Microaggressions in Middle School

These are my notes from Dr. Laurie A Ramirez’ presentation, “Microaggressions at the Middle – What are they and what do we do about them?“ at the March 25, 2025 NCMLE ‘Middle School Matters’ Conference

MY THOUGHT AND REFLECTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS.

Presentation slides

MICROAGGRESSIONS in Middle Level Education NCMLE – March 2025 by ramirezla

Microaggressions in Middle Level Education

Laurie A Ramirez, Appalachian State University

Very important topic to me, I have experienced this

Taught in Utah prior to moving to App State

Utah doesn’t generally do a great job with middle level education / middle school: Many schools in the east do better with this pedagogy

Basic definition of microaggressions: Subtle, often unintentional, comments or actions that imply negative associations or insults toward an individual or a group – often toward those who have been historically marginalized

These are like the beginnings of bullying, sometimes couched as a joke

Activity: Think – Write – Share

1- Think of any example of microaggressions you have witnessed or experienced

2- Write on 1 or more cards

3- Share with a colleague and the group

Often in middle school microaggressions are couched / rationalized as “a joke”

I SHARED ABOUT HOW MEMES ARE SOMETIMES SHARED BY MIDDLE SCHOOLERS WHO ARE IGNORANT OF THE BACKGROUND AND MEANING / IMPACT OF THEM

If you have looked at RESTORATIVE justice, it’s not just harm done to the victim, harm is also done to the perpetrator and to others in the room / classmates

3 different categories of microaggressions

Microassaults

• More deliberate
• Intending to make harm
• Assault
• Conscious
• Explicit
• Discriminatory
• Slurs
• ‘Good old fashioned racism’ (or sexism or homophobia, etc – ‘boys will by boys’ excuse)

Microinsults

• Comments or behaviros that subtly convey rudeness or insensistitvity, often unintentionally
• Preferential treatment t owhites or other ‘majorities’ in a given context (or poor treatment to ‘others’)
• Still do a lot of harm

Micro-invalidations

• Comments or actions that are DISMISSING, IGNORING, or NEGATING the experiences or feelings of marginalized individuals
• Assailing a person’s identity or self-esteem
• This can be systemic

Most harm you can do to someone else: Take away someone else’s sense of self

Six key characteristics of microaggressions:

1. Subtlety: often difficult to identify, can be disguised as compliments or jokes, making them harder to address
2. Unintentional: can stem from unconscious biases
3. Cumulative impact: can break people down, cause deep seated harm
4. Contextual: can vary depending on context and individuals involved. What might be considered a microaggression in one setting might not be perceived the same way in another
5. Perpetuation of stereotypes: often reinforce stereotypes and societal normas that marginalize certain groups
6. Impact on mental health: experiencing microaggressions can negatively affect mental health, leading to feelings of frustrations, sadness, and decreased self-esteem

MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS REALLY STRUGGLE WITH CONTEXT: SAYING THAT THEY SAY THAT ALL THE TIME TO FRIENDS, IT’S OK BECAUSE ITS NORMALIZED FOR THEM IN PEER INTERACTIONS… FAILING TO UNDERSTAND THE CLASSROOM CONTEXT IS DIFFERENT AND REQUIRES A DIFFERENT STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR

Impact of Microagressions on Victims

1. Mental health
2. Physical health
3. Self esteem
4. Academic and professional performance

Article: “Bullshit and Bullying” – Bullying is a bunch of BS about status, about getting attention, laughs, etc.

Impact of Microaggressions on Perpetrators

1. Reinforcement of biases (their own)
2. Damaged relationships
3. Missed opportunities for growth
4. Reputational Damage

I COMMENTED THAT SOMETIMES THESE MICROAGGRESSIONS HAPPEN SO FAST THAT IT CAN BE REALLY CHALLENGING TO ADDRESS. I HAVE FOUND CHANGING STUDENT SEATS IN THE CLASSROOM 

Sometimes a good response to a witnessed microaggression: “Tell me what you meant by that.”

• Or: “Can you please elaborate on that”
• Or: “Sounds like you have a strong opinion on that. Can you please elaborate?”
• Kids and adults can sometimes then struggle to define why something was funny, what they meant, etc. (THIS BRINGS THE COMMENT AND MICROAGGRESSION INTO THE LIGHT OF REFLECTION AND SCRUTINY)

Recommended article: “If you notice a microaggression, acknowledge it”

What to do if you notice a microaggression (insert photo)

1. Discern: Is this important enough to deal with immediately or it can wait? But to NOT avoid it completely because of discomfort or fear
2. Disarm: Explain that you noticed and would like to have a conversation that might be uncomfortable
3. Defy: Challenge the individual to clarify their statement or action with probing questions
4. Decide: How do you want to address it? How you will take control of the incident?

From Harvard Business Review (2020): “When and How to Respond to Microaggressions” by Ella F. Washington, Alison Hall Birch and Laura Morgan Roberts, July 3, 2020”

Another Approach to Addressing Microaggressions

Take a deep breath: collect your thoughts before responding.

1. Take a deep breath: collect your thoughts before responding.
2. Acknowledge: know and recognize that the other person’s perspective is their reality and truth.
3. Inquire: Give students the benefit of the doubt. First, ask the student to clarify, elaborate or further explain. This will give you more information about where s/he is coming from, and may also help the speaker to become aware of what s/he is saying.
4. Reframe: Create a different way or perspective from which to view at a situation.
5. Identify: Directly respond to student comment as problematic. Calmly and politely explain which specific words or phrases you experienced as disrespectful (or that someone else might have). Use an “I” statement to express feelings, as appropriate, rather than commenting on or labeling the speaker.
6. Diffuse to allow productive re-engagement: Sometimes, a hot moment can get out of control.
7. Revisit: Sometimes one is caught by surprise, misses an opportunity, or wishes s/he could have a do-over in response to a microaggression or “hot moment”. Even if the moment has passed, it’s ok to go back and address it later in class. Research indicates that an unaddressed microaggression can leave just as much of a negative impact as the microaggression itself.
8. Check in: in person, talk with the targeted student(s) after class. Let them know that you value their experiences and perspective, and see if they have any suggestions about how to better support them in class.

via Carnegie Mellon University 2025

From a participant who is an administrator: Often when parents get upset about a microaggression situation, it can be because they perceive the teacher NOT addressing it in a timely or appropriate way in the classroom

When bullies are emboldened, they get worse….

Future Directions / Further Study: Beyond the scope of this work I would like to research further:

• Macroaggressions
• Stereotype threat
• Triggering
• Upstanders / bystanders
• Prevention strategies

Book: “Upstanders: How to Engage Middle School Hearts and Minds with Inquiry”

Middle school students are unique

From a participant: When teachers and admins are not feeling and acting like a team, kids can sense it

THIS WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION / SESSION AND OFFERED GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPANTS TO SHARE AND REFLECT AS WELL. SO IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THESE TOPICS ALWAYS, BUT ESPECIALLY IN OUR CURRENT POLITICAL AND CULTURAL MOMENT.