A Counterstory of a Black Girl’s Forms of Resilience in a Standards-Based Mathematics Classroom

Scholars have called for critical research that positions Black girls in a positive light while centering their constructed meanings and resistance against stereotypes and dominant discourses in mathematics spaces, particularly in reform-oriented instructional contexts. Black girls may resist deficit master-narratives about the intellectual ability of Black women and girls (macro-level) in moment-to-moment classroom interactions (micro-level). In this article, we tell a counterstory of how sense-making and silence became forms of resilience for a Black girl during a standards-based whole-class mathematics discussion. Using theoretical perspectives rooted in critical race theory and positioning theory, we operationalized Black girls' forms of resilience as repeated acts of resistance, which were evidenced by negotiated or rejected positions. Amari's mathematical brilliance was centered in this counterstory while showcasing how forms of resilience emerged from repeated acts of resistance at a micro-interactional timescale. Implications point to a need to specify micro-level responsibilities in classroom settings that challenge racism, sexism, and oppression that exist in macro-level reform efforts.