One of the quotes that really stuck with me was, “they think they know what’s best for everybody, for everbody’s children. They won’t listen; white folks are going to do what they want to do anyway” (p.21). To me this quote encompassed a lot of what we are dealing with in Zaher’s class. People are going to do what they want, especially the people who have the power. I think that Lisa Delpit said it right, that they think they know what’s best for everyone’s children but in reality every child is different and their needs differ as well. I feel that when look at the low socio-economical class, people typically view them as “they should do this” in order to get out of the class they are in. But you don’t know how it is to be at the bottom until you are at the bottom. This quote for me, summed up how I feel about the people with authority doing what they want but not looking at the person as an individual but instead as a group of people.
In this situation I think the author wants us to open our minds to see how we are living in a time where race is still an issue even though people like to think that we have rose above it. I think the author really drills the point across by giving examples of how people (not only black people) have to deal with adversity in the school system. The author uses the examples of a black teacher, a black special education student, and a Native American who have dealt with some form of separation. I think that it’s sad to realize that people who aren’t of the superior race and looked down upon and there’s nothing people can do about it. Race, class, and socio-economic status are all categories that we are born into and as individuals we aren’t able to choose it so why is it that people who are less fortunate or have a darker skin color get punished for something they have no control over?
This reading has made me more aware of the issue of race in the schools. With Zaher’s reading, I feel like its more factual and these court rulings had led to this, but with this reading, to me it was more personable. When I hear of stories and experiences that people have had, it’s disheartening to think that in the “land of the free” people are still being repressed. So this reading and this chapter has made me more aware of the political issues in the classroom and I’m hoping that when I get my own classroom I can create an environment that is cultural friendly. I’m really excited to get into the classroom this next year to see the type of students I have and to see these “political agendas” in effect. Since I attended a private school from K-12, I never really dealt with the political aspects of school (such as testing), it wasn’t a big part of my school memory so it should be interesting to see how an elementary public school classroom is ran.
'To deny students their own expert knowledge is to disempower them. '
ReplyDeleteHow can we as teacher deprive our students? They have as much power or influence in the classroom as we do. We will learn from them as they learn from us. Teachers can't expect to walk into their room at the beginning of the year and assume their students will have no impact on them at all. Every student has a story, and every student will be there ready to share their story. If we take that away from them, it's as if we're taking away their individuality. We need to allow them to express who they are, what they've experienced and apply that to their future education.
I really believe Delpit is trying to convey that we are all different, we will always posses a sense of individuality whether it be, race, cultural background, or experiences. Many teachers don't see this as a quality, but as a problem. It is and always will be necessary to stress there is a need to treat every child with the utmost respect because they are all special. Each child comes from a different background and this should contribute to the classroom not create problems. Unfortunately we are still witnessing teachers believing minorities don't have equal abilities and watching them fail to prepare these students for future success.
This is something that many people see as passed, but it is far from gone and something that needs to be addressed rather than disregarded.
To be quite honest a lot of what we've been reading in our classes has been such a drag and an overall downer. There are so many negative issues that still need to be met it is so hard not to want to tackle them. I really believe a lot of us won't see much of these occurrences in our assigned schools and it will be really hard to face any of these realities when they don't exist in our current program. There are so many 'skills' I've picked up from these authors by observing and learning how to analyze a situation, how to promote change and how to reinforce equality. I hope we all have a chance to make a influence someone, whether it be a student, a fellow teacher, or by inspiring our entire classroom.
After today's class, I take back that every student will be ready to share their story. I know they will all 'have' their story, but some stories extend so deep with some individuals that it may only surface before they feel comfortable participating. Thanks for sharing everyone...maybe I will share mine on the 'open' blog.
ReplyDelete