Reasons for teacher participation in the Social Justice and Anti-Racist, Anti-Opressive Forum on Education

Abstract

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education is asking school boards to consider how they can offer anti-racist education to teachers. To assist teachers in meeting this mandate supportive professional development opportunities are necessary. One area that needs more attention is exploring the reasons teachers participate in anti-racist education and how a professional forum may assist them to engage in anti-racist education. This research study investigates the reasons teachers become involved in the Social Justice and Anti-Racist Anti-Oppressive Forum of education (SAFE), a Special Subject Council of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, and what they are hoping to learn or contribute to it. Through the use of interviews, it asks five Saskatchewan teachers to consider the reasons that lead them to work towards challenging racism and oppression, and the reasons they became involved in SAFE. The analysis of this data adds to academic research that investigates how anti-racist and anti-oppressive education can work to draw teachers into teaching for social justice, and how professional organizations and forums can support such endeavours.