Your Song

"Progressive white teachers seem to say to their black students, 'Let me help you find your voice. I promise not to criticize one note as you search for your own song.' But the black teachers say, 'I've heard your song loud and clear. Now, I want to teach you to harmonize with the rest of the world."

This book has really made me realize that there are different worlds among communities, societies, races, and pretty much every group out there. Schools or teachers settling on just one method of teaching might and probably will not work for everyone. I think I was/am like most of the white middle class people she is talking about in this book. I like things to be liberal and consist of freedom for everyone to explore and find themselves and their best way of learning. But I might be missing out on teaching some essential skills some students might need. Having hated the memorizing and reciting on standardized testings as a kid, I wanted to teach my students a different way. A way more conducive to what works. I never thought of the notion that all children might not benefit from the freedom or teaching style I want to embrace.

Delpit wants us to think about the fact that we are not all alike. We are not all coming from the same place, we are not all wanting to go in the same direction, and we are not all picturing the same future for ourselves. I think it's really important to consider her "rules of culture." Rule #3 especially made me think. If schools are comprised of white middle class teachers teaching mostly white middle class students based on curriculums written by white middle class facilitators, of course they are going to have their culture, codes, and rules of powers incorporated in these lesson plans. How is a student that is another race, culture, class expected to participate in and know the rules of this culture they are not a part of?

I want every student in my class to reach the maximum point in their ZPD. I think the challenge is finding the way for each child to get there. Different methods work for different people. It seems like different cultures/races/classes might call for different methods. Maybe through multiple intelligences you can find a way to teach a subject incorporating the different methods along with different subjects. I think if a student is not learning, you owe it to him and to yourself to continue to explore all the different teaching methods and possibilities that might work for him until you find a way that works, or the school year ends. Until one of those two happens, your work is not done.