Critical Community Building Pedagogy for Wholeness

We start with an acknowledgement of the current state of schools in the United States: the ways in which schools reproduce oppressive hegemonic ideas and practices, the systemic racial and socioeconomic inequities, and the increased pressure educators face in an era of high-stakes testing and accountability. As a form of freedom dreaming, this chapter is rooted in the belief that when teachers and school leaders focus on building critical communities and teach in ways that recognize and center wholeness, which we define as alignment of the body, mind, and spirit, they can help create a more peaceful, interconnected, joyful, and just society. We present a set of five categories of practice needed for educators to create a critical community building pedagogy for wholeness. These practices are grounded in literature on critical community building, women of color and/or queer feminist pedagogy, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and our own collective experiences. The practices are: (1) extend care and compassion, (2) engage in self-reflection, (3) promote embodiment, (4) center dialogue, and (5) commit to accountability. We argue that this work must be done within the context, or frame, of culturally sustaining pedagogy to ensure students see themselves and their identities reflected, welcomed, and celebrated through the content. Additionally, we believe these practices are intersecting and that the cumulative impact is a commitment to be accountable to the well-being of the whole, which requires caring for ourselves. Throughout the chapter, we provide definitions and explanations of concepts aligned with the five practice categories and include practical suggestions for teachers and school leaders to incorporate these practices into their spaces of learning. Ultimately, we end with an ethic of love, as love is vital to creating a critical community building pedagogy for wholeness.