The Power and Possibilities of Solidarity in the Murky Middle

Abstract

Examining students’ acts of solidarity, the author ponders how educators can intentionally journey alongside students through their challenging times.

Key words:

• solidarity
• student–teacher relationships

Acknowledgment

Acknowledging someone’s middle is powerful. These moments are often glossed over, so taking even a moment to acknowledge the murky middle has great power. Acknowledgment can come with words—written, spoken, or unsaid. It might be a sticky note waiting on my student’s desk when that individual arrives in class. It might be a card tucked deeply in a backpack for the student to find later. It might be a knowing glance, a smile, or a nod. It might be a long conversation over donuts brought from the faculty lounge. Acknowledgment can be simple; it is about being seen and known.

Grace

Solidarity in the middle moments also can manifest in the form of grace. Grace can be revealed by giving my students an extension on their assignment or modifying it to fit their needs. It can look like an extra dose of patience for their actions and an extra measure of kindness in how I speak to them. It can be gentleness; it can be laughter; it can be spontaneity. Grace is about meeting my students wherever they are and adapting who I am as their teacher to fit their needs during their middle moments.

Friendship

Solidarity in the middle moments also can take the form of friendship. I believe that friendship is an underutilized quality in education. In fact, most educators probably would shudder at the notion of being friends with their students. I speak of friendship as a co-constructed, power-sharing, love-filled relationship in which both parties truly see each other and consequently strive to help each other to thrive. In being a friend to my students in their middle moments, I see them as more than students in my class—they are seen as whole beings. Each student is seen as a daughter, a son, an uncle, a brother, a clarinet player, a caretaker, and any other role one may fulfill. By seeing them as friends, my solidarity takes into consideration all their personhood and acts accordingly, as a friend would.

Universality of Solidarity

The universality of solidarity in the waiting has the potential to transcend race, class, gender, age, and ability differences. This universal human experience—waiting—offers the possibility to foster deep interpersonal connections and forge new intertwined relationships that will endure far beyond an academic calendar. The universality of solidarity yields a rich opportunity to power-share, name the world together, and embrace pedagogies of love (Darder, 2017) with our students. While our differences are profound, stunning, and necessary, the ability to show up in solidarity—to speak back to the pain, numbness, and isolation of the murky middle—transcends difference and restores goodness. These principles of acknowledgment, grace, and friendship aim to restore humanity, and they are the foundation of equitable, inclusive teaching. Authentic and dynamic relationships are both the cornerstone and the catalyst for transformative classroom learning.

Closing Thoughts

Maybe some of our big dreams, like the total transformation of schools and society, can be inched along, one micro moment at a time. If educators everywhere intentionally join students in their murky middle moments, maybe we can get one step closer to fulfilling our hopes, persevering one day at a time. Maybe these rich, authentic connections have the power to restore humanity and bring us closer to the world as we imagine it to be.

I invite educators to join me in the quiet work of the middle moments. When we are invited into our students’ stories, may we join them in their murky middles with love, tenderness, and grace. May we be ever grateful for the invitation they have bestowed upon us to share in their journeys. And may we be brave enough to invite them into our murky middles as well. May we belong to one another so that we can become (SooHoo, 2015). May we have a profound, critical trust in our students to love us well during our lifelong dance with struggle and hope. May we stand in solidarity with one another in the struggle, and may our togetherness propel great hope.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Laura Yomantas

Elizabeth Laura Yomantas is a teacher educator and qualitative researcher. Her research interests include critical allyship, indigenous Fijian education, and culturally responsive experiential education. [email protected]