“It is vitally important that non-minority educators realize that there is another voice, another reality; that many of the teachers whom they seek to reach have been able to conquer the educational system because they received the kind of instruction that their white progressive colleagues are denouncing” (pg. 19).

This quote was especially meaningful to me because it touches on the realities that we all live in and, sometimes, expect that everyone else live in. It is so easy to say that there is one right way for all, and to look at some way of instruction or some way that people live and dismiss it because it doesn’t work for us, or we see how it doesn’t work for others. But, that doesn’t mean it is wrong or, as Zalika would say, that one couldn't pull some nuggets from it.

I know that for myself, it is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of assuming that all people have the same opportunities, resources, powers and rights that I have as a white woman living in America. There are moments when I slip into the role of “entitled, all-knowing and privileged college educated person” who is able to spout out theorist after theorist and educational reform after reform, and feel as though I know what is best for everyone. But I don’t. In reality, I only know what is best for myself. I can make assumptions and best guesses based on what I have seen in my own experience, but outside of that I need to go to humble myself and take a back seat from the teacher to the learner.

I feel that the author wants us to take a step outside of ourselves and reconsider the biases and assumptions we have about education and what is best for “other people’s children.” Instead of trying to figure out what we can do for these kids and what we think will work best, it is crucial that we listen to those who know their children best and the teachers who have opinions and insights different than ours and put them into our teaching style. As a white person, I often have a sense of privilege that I know what is best and that I am entitled to know things. That, for some reason, I deserve things and can do anything I want if I try hard enough. I can figure things out and get things done. But try as I might, I just don’t know what it is like to be a minority living in the United States. It is not my experience to have, and while I might be able to get glimpses into that life, I will never know it. And so, as a teacher who will have a diverse classroom, it is my responsibility and desire to seek out those who can share what they know and have experienced in diverse environments. I want to be the best teacher, not for myself, but for the children I will encounter. Delpit has shed light on the fact that in order to do this, I need to accept that after all of my experiences and education, I don’t know everything. Not even close. I need to be actively seeking new knowledge and aiming to make myself a better person and, as a result, a better educator.