A few months ago, I was scrolling on Facebook when I came across a question posed by a French teacher in a major French Facebook Teacher group. This teacher was seeking guidance on how to begin with anti-oppressive teaching, as well as examples of activities and assessments that are anti-oppressive, differentiated, culturally relevant, and identity-affirming.
Today, we’re going to discuss pedagogies, assessment, instructional tools, and system-wide changes to advocate for all that helps form a learning environment that is anti-oppressive, differentiated, culturally responsive, and identity-affirming.
Who am I, and what authority do I have to speak on this topic?
Bonjour! My name is Pav and I am a French teacher of South Asian descent from Vancouver, Canada. For the past three years, I have served as the anti-racism lead at my school. Part of my responsibilities includes planning school-wide activities and events, advocating for changes with my school, and communicating with students, parents, and administration to ensure that we are constantly moving forward in the direction of progress.
Online, I have used my platform for the last five years to advocate for change in French pedagogies. I have tried to demonstrate to French teachers that teaching inclusively and anti-oppressively is not only very doable, but it is also non-negotiable and gratifying.
While I have worked very hard to advocate for change and progress, both in my career and online, I also want to acknowledge that I am not perfect. I am constantly trying to learn more, even unlearn, to be a better human being and teacher.
I am also completing a post-grad diploma on compassionate classrooms. This diploma has taught me a lot about SEL, trauma-informed teaching, restorative justice/restorative practices, and more.
I am also a big reader and specifically focus on reading diversely. Feel free to peruse my Goodreads for diverse book recommendations.
What are the ways students and teachers encounter systemic oppression in education?
Let’s begin with the understanding that the legacies of colonialism are alive and well within society and all institutions. For example, students and teachers encounter systemic racism in the school setting. What does systemic racism look like in the education setting?
Systemic Oppression and the Curriculum
An example of systemic oppression and the curriculum is a focus on Eurocentric perspectives & curriculum where marginalized students do not see themselves reflected in the content and instructional practices. In French class, teachers and/or the curriculum only focus on France or Quebec, erasing Francophone communities in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Discriminatory Discipline Practices
It is easy to turn a blind eye to discipline practices within the education setting. For example, Black, Indigenous, and racialized students can be disproportionately suspended or expelled in contrast to their white counterparts.
In Canada specifically, the school-to-prison pipeline for Indigenous boys is an example of this type of disproportionate representation.
Ableism in Assessment and Instruction
The following are examples of ableism in the school setting:
- One-size-fits-all instruction that does not differentiate
- Students lack voice and choice in assessment and learning practices
- Traditional grading systems that penalize students for mistakes or not learning the same way as neurotypical students disadvantage those who have dyslexia, ADHD, auditory processing disorders, or executive functioning challenges.
- Lack of accessible tools, equipment, or learning resources
- An emphasis on compliance and “good behaviour”
Other examples of systemic oppression
- Lower graduation rates for Indigenous students
- Higher rates of academic streaming for racialized and low-income students
- Lack of belonging, safety, and representation for LGBTQ2S students
- Poor mental health outcomes for marginalized students
- Inaccessible learning environments for neurodivergent and disabled students
- Students encountering racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, homophobia, and anti-Semitism at school
- Students are forced to suppress parts of their identity to feel safe or to fit in
- Teacher burnout from working in unjust systems
These are only a few examples!
Bottom line, oppression in the education system exists.
Why is anti-oppressive teaching a non-negotiable?
If we care about the well-being and success of our students, we will do everything in our power to foster an anti-oppressive learning environment for them.
In my mind, anti-oppressive teaching is divided into two fields:
a. changes I can make in my own classroom and within my teaching practices
b. changes I must advocate for at my school
Anti-oppressive teaching in the French classroom
Let’s explore the various ways to cultivate an anti-oppressive learning environment in the classroom.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
What is Culturally Responsive Teaching? CRT is an educational approach that acknowledges and celebrates students’ diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences and connects them to classroom learning.
In her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain, Dr. Zaretta Hammond states that Culturally Responsive Teaching is essential if we want our marginalized students to succeed in rigorous learning. I highly recommend reading her book, as Dr. Hammond shares not only that it’s possible to implement CRP but also explains the benefits to student learning.
Trauma-Informed Teaching & Trauma-Sensitive Classrooms
As teachers, we must understand that our students are walking into our classrooms with past trauma. Trauma is going to change how our students learn. The BC Provincial Government defines TIP as:
Trauma-Informed Practice is a strengths-based framework grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma. It emphasises physical, psychological, and emotional safety for everyone, and creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.
Is your classroom a trauma-informed space? Is your teaching trauma-informed?
Trauma-sensitive classrooms:
- implement Culturally Responsive Teaching
- establish students’ physical and emotional safety
- cultivate relationships with students every single day
- focus on student strengths and never view students from a deficit perspective
- are culturally competent
- include voice and choice in activities, lessons, and assessments.
- never get into a power struggle with students
- teach/model healthy coping strategies.
Instruction & Assessment Flexibility
An anti-oppressive teacher understands that not all students learn the same way. There are so many factors that alter how we change. Anti-oppressive teachers are flexible and not stubborn. They are willing to explore different instructional approaches and assessments to see what works best for their students.
Inclusion of Diverse Voices & Perspectives
In a French classroom, there are numerous ways to incorporate diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences. Here are some quick examples!
- Explore French music & musicians. There’s so much diversity here!
- Manie Musicale is an accessible way to get into this, and all of your planning is done for you
- Teach about Verlan & France’s banlieues.
- Teach French slang expressions and their origins
- Learn about diverse celebrations in your novice French classes
- Read French picture books
- Explore my favourite picture books with Muslim representation, Black representation, and Asian representation.
- Begin to explore the Francophone world.
- Discover Francophone cultures through a specific theme or topic, such as food, geography, clothing, or music.
- Acknowledge BHM, AHM, Pride, Orange Shirt Day, Indigenous Heritage Month, etc in your classroom
- Learn about First Peoples’ Principles of Learning and incorporate them into your teaching
Celebrating Students’ Identities
Hold space for and celebrate your students’ identities. We’re so lucky we teach French as there are so many ways to do this!
Last year, I organized a whole-school Culture Day. With the help of a $2,000 grant my students won, we were able to share diverse cultural foods with our entire student body.
During the event, a Filipino student came up to us, thrilled to see lumpia (Filipino spring rolls) on the menu. He told us he had never seen Filipino culture represented at school before. I cried when I heard this—tears of both joy and sadness.
How can you celebrate your students’ identities in your classroom and in your school?
Student (and Teacher) Accountability
I’ve heard from my students time and time again that when someone says something racist to them and their teacher does nothing, it confirms to them that their teacher does not care.
Not holding students accountable is the number one way to alienate marginalized students because you are declaring in capital letters that you are NOT a safe teacher!
Holding students accountable also means:
- Communicating promptly with the Administration team when something unsafe and dangerous occurs. This includes a student saying a slur.
- Communicating with the parents of the victim to let them know what has occurred. This is crucial because these parents need to know how to guide their child, advocate for them, and even get them therapy to process what they experienced.
- Advocating for changes at the system-level if necessary
Avoid tone policing staff and students
If a staff member or a student comes to you and expresses that something you said or did was discriminatory, please do not tone-police them. This human being is telling you they experienced harm. Your first words should not be “well, I wish you didn’t tell me right now or right here” or “I wish you had used different words”.
Tone policing diverts attention from the harm caused to your own discomfort with accountability. Furthermore, you are reinforcing power dynamics by reinforcing your own authority and power in the relationship.
Instead, focus on repairing harm
Instead of tone policing, focus on acknowledging the harm that you unintentionally caused. Thank them for being vulnerable and communicating with you. Express your commitment to learning and doing better in the future.
Once you leave, commit yourself to learning more about why what you said or did was harmful. Read a book, find a YouTube video, or ask a question in an anti-oppression teaching group on Facebook.
Anti-oppressive teaching on a school-wide level and systems-wide level
Now, let’s discuss school-wide activities and events.
School-wide recognition of Black History Month, Pride, Asian Heritage Month, etc.
If you’re a Canadian teacher in 2025, your school should absolutely be organizing school-wide recognitions of these months.
This past year, my colleague and I co-organized a Black History Month panel (our third annual!) at our school. It was incredible. One of our panellists was Jamila Pomeroy, who is a film screenwriter, director, and producer. She’s amazing. One thing she said that continues to haunt me is that anti-Black racism since 2020 has gotten worse. As a teacher, I see and hear this from my Black students every single day.
School-wide celebrations are powerful because they make identities visible. Many of my marginalized students have shared that when these months go unacknowledged, they feel unseen.
There is a need to not only acknowledge these heritage months but also to celebrate joy within these communities.
Using Your Voice & Privilege to Advocate for Students
One of the most important things you can do as an anti-oppressive educator is to use your voice and privilege and advocate for your students when you see or hear of injustices.
We absolutely cannot pretend that discrimination does not exist anymore in our schools. It happens.
If you see that the system is not handling the situation well, which is causing trauma to students, please use your voice and privilege to advocate for the problem to improve!
Let me know what you think!
This is my summer reflection of what it means to be an anti-oppressive educator in 2025. If there’s something I have not discovered, I would love to hear from you! Please share with us in the comments below.
