# Side Comments on Discrimination in STEM

**URL:** <https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/side-comments-on-discrimination-in-stem/3591>\
**Category:** Side Conversation\
**Tags:** Science, Comments, Society\
**Created:** [December 18, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/side-comments-on-discrimination-in-stem/3591 "2018-12-18T19:54:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 9

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**Author:** ![Jordan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/jordan/32/756_2.png) [@Jordan](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Jordan)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 3:09am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/side-comments-on-discrimination-in-stem/3591/9 "2018-12-23T03:09:50Z")

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I find the idea of student-faculty interactions being simultaneously important and “risky” to be very disconcerting.

I certainly want the minority students in my classroom to feel that I am supportive and approachable. I just worry about unknowingly doing/saying something offensive or unhelpful and then I don’t have a chance to clarify or remedy my mistake.

I worry about the so-called “color blind” approach, that seemed logical to me when I first started teaching, but now seems insufficient. Essentially, it’s much easier to just ignore race than to actual try to acknowledge and wrestle with it. I really don’t have any good ideas at this point so I’m hoping this conversation will help me out.

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