Blog Post #1 - Allan Johnson

After reading Allan Johnson’s piece, I started thinking a lot about how privilege works in everyday life, especially in schools. Before this reading, I didn’t fully realize how deep privilege runs or how often people avoid talking about it. Johnson made me see that privilege isn’t just about having more money or power — it’s about how society is built to favor certain groups, and how that affects everyone, even the people who don’t notice it.

One thing that really stood out to me was when Johnson said that people often stay silent about privilege because they don’t want to feel guilty or blamed. That hit me, because I’ve seen that same reaction in real life — when people get uncomfortable talking about race or inequality, they change the subject instead of learning from it. Johnson makes it clear that staying silent keeps the system the same, and that made me think about how teachers can either challenge that silence or continue it.

As a future teacher, I want to be someone who helps students see and talk about these things. I don’t want my classroom to be a place that ignores difference — I want it to be a place where students feel safe bringing their full selves. Johnson’s writing reminded me that teaching for social justice isn’t just about being kind, it’s about being aware. It’s about paying attention to who gets left out and doing something about it.

There was another part where Johnson mentioned that privilege is like “an invisible weightless knapsack” people carry without realizing it. That line really made sense to me, because it’s not something people show off — it’s something built into the system. It made me think about how students from different backgrounds might experience school differently. Some might feel confident just being there, while others feel like they have to prove they belong. That’s something I want to be aware of when I’m teaching.

Overall, this reading made me think more deeply about the kind of teacher I want to become. Johnson helped me understand that awareness is the first step to change — and as future educators, we can’t fix what we refuse to see.