EDU Prosetry

What is it that I am trying to do over the course of this three week course in culturally responsive pedagogy and throughout my entire journey of becoming a teacher?

In order to understand how we will deal with social justice issues in or classroom we must first understand how we feel about these issues first. It is important to understand the root of our own biases and how they affect the way we view the world. Here I have attached a link from tolerance.org website to a series of test developed to help individuals uncover some of their own hidden biases. I challenge all to take a couple of the tests as a tool to help aid in the understanding of self.

http://www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias/index.html

Often we fail to see how we are alike when we encounter those who are different. Instead of trying to figure out what similarities exist between those who are not like us we naturally jump to what makes them different. In discovering this difference we tend to look at it as abnormal or wrong. “They do this backwards,” “They seem to be primitive,” “They do not so these things the way we do them,” etc.

As educators, we will have to fight the urge to label students who are not like us as uneducated, bad students. We have to realize that each student brings into the classroom riches to be shared with those around us. It is like having your own talking passport to another culture. We must make an effort to show them, the “other,” that they are valuable and that we want them to share that worth with the class and the world around them. However, it is also important for us to know that as we encourage the students to value their culture, we must make it understandable that the dominant culture’s customs, language, and way of life is just as important to know.

It’s Amazing how Gods are contained in glass walls
What marvels me is how short he was
Petite, shorter than the average man
The short robes behind glass windows
On poles reaching up to the heavens
He was a giant
With feet no bigger than mine
A fork placed there to remind
Us that even the immortal
Could not live off of love alone
What lies in the heart of a woman
After she has loved a God
Whose words had the power to
Make folks
“stop, listen, and imagine…”

Today we walked. We walked down a street. We walked down a street once flowing with life. We walked down a street once flowing with the lifeblood of black folks. We walked down a street once flowing with the lifeblood of black folks who dreamed big. We walked down a street of black dreams. We walked down a street of dreams. We walked down a street. Today we walked.

What does it mean to be poor in America? Or more importantly what does it mean to be poor in the United States?

When one thinks of poverty there are images that immediately pop into one’s head. These are the people who are uneducated, crime consumed, lazy, dirty, deviants of society. The poor are all the things one aspires not to become. No one wakes up in the morning and says… “Today I want to become a poor man.” However, we live in a society where it’s principles of meritocracy say that this is the case. People are poor because they choose to be poor.

Today in class a question was posed asking who considered themselves poor. Several hands lifted, myself included, to show that at the present moment he or she considered themselves to be poor. But are we really?

Just like the different classes within one particular ethnic group based on skin complexion (light skinned Black people are treated better than dark skinned Black people) there are different classes among the poor. There are those who have it rougher than others based on the severity of their poverty.

According to the statistics on wealth in the United States, nearly 1% of the nation’s people control almost 50% of the nation’s wealth. This means that 99% of the people in the United States are left to survive on half of the nation’s wealth. In analyzing these facts it may be safe to assume that most people in United States are poor; more importantly is the statement that more people in the United States are poor and they don’t realize it. And according to the idea of meritocracy in the US these people are choosing to be there.

I remember when I was younger I often wondered why is it that all the slaves did not band together and take over the all White people and make them slaves. I thought as a child that this would better society because instead of the Black people being mistreated it would be the White people. However in doing so the same systemic problems that resulted from the enslavement of Africans would result only with a fair skinned victim. They would be the one’s needing a Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and civil rights movement.

Just as a child I find myself wondering why the 99% of people are not banding together to take over the wealth of the United States. In pondering this I struggle with the question of what type of difference would that make and would those differences all be positive?

by zondra

What would happen if all political correctness, taboo, and any other restrictions that govern public, professional conversation were dropped? What if there was a way to lay plainly out on a piece of white paper all the things that are said in the protection of private conversation for all those members of the “other” to see? How would an individual react once he or she is faced with the unspoken realities of the world?

Today in class we began to uncover the answers to this very question. It all started with two articles: “The Threat of Stereotype” by Joshua Aronson and “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” Peggy McIntosh. These two articles bring to the forefront some very real issues that affect society and will have an impact on the students we “wanna be’s” will soon teach.

While in class we did an interesting exercise on stereotypes. Placed around the classroom were a series of white pieces of paper each containing a different group of people, i.e. Gays, black women, Christians, etc. Each person was given a marker and then asked to silently go around to each group and write down a stereotype associated with each group. I think it is important to note the fact that part of the directions for this exercise was to do this silently. This I believe has extreme significance.

Later on in the day we did a very powerful exercise that kind of graphed out the effects of white privilege. Dr. Williams asked a series of questions pertaining to advantages and disadvantages in society and to respond to the question one would either step forward or backward. It was here that the class was able to see the affects that race and economical status have on the quality of one’s life in America. Again, with the exception of the questions being read, this exercise was done silently.

It is often in the quietness of actions that these stereotypes and privileges are fully manifested. It is rare that one hears “oh it is because you are black/poor/female/white/gay/Christian/etc that this happen.” These things are not normally up for open conversation. When one does try to bring this conversation up the labels of being stuck in the past, disgruntled, or some other term that implies unjustified discontent is used.

The conversation started today about stereotypes and privilege is one that needs to continue within our daily lives and interactions with our community and with ourselves. Until these topics are snatched from the quietness and brought to the lime light we as a people, a race of human beings cannot and will not progress.

Serene Being

I am still afraid. The fear seems to be getting worse, but the passion I have for wanting to teach is growing. At the end of this week my fellow cohorts, professors, and I spent some time together at one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Before I delve into this retreat and why it heightened my since of fear I am going to take the moment to explain the name of the place.

 It is called Serenbe. This word is a combination of two very important words to me: serenity and be. The reason these words are important is because I am on a quest to find the moment in life where I am serene and can just be…I am in search of true freedom. I believe that becoming a teacher will aid me in my quest in reaching that point. I believe this because in learning how to teach children and in challenging what I have learned about life and the world over the course of my academic career, I learn more about myself.

At Serenbe the quest to learn more about myself continued. I know I want to teach. However, it was here that I realized that I am still not doing enough. There is only so much one individual can do…however, I feel I can be doing more. During the retreat there was a workshop presentation done by Michael and Jessy Melina. They work with an organization called QECR: Quality Education as a Constitutional Right. This organization is fighting to get an amendment added into the constitution that will ensure that all children have the right to a quality education. In their fight for this, the organization is trying to define what the idea of a quality education entails.

During their presentation a video was shown about a demonstration that took place in Annapolis, Maryland. The demonstrators were part of a group called Algebra, an affiliate of QECR. A member of this organization was killed by someone who dropped out of school. The demonstrators concluded that the lack of education causes there to be no life. Maryland was awarded a large amount of money to be issued to the public schools; however, this money was never issued. The demonstrators were demanding that the money be issued to the schools in order to better the quality of education which in turn will aid to end the cycle of death.

Watching this video I found myself trying to hold back tears. Partly because I was embarrassed that I was the only person getting teary eyed, but more importantly I found myself holding back tears because I was not doing more. I feel there is so much I could be doing. It is one thing to talk about change but it is another to take real action. I felt moved by these young students taking a stand! I felt motivated! I am motivated.

But where do I begin? How can I start to become more active when I barely have time to do my homework?  Having real conversations about real issues is one way. Through conversation with my peers I learn more. For example, at the retreat we had a discussion about a chapter in the Steinberg book The Ethnic Myth. The chapter is entitled “The Ignominious Origins of Ethnic Pluralism in America”.  Steinberg writes about the ugly, nasty, and often ignored parts of America’s racial history. In reading the chapter I learned new things, painful things about the Trail of Tears and other events that shaped the United States. The question that seems to be the root of our discussion is: Why is history not being taught truthfully in schools? Why is it being water downed and condensed into something that is more palatable. History in schools is like sugar added to medicine…it is necessary but must taste good going down.

During this conversation I kept reviewing my experiences with the teaching of history. What I found to be a consistent is that teachers often taught history in a way to be considerate of their own feelings and the feelings of the students in the classroom. But this is the problem! History, in my opinion needs to be taught more like a science. The facts need to be presented and the opportunity given to students to form their own opinions about these facts. History happened and what actually happened, no matter how painful, needs to be taught in schools.

The teaching of real history is an act of activism. Like the students who demonstrated in Annapolis, a teacher who teaches the truth is ensuring a quality education and ending the cycle of death.

Knowing this causes fear in me. The reason being is because I wonder how I will respond. Do I have the courage to teach the truth even if that means risking being reprimanded?  What if in doing so I have to risk my job as a teacher? Will I still be able to stand up for what is right?  I like to think I have the coverage to…however I am afraid of what I will actually do.

Today and Today and Today…is the beginning of the rest of my life. It is on this day that I began the journey of becoming a member of the underpaid, over worked, under appreciated group of professionals. It is on today that I began to feel that for the first time in my academic career I am doing something that feels right. Today I began my journey on my quest to become a teacher and I must admit…I am afraid.This feeling of fear has been festering for sometime, lingering quietly in the corner of my body. It could be found in that crevasse between the pinky toe and the one next to it. Hiding. It is there that I keep those memories, thoughts, and realities I want to stay as far away from my brain as possible. It was buried deep within because I was worried that by embracing my fear I would be forced to deal with it, and in dealing with this fear I may start to question my reasoning behind my wanting to become a teacher.I sometimes think I do not know enough to be a teacher. I fear that my ignorance may cause me to “mis-educate” my students. I fear that I will do more harm than good in the classroom. I fear that I will be ineffective. At Georgia State, I am currently enrolled in a program that vows to equip me with the necessary tools be a successful teacher. As much as I want to believe that…I am still afraid.