Sheldon L. Eakins - Leading Equity

Yes? Okay, guess what? My circle of trust would be the same. I would have lots and lots and lots of checks. Although I live in Idaho, I would still have a lot of checks next to those who I trust. This is called affinity bias . It's not necessarily a bad thing.

We typically like to hang around or interact with people who are like minded and who are similar in age, race, and gender. We typically gravitate toward that. Married people tend to hang around other married people. Married people with kids tend to hang around with married people with kids. Single folks tend to do the same. It's not a bad thing to have an affinity bias. We gravitate to or are attracted to things or people who are very similar to us. We can have a conversation with someone who shares a lot of the same political views as us or who shares the same interests that we have—that's fine. But let's consider ways to connect with people outside of our social circles.

How can you develop meaningful relationships with students who don't look like you? When we can become more aware of our biases, we can start to improve upon our interactions with others, decrease our sense of discomfort in interacting with social groups different than our groups, and ultimately make better decisions. Use the following guide as a starting point for developing authentic relationships with students from diverse backgrounds.

Although we may not realize it, implicit bias impacts the decisions we make as educators. I have biases; we all do. Does that make us bad people? No, I don't think so. In fact, biases are part of human nature. However, I believe it's essential that we recognize and own those biases that we have and find ways to overcome and challenge them.

The Ohio State University's Kirwin Institute, a leading research group in the field of implicit bias, defines implicit bias as the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

Often, the biases that we have come from stereotypes, and they're implicit, meaning they're unconscious. We're not necessarily thinking about the situation; they're just revealed by things we do that may come from our backgrounds, lived experiences, and social circles. The important thing is to check yourself whenever you notice that you are acting on your biases. Take a step back and reflect. Why was this my immediate reaction? Why did I respond this way? How could I have responded? How should I answer the next time a situation like this arises?

How do I cope with implicit bias when it happens to me? The following is an individual reflection guide that will help you unpack your personal experiences with implicit bias as both an agent of bias and a recipient of bias.

Reflect on a time you have been on the receiving end of implicit bias:

What emotions did you feel?

Did you choose to address the bias? Why or why not?

How did this situation impact how you were treated by others?

Were you satisfied with how the situation was resolved? Why or why not?

How did this situation influence your future behaviors or beliefs?

Reflect on a time you have acted out of implicit bias toward someone else:

What emotions did you feel during the interaction? After the interaction?

Did you address the bias once you recognized it? Why or why not?

What harm did this interaction cause to the individual or community? Were you able to repair it?

How did this situation influence your future behaviors or beliefs?

Let's take a moment to analyze our personal beliefs. The following is a two-part tool that will help you unpack specific behaviors to identify if those behaviors may be rooted in implicit biases. This tool consists of a list of yes/no questions and a brief reflection for each question.