Racial slur used in Winnipeg classroom sparks conversation about race in teaching

The use of a racial slur by a teacher in a Winnipeg classroom is sparking conversations about anti-racism policies in schools.

"The language that we use is preparing students for the way that they're engaging in the world outside of the classroom," said Michelle Jean-Paul, a Winnipeg school principal and anti-racism educator.

"We need to be really cautious in the language that we're using."

A Winnipeg teacher at Collège Louis Riel is on leave after using the N-word in a class last week.

Jean-Paul believes that word shouldn't be used in classrooms.

"We know that those words exist. Do we need to repeat them in order for people to know that they exist?" she said.

"As someone who's been the target of some of those words, I think the sting is there, whether you're directing it to me or not. That's something for educators to really be mindful of," said Jean-Paul.

"There are ways that we can teach about these things without putting people in positions where they're feeling like they're being further harmed."

On top of being a school principal, Jean-Paul educates teachers about anti-racism through her organization, the Educators of Colour Network. She's also focusing on anti-racism policies in her doctorate studies at the University of Manitoba.

If a teacher decides to use the N-word — when discussing writing by Martin Luther King Jr. in which the word appears, for example — Jean-Paul says there should be warning, consent, context and trust among everyone in the class.

"What is pre-teaching and the post-teaching happening around that? Is it something that's being used in a sensational way to draw attention? Or is it something that's being used to to really further learning and understanding?"

The Franco-Manitoban School Division, which includes Collège Louis Riel, has promised to create four advisory groups on inclusion by the end of November. A parent group is calling for the division to create an anti-racism policy.

Winnipeg's Seven Oaks School Division adopted an anti-racist policy earlier this year. The document outlines commitments from staff about teaching culturally relevant courses, offering supports for intersectional issues, and supporting diverse needs around safety and equity.

Jean-Paul was on the advisory board for the policy and says it was important to include people from diverse groups when creating it.