48. Carey Thomas - Education, White Fragility, and Becoming Pākehā

Carey Thomas is a teacher who has an interest in helping change the education system to reflect our bicultural nature as a country.  She has recently finished a Masters Thesis looking at what it means to be a Pākehā engaging with te āo Māori (the world of Māori) and what are the barriers that get in the way of that. She particularly looked at past moments in her own life where she felt a resistance to engage and explored why that was.

We discuss Carey's passion for kids, for teaching, and for change. We talk about the failings of the education system in providing for all kids, and what are some of the things that are stopping us from moving ahead well. What talk about the term Pākehā and the misconceptions around it. And we hear her thoughts about why it can be so confronting for Pākehā to engage with things Māori, or even confront racism, also discussing where Carey sees hope that things could actually change.

Connect with Carey on Instagram at instagram.com/becoming_pakeha/

Resources Carey recommends on the topic include:

This Pākehā Life: an unsettled memoir - Alison Jones
A Typology of Pākehā Whiteness in Education - Georgina Turai Stewart
Colonising Myths, Maori Realities - Ani Mikare
Being Pākehā Now - Michael King
White Fragility - Robyn DiAngelo

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