📈 Chapter 5: Room for Improvement. Change from the Ground Up
43 5.4: The Role of the Educator
“Know when to get out of the way and let folks be themselves.” – Eric Ng
Video 5.5: Researchers and educators Dr. Semon Myrie and Eric Ng, from Ontario, offer recommendations for mentors and dietetic educators to create safer learning environments.
“Sometimes Black students just want to be Black students.” – Eric Ng
Stop and Reflect
Reflective Exercise: Think about a Black student in your class, workplace, or placement as you review the prompt below.
Identify one specific action you took or could have taken to provide mentorship and support that respects their lived experiences.
What steps did you take or could have taken to ensure you were providing a platform for their voice, while also recognizing when it was time to step back and let them lead?
If you have not had the opportunity to mentor a Black student, think about why that may be. What skills and competencies in anti-oppression can you develop to better support a Black student when the opportunity arises?
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Communal Learning Recommendation: To maximize the impact of these reflections, it is highly recommended that these questions be integrated into group discussions within a classroom setting or brought to staff and educator meetings to brainstorm institutional support strategies collaboratively.
