As a British-Indian head of geography, working in a culturally diverse school with an above-average number of disadvantaged students, I choose to visit rural areas for fieldwork. This helps with the students’ development and encourages independence, especially for those who have not been away from their families before. 

Recently, we went to a fieldwork centre in Somerset. On our arrival, we discovered that there were two other A-level groups staying there. Our students, mostly from Asian backgrounds, were the most diverse group there. 

Our students had settled in well, and were enjoying their time at the centre. However, one morning, they came down to the lesson and were very quiet. I knew immediately that something had happened. 

The incident involved students from another school placing a portable speaker in the hallway, and playing Indian music as our students walked by. Later, that same speaker - again playing Indian music - was placed outside our students’ bedroom. 

Students suffering racism

I was furious. I gathered all the information, and recalled what had transpired to the other groups’ teachers. They were also horrified by the incident. 

One of the teachers mentioned that his students had a speaker, and proceeded to investigate. Within minutes, this proactive teacher had brought two white British sixth-formers into my presence. The students were silent, with their heads down. Their teacher’s disappointment was clear, but mine went beyond that. 

Their teacher retold the incident, stopping in places to ask for clarification, and scolded them for bringing their school into disrepute. He asked me if I had anything to add. My questions addressed the obvious elephant in the room. 

“How are we different from you?” I said.

There was no reply. The other group’s school was also in Essex, so I asked again: “How are my pupils different to you?” 

They understood what I was referring to, but again did not reply. Their teacher intervened, but they remained silent. 

I then asked, “Why did you do that to my pupils?” 

They finally spoke, stating: “It was a joke.” 

I said, “Is it a joke to be racist and belittle our pupils?” 

They fell silent again. 

‘It wasn’t that bad’

They saw our students as different from them, and thought they could laugh at their expense. I asked them, “Who are you to belittle my pupils?” but I received nothing. I asked them, “Are you aware that your actions are racist?” 

Their teacher added in response, “What would your parents say?” 

It was clear that the situation was awkward. Challenging racism is not easy, but their teacher’s support was exceptional. He assured me the students would apologise to my students, and that the school would deal with it appropriately.

The next day, I asked my students whether the sixth-formers had apologised, and they had. Some of my students questioned the sincerity of it. Nevertheless, they had all received an apology. 

To my surprise, some of them said to me, “Miss, you didn’t have to do that.” Others said, “You didn’t have to do anything, Miss. It wasn’t that bad.” 

‘Mocking my race, too’

I was stunned. Since when had racism become acceptable behaviour? My students disregarded this abhorrent incident as something minor that did not require addressing. What does this say about society? 

This made me uncomfortable. Have my students experienced racism before and repressed it, or perceived it as “banter”? As something amusing to be laughed at, rather than challenged?

I intervened immediately, saying, “You must always confront racism. That’s exactly what it was: someone laughing at the expense of your race. At the expense of my race, too. I would never let that be ignored.” 

My students nodded along. I was responsible for these students, both as their teacher and as a woman of colour. While this incident felt particularly personal to me, racism needs to be addressed by all teachers, regardless of their race. 

“Imagine if I didn’t say anything,” I said to my students. “Those sixth-formers would think their actions were acceptable, and they could continue to ridicule others based on their race.” 

My students agreed, and some of them felt empowered by my actions. 

A moral duty

Fieldwork is always a chance to see the different sides of students, and how they act outside the classroom. I learned about their resilience, while they learned about my passion to combat injustice. 

This incident reminded me of a similar event that had happened when I was the same age as those students. During an A-level art trip to Cornwall, our class of mainly Asian pupils was racially abused by a man because we were in his way. 

We were surprised by the language used. But our white British teacher’s reaction was: “Don’t say anything. Walk along.” He did not challenge the behaviour.

Perhaps he wanted to avoid conflict, or perhaps he did not want a fight in front of us. Whatever the reason, it was not discussed again. Many students were left feeling unsupported by the situation.  

Challenging racism is important, whatever the situation and however trivial others may think it is. I believe that being an advocate for justice is a moral duty.

Everyone has a part to play in fighting racism. Are you helping to solve the problem, or are you contributing to it? 

Gurpreet Gill is head of geography at Eastbury Community School, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham