Refusing to Run Away from the Hard Part: Notes on Reflexivity Towards Abolitionist Pedagogy & Teaching

In this critical commentary, we enter into conversation with educators who have practiced abolition, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and critical pedagogies, and consider what it means to sustain a learning community experiencing harm in real time. We assess a case involving a teacher-student interaction at a private minimum security women’s state prison in Texas. Following one of the author's critical reflections, we think about the importance of abolitionist educators giving benefit of the doubt, grasping at the roots of harm, and controlling their affective responses. We argue that community is a practice and a discipline that must be continuously sustained and nurtured. Accordingly, we invite abolitionist educators to not lose sight of the ultimate need to push for educational spaces where students control their learning.