Eastern professor's 'Implicit Bias' book makes Library Journal's best-seller list
Willimantic, CT (10/04/2022) — Eastern Connecticut State University Professor of Education Theresa Bouley recently hit Library Journal's best-seller list for academic/education-centric books with her latest release, "Implicit Bias: An Educator's Guide to the Language of Microaggressions." Published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2021 and co-authored by Anni K. Reinking, the book brings attention to racial biases and microaggressions that students of diverse backgrounds face.
The book highlights race, gender, LGBTQ+ involvement, religion, socioeconomic status and other various identities among students so that educators can effectively respond and eliminate biases and microaggression within their classroom.
"We are both educators and know that educators impact the future of our country," said Bouley of her and Reinking's motivation to write the book. "This book provides digestible information for people at all parts of their journey regardless of their identity. It aims to provide a guide and reference point for reflection. Everyone is at a different place in their own growth journey, and this is just one more resource along that path."
Bouley is the president of the Connecticut chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME), a non-profit organization that advocates for equity and social justice through education. As a teacher, her focus is to bring attention to topics such as gender, sexuality, environmental education and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students and families.
In "Implicit Bias," the authors explain the impact of implicit biases and their effects on children in the classroom setting. "The terms implicit bias and microaggression have been buzzwords within the last few years, however many people may not know what the terms actually mean or how their own implicit bias may be experienced as a microaggression by others - the very nature of implicit bias is that it is unconscious and insidious."
Addressing microaggressions, Bouley explains that they are anything but small. "Microaggressions are not micro; they are abuse and result in emotional and physical harm and can be traumatic. Some students - those of marginalized groups - experience microaggressions in schools more than others. It is imperative for educators and others working with students and families to understand that actions, words and even thoughts can have dire consequences in the life of someone else."
She specifically urges teachers to pay attention to their own assumptions and know the signs that are biased and micro-aggressive. "While all students and families experience microaggressions at some time or other, students who live in poverty and students of color or students with varying abilities or on the LGBTQ+ spectrum all experience microaggressions more commonly than their peers."
The book also highlights minority groups that are often overlooked, even when discussing diversity. "We feel that people who are and have been historically excluded from society feel 'seen' in this book and have a basis to provide people with a resource for learning," said Bouley.
Bouley explains that while everyone is at a different place in their awareness journey with biases, the first step is accepting that you have them. "Recognizing that everyone has biases that are transmitted in our daily interactions and experienced as microaggressions, especially by individuals of marginalized groups, is the first step to developing self-awareness."
For more information on Library Journal's best-seller list, visit https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/the-state-must-provide-complaint-how-student-loans-became-a-national-catastrophe-and-more-in-education-academic-best-sellers .
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving more than 4,300 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 163 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 31 states and 10 countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked as the #1 public regional university in New England by U.S. News & World Report in its 2020, 2021 and 2022 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 12 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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