vacating positions.
What are the necessary, proper, required, obligatory attitudes, talents, skills, of leadership?
Of what value is seniority? For whom is seniority of value? To whom is seniority of value?
What privileges, perquisites, prerogatives, prizes, profits, powers, rights accrue to leadership– to senior leadership– positions which are not, need not be, should not be, inextricably connected to tasks, jobs, duties, obligations, responsibilities?
Are these questions interesting, worthy of time spent on searching for accuracy, worthy of time spent on defining terms, identifying criteria? Dismantling misanthropic white privilege and taking down feckless, reckless patriarchy are quintessential “chores” assigned to the human species by the human species which evolves slowly AND impatiently. Unlike mindless parasitic microbes which are all powered by DNA– no schooling needed. Speedy reproduction and mutation gives them a competitive edge unless people buckle down to hard work.