Spring Cleaning for the MIND: Recognizing and Unpacking Bias as Educators

Spring is often seen as a time of renewal — a moment to clear out clutter, refresh your space, and create room for growth. But spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to our homes or offices. As educators, it’s important that we also pause and do some spring cleaning for our minds. That means recognizing and unpacking the biases we may carry — especially those that impact Black students in our PreK-12 schools.

Bias in education isn’t always loud or intentional. In fact, some of the most harmful forms of bias show up in subtle, everyday decisions — decisions that shape how Black students experience school from the time they enter preschool until they graduate high school. These biases often hide in routines, classroom expectations, grading practices, and discipline policies. And without regular reflection, these unchecked biases can create learning environments that unintentionally harm Black students by limiting their voice, punishing their culture, and lowering expectations for their success.

The first step in this spring cleaning of the mind is recognizing where bias might be hiding in our classrooms and school policies. It’s essential to ask ourselves critical questions. Who do we call on most often in class? Whose behavior gets corrected first? Are Black students allowed to show up as their full selves — in language, style, and personality — without being labeled disruptive or disrespectful? Far too often, Black students face discipline not because their behavior is more harmful but because their natural ways of communicating or expressing themselves are seen through a biased lens.

Research has long shown that Black preschoolers, for example, are suspended at higher rates than any other racial group. This is not because Black children misbehave more, but because of adult perceptions shaped by stereotypes. This adultification bias leads many teachers to view Black boys and girls as older, tougher, or more threatening than their white peers. In practice, this means a 6-year-old Black girl might get sent to the office for “attitude,” while a white peer exhibiting the same behavior is simply redirected or given grace.

To counteract this, educators must be willing to replace assumptions with curiosity. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we should ask, “What’s really going on with this student? What is this behavior trying to tell me?” Bias thrives in assumption but dissolves when met with genuine curiosity and relationship building.

Bias also shows up in what and who we teach. If Black students only see themselves in the curriculum during Black History Month, or if their only representations are tied to slavery, struggle, or civil rights, that sends a powerful message about whose stories matter year-round. Spring cleaning the curriculum means moving beyond a narrow view of Black history and ensuring that students are exposed to Black excellence, innovation, creativity, and leadership in every subject. Black students deserve to see themselves not only as survivors of hardship but also as creators, leaders, scientists, authors, and inventors.

This process of reflection must also include examining the language we use with students. Microaggressions — those small but harmful comments — can damage a student’s sense of belonging. Statements like “You’re so articulate,” when said with surprise to a Black student, or asking to touch a Black student’s hair, may seem harmless to the speaker but can feel deeply othering to the student. Spring cleaning our language means becoming mindful of how words uplift or harm and practicing language that affirms and respects every student’s identity.

Another area often impacted by bias is discipline practices. Traditional classroom management strategies often focus more on control than connection. Unfortunately, this approach tends to disproportionately punish Black students, especially when cultural communication styles — such as passionate speaking, playfulness, or expressiveness — are misread as defiance. Spring cleaning discipline practices means shifting from punishment to partnership. This can include using restorative approaches, providing students with opportunities to reflect and repair, and ensuring that grace and patience are extended to Black students as often as they are to others.

Finally, it’s important to remember that spring cleaning the mind is not a one-time event. It’s ongoing work. Unpacking bias requires daily commitment, humility, and reflection. It means letting go of outdated practices, assumptions, and stereotypes that no longer serve our students. It also means creating classrooms where Black students feel seen, valued, and celebrated — not just for surviving challenges, but for their brilliance, creativity, and humanity.

This spring, educators have an opportunity to clear away the mental clutter that gets in the way of authentic connection and equity. It’s time to sweep away stereotypes, dust off outdated curriculum, polish our language, and reimagine discipline practices that heal rather than harm. When we clean our minds in this way, we create room for joy, learning, and growth — not just for our students, but for ourselves as well. And that’s the kind of spring cleaning that leaves a lasting impact far beyond the season.

Dr. Campbell – CEO

Quarantine Racism Educational Services