The Unconscious and Conscious Harm We Do - Part 2
- Annie O'Shaughnessy
- Nov 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 25
By Annie O’Shaughnessy
In Part I of this series, I spoke to the importance of examining the unconscious strategies we use to navigate our roles and lives. I shared the shadow side of my seemingly benevolent strategy of “getting kids to like me” to prevent challenging behavior. And I asked you to reflect on the ways some of your own unconscious strategies might impact students and colleagues. In Part 2, I explore more ways self-awareness can increase your positive impact and reduce unconscious harm.
In 2017, I went back to school to get my masters degree at Antioch University. Part of my degree involved a practicum called “Equity and Change,” during which I was asked to choose and explore an equity issue in my classroom. Not surprisingly, I first thought, “I am an equity-centered teacher. I don’t see any bias at play in my teaching.” But all I had learned about how bias worked told me that I needed to look more closely.
All my learning connected to racism, prejudice, and even the ways the brain is wired to judge, made me very skeptical of any claims I made of being unbiased. In the end, I chose “gender bias” as my inquiry because I had a sneaking suspicion that I treated students who identified as male differently from those who identified as female.
I began my project by researching the common ways gender bias shows up in a classroom, how biologically male and female brains may or may not think and learn differently, and reading the wonderful guide Building Inquiry Communities and Leadership for Equity. I then asked a colleague to come observe me, giving her a checklist of things to look for regarding gender bias. Her observations, along with my own self-observation, determined that I showed unconscious bias in favor of male students! From there, I entered into a cycle of inquiry to try different change ideas that might improve my instructional practices so that they are more equitable. 1
This process was deeply impactful, not only in uncovering my unconscious bias in favor of males, but it also launched a totally different way of looking at myself and my practice. Through it, I learned that uncovering and acting on unconscious biases requires determination; ruthless self-honesty; iterative cycles of “change ideas” and reflections; community; and humility. What it gave me was a sense of agency in the face of unconscious bias, and, most importantly, an ethical and moral responsibility to continue this work.
While I am no longer in the classroom, my dedication to unearthing unconscious bias can be found in the way Starling Collaborative works to support change in schools. We and the school leaders we support collect “street data”2 to check ourselves and the assumptions we make about all sorts of things, including but not limited to what we believe is “good” for students and their families.
There are many ways to uncover unconscious bias and the dangerous assumptions we make when working for change. For example, Starling Collaborative developed a process called the Assets and Needs Assessment (ANA) to deeply explore the needs and assets of the youth and adults we are asked to serve before we offer our recommendations. We coach leaders to routinely survey staff at the end of their meetings on the “Deltas” and “Plusses” anonymously so they can get an honest view of their staff’s thoughts and feelings. Deltas are what you might change or do differently, while plusses are what worked.
On a more personal level, educators and leaders can:
practice present moment awareness to begin noticing the many ways we act on our assumptions. By developing a practice of slowing down, we can begin to catch ourselves “in the act;”
use the personality assessment tool, the Enneagram, to uncover the unconscious ways we operate under stress, which gives us clues about what we need to pay more attention to;
invite colleagues to come observe your practice with the charge of noticing any biases at play;
build an inquiry community using Building Inquiry Communities and Leadership for Equity as inspiration and Seeing Student Learning: Teacher Change and the Role of Reflection as guides.
Please contact us at info@starlingcollaborative.org if you have any questions or would like Starling Collaborative to come to your school or organization.
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