I was assigned to read this book for one of my classes at my graduate program for teaching English to secondary education students and I absolutely loved it. The first thing I’d like to comment on is Mr. Kay’s decision to split the book into two parts—the first part having to do with the necessity of establishing a classroom environment that would allow for students to participate in meaningful race conversations and how to create those environments and the second part having to do with how to actually have race conversations with students. I found this format to be extremely powerful because it is absolutely true that no meaningful conversations can happen if the classroom environment does not permit them. Therefore, I really appreciated that Mr. Kay spent the time acknowledging this fact and providing helpful tips and suggestions from his own experience and practice to help us think about how we might set up our own classroom for these conversations rather than immediately diving into how to have the conversations.
Upon opening the book, I was immediately struck by Mr. Kay’s discussion about “safe spaces.” The term is one that I have often heard and often used even to describe my goals for my future classroom yet I don’t believe I have ever learned about how exactly I could create these spaces. Prior to reading this book, a safe space for me was a space that was simply comfortable and accepting; it was a place where students could be vulnerable and share their thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged. Now, however, I realize that a safe space is that but also so much more. As Mr. Kay writes in suggesting how we might create these spaces, a safe space is a space in which everyone listens to each other both actively and patiently. It is also a space in which students must be aware of themselves and their classmates and must take both into consideration in order to offer everyone the space to speak if they wish to. Furthermore, a safe space is a space in which there is trust and community to enable something Mr. Kay accurately terms “house talk” to be had which describes the types of conversations that can occur between people who are very close to each other—the types of conversations like race conversations.
The four topics of conversation Mr. Kay discusses are the N-word, the cultural significance of names, cultural appropriation, and pop-up conversations. I don’t want to give too much away about what Mr. Kay discusses here in my review but I just wanted to say that I am so grateful that Mr. Kay has written this book because I know that these conversations are difficult and challenging even with a classroom environment that enables them to be had. Moreover, I already know that I will inevitably struggle and perhaps even mess up at times, so I really do appreciate having this book to guide me in my endeavors to have these conversations with my students. Great read!
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About the author
This book is on fire
Matthew Kay's brand new book Not Light, But Fire: How to Facilitate Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom is one of the best books on teaching I've read. This book offers that powerful blend of big ideas and concrete applications/illustrations that mark the best pedagogical writing. While the examples all focus on race-related conversations, the book strikes me as directly useful for talking about other historically-difficult conversations as well--if not, in fact, any conversation that needs to be meaningful. As a result of reading this book, I see my work cut out for me in the years ahead as a teacher. But I also have been able to immediately implement certain practices in my classroom, such as scheduling in more time to help students make personal connections with the course and with each other. Probably the three biggest takeaways for me are: a reminder of how important it is to build community (versus merely declaring a "safe space"), an exhortation to push past the simple and obvious answers to get to the hard questions (we don't have to settle for everyone just trotting out the usual, predictable stances), and the practical insight of linking race-related conversations to larger threads that run through the entire course. Though Kay writes specifically about a high school context, almost everything in the book applies, with a little adjustment, for college as well, which is what I teach. I have always taught my courses for over ten years now with a heavy emphasis on discussion. In recent years, conversations specifically related to race have been an important part of many of my classes. I wish I had this book when I was starting out. I am glad to have it now.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Matthew Kay's brand new book Not Light, But Fire: How to Facilitate Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom is one of the best books on teaching I've read. This book offers that powerful blend of big ideas and concrete applications/illustrations that mark the best pedagogical writing. While the examples all focus on race-related conversations, the book strikes me as directly useful for talking about other historically-difficult conversations as well--if not, in fact, any conversation that needs to be meaningful.
As a result of reading this book, I see my work cut out for me in the years ahead as a teacher. But I also have been able to immediately implement certain practices in my classroom, such as scheduling in more time to help students make personal connections with the course and with each other. Probably the three biggest takeaways for me are: a reminder of how important it is to build community (versus merely declaring a "safe space"), an exhortation to push past the simple and obvious answers to get to the hard questions (we don't have to settle for everyone just trotting out the usual, predictable stances), and the practical insight of linking race-related conversations to larger threads that run through the entire course.
Though Kay writes specifically about a high school context, almost everything in the book applies, with a little adjustment, for college as well, which is what I teach. I have always taught my courses for over ten years now with a heavy emphasis on discussion. In recent years, conversations specifically related to race have been an important part of many of my classes. I wish I had this book when I was starting out. I am glad to have it now.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Brennan CaverhillReviewed in Canada on August 13, 2021
High quality ideas for teachers in the classroom
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - Kelli PowlingReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2020
Pragmatic, Reflective, and Beautifully Written
