Why Do I Hesitate to Post on Social Media?

The answer to this weeks blog prompt is simple to me, yes teachers have a responsibility to model active citizenship and anti-oppressive education in digital spaces. What educators say and do in the classroom should not be separate from their lives outside of the classroom. We can not live two lives.

So why do I hesitate to speak up on social media? At this point I rarely post anything on social media as it is, wouldn’t it seems strange for me to post anti-oppressive content. But in reality the answer is that I am afraid. I am ashamed to admit it but I am being honest. I am afraid I will say the “wrong thing”, I am afraid that I do not know enough to defend my statement, I am afraid that I do not have the right to speak up because of my privileges, I am afraid that it might not be my place, I am afraid people would think that I was just doing it “for show”, I am afraid that I will be in trouble with my employer. To be very honest, I was afraid to share this on this blog post.

I know that being afraid is not right. It is not about me, the issues surrounding us that need to be shared are bigger than me, I have to stop being selfish and stop being silent. I need to do better. The fact that I would share anti-oppressive content when I don’t normally post anything would say volumes about how important the issue is.

Over the last few years I have been reading and watching many different resources to try and educate myself on a variety of social justice issues so that I can feel confident in speaking up. I have known it for sometime now, Silence can speak louder than words and not for the better when it comes to social justice issues. I need to remember that even if I make a mistake, it is how I deal with that mistake that matters.

A video that was shared with me recently that resinated with me is called Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Luvvie Ajayi makes so many great points about speaking up, “silence serves no one” and “everyone’s wellbeing is our business” are just two of her statements that stand out to me. She also shares three questions to ask yourself before you put something out there and I think that they will help me as I turn over a new leaf and break the silence.

Although, I feel that I am at the point where I am becoming more comfortable with sharing resources, it is just a start. I will continue to educate myself and get to a place where I can share more personal thoughts.

One way that I plan to continue learning and growing is by following the lead of other educators who speak up. I think this will help me to conquer many of my fears. With the permission of the person who posted this I am sharing the screenshots from the facebook account from a principal that I know personally. I seen these on Monday night and they immediately stood out and they fit perfectly into our topic for Tuesday night. She is setting an example for other educators to speak up and use their social media platforms to share anti-racism messages and information.

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There are so many amazing educators out there creating resources and helping all educators figure out how to approach anti-racism and anti-oppressive education both in and out of the classroom. It is our duty to learn from them and use them.

I appreciate you reading my blog and I hope that my honesty has not offended anyone. Please feel free to have a conversation with me about any of the topics that I have brought up. I am still learning and trying to do better and I feel like at least that is a start.

“Silence serves no one.” – Luvvie Ajayi