I’m currently a student in the Bachelor of Education program at WLU, and I’ve been feeling increasingly frustrated with how certain topics, like diversity and land acknowledgements, are being handled.
Recently, in one class, my white professor displayed a photo of white individuals and abruptly asked, “Where is the diversity in this image?” The photo seemed completely random and unrelated to the content we were discussing. It felt disconnected from the broader lesson, and as a white person myself, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, as if I was being made to feel guilty for my identity.
This made me wonder: if I were to Google a photo of Black people, randomly post it in class, and ask, “Where is the diversity in this image?” wouldn’t that be just as reductive and inappropriate? While I fully support discussions about diversity, it’s important that they are handled thoughtfully, without singling anyone out or making assumptions.
Additionally, my professors (all of who are white) do land acknowledgements at the start of every class. On some days, we sit through three different land acknowledgements in a single day, which usually take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes each. While I understand the intent behind them, they often feel redundant and disconnected from the class content. In my math class, we are even required to say a land acknowledgement before a mandatory presentation, and there has been no option to opt-out, regardless of how we feel about the relevance or effectiveness of these acknowledgements.
I apologize if this comes off as a rant, but I’m genuinely unsure if I’m justified in feeling this way. I’m hesitant to share these thoughts with others because I’m worried it might reflect negatively on me. It’s just frustrating because I deeply value the importance of these topics, but the way they’re being handled in my program is leaving me feeling more alienated than engaged.
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