
I Heard What You Said
A Black Teacher, A White System
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Narrated by:
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Jeffrey Boakye
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By:
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Jeffrey Boakye
About this listen
An Amazon Best Non-Fiction Book of 2022
Before Jeffrey Boakye was a black teacher, he was a black student. Which means he has spent a lifetime navigating places of learning that are white by default. Since training to teach, he has often been the only black teacher at school. At times seen as a role model, at others a source of curiosity, Boakye’s is a journey of exploration–from the outside looking in.
In the groundbreaking I Heard What You Said, he recounts how it feels to be on the margins of the British education system. As a black, male teacher–an English teacher who has had to teach problematic texts–his very existence is a provocation to the status quo, giving him a unique perspective on the UK’s classrooms.
Through a series of eye-opening encounters based on the often challenging and sometimes outrageous things people have said to him or about him, Boakye reflects on what he has found out about the habits, presumptions, silences and distortions that black students and teachers experience, and which underpin British education.
Thought-provoking, witty and completely unafraid, I Heard What You Said is a timely exploration of how we can dismantle racism in the classroom and do better by all our students.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2022 Jeffrey Boakye (P)2022 Macmillan Publishers International LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about I Heard What You Said
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Yvonne K
- 06-23-23
Very informative everyone should read this book
Totally enjoyed this book well written. As a product of a English Birmingham early education whereby in 1960 there were only 2 black kids in the school my brother and I. Totally can identify then there were a total of 5 non whites who were always bullied by our white class mates. Born in England of Jamaican immigrant parents. My parents left England and returned to Jamaica in 1969. Where I am proud to say we had excellent black teachers and role models who looked like us for our high school years. Then we moved to USA 10 years later for College and racism reared its ugly head again. However glad I had the opportunity to be schooled in 3 different education system’s definitely taught me well on how to navigate the privileged system. However reading the book very disappointing to see progress has been very slow for black and brown folks. Until the past histories along with systematic racism is taught and understood change will never happen. Thanks for continually shining a spotlight on the systematic unfairness in the education system that is still prevalent to our black and brown children. Keep up the good work!!!
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