Recently, members of the Academy of Educators (AoE) and the NC State branch of the Southeastern Veterinary Education Consortium’s (SEVEC’s) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion working group have been invited to participate in an initiative called the Educator’s Pledge, a personal intentional pledge to create learning environments that are more inclusive, equitable and supportive of diversity through our habits and actions. It has been exciting to see so many colleagues at the CVM enthusiastically making their pledges and sharing them publicly (which is part of the process, so what we can all be held accountable).
While working on my own Pledge (see below), I reached out to AoE director, Jesse Watson to give us an overview of what the pledge is all about:
What is the purpose of the Educator’s Pledge?
– The Educator’s Pledge is about using intentional practice to change our habits and create a more inclusive, equitable, and diversity supportive learning environment for our students. We want to adjust our cultural norms to better reflect the needs of our students and graduates.
Who started the pledge? Who was invited to take part?
– The Pledge comes out of the Southeastern Veterinary Education Consortium’s (SEVEC’s) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion working group. This includes representatives from nine CVMs in our region collaborating to support each other in becoming better educators and educational institutions. Each college is participating to a different degree, and some are waiting to join us in Fall 2021. Within NCSU, we’ve advertised the pledge within the Academy of Educators, though anyone is welcome to join.
How did the idea for the Educator’s Pledge come about?
– There are many excellent programs for increasing awareness of these issues and beginning the lifelong process of self-educating. We have folks like Dr. Cannedy and all the projects coming through the CVM Diversity Committee, the Faculty Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (FCDI) as well as the NCBI and training provided by NCSU main campus. The Educator’s Pledge is designed to come in after you’ve attended a couple of these or similar opportunities and are trying to figure out what you can do in your own practice. It is intended to be an entry point to taking action and applying what you have learned, and hopefully are continuing to learn. It’s also designed to have some fairly “light lift” options for engagement. Not everyone is prepared, able, or interested in becoming a crusader, and some action plans can be intimidating, or even impossible for folks. We wanted to provide a scaffold for folks in different situations to work towards positive change at the level they can do. Further, we wanted to create something that was community building. To this end, we ask that every pledge be made publically. This is not only to share what you’re doing, but to show that it’s worth doing. This is how we grow one person’s desire to improve into a community-level movement.
My Pledge (Julia Rice):
I am an Educator.
As an Educator, I am responsible for providing the best education I can for my students.
As an Educator, I am responsible for acknowledging that I and my students live in a world full of prejudices that wrongfully disadvantage many in our field, our college, and our classrooms.
As an Educator, I am responsible for constant efforts to maintain awareness of these prejudices and to provide an education that actively works against oppression.
This is how I strive to be a good Educator.Educating is hard work that requires honesty, humility, and help from you, my students.
I am asking for help to do right by our field, by our college, and by you.
I take this pledge anew each semester to include a specific and observable teaching practice in support of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
I choose a different practice to incorporate each semester, and the practice I choose for this semester is described below.
Please support me in this effort through your feedback, recommendations, and reminders.
We can do better, together.
As an Educator, I am responsible for providing the best education I can for my students.
As an Educator, I am responsible for acknowledging that I and my students live in a world full of prejudices that wrongfully disadvantage many in our field, our college, and our classrooms.
As an Educator, I am responsible for constant efforts to maintain awareness of these prejudices and to provide an education that actively works against oppression.
This is how I strive to be a good Educator.Educating is hard work that requires honesty, humility, and help from you, my students.
I am asking for help to do right by our field, by our college, and by you.
I take this pledge anew each semester to include a specific and observable teaching practice in support of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
I choose a different practice to incorporate each semester, and the practice I choose for this semester is described below.
Please support me in this effort through your feedback, recommendations, and reminders.
We can do better, together.
I pledge to continue developing myself through learning in the GLBT Advocate Program at NC State, as well as the Foundations in Cultural Competence and Inclusivity Certificate Program for Faculty. I also pledge to be a Wellbeing Ally by reaching out to check in with three CVM community members per week.
For more information on the Educator’s Pledge and how to participate, contact Jesse Watson at jwatson3@ncsu.edu