Get to know your biases. Make daily commitment to change.

Making assumptions is what we do in our day to day lives. When a young person has their ear buds in when they walk in the room, we assume it means they don’t want to talk. This assumption, while based on our experience, MAY be right…but it could just as well be wrong.

When interacting with kids, assumptions we make about them can put up barriers between us and them. So how do we address this?

Slow yourself down. Take time to question your own assumptions about what a behavior means.

• T.H.I.N.K. before you respond. Is your response: True, Helpful, Insightful, Necessary, Kind
• Question your own assumptions. Might you be basing your thoughts on a limited amount of information?
• Ask for insight. Ask your young person, “Am I understanding correctly? What am I NOT getting?”

We can’t get rid of bias but with self-awareness we can limit its impact.

Want to learn more about your unconscious bias? Take a few minutes to take this test developed by Harvard.