This week seemed to be a lot of work but now that I have done all the tasks, it seemed to bring together what I have been thinking and writing about.
Regarding this weeks readings… I am kind of frustrated. My first thought is:Why does everything have to be a color issue? Then I can step back and recognize that though color has not been an issue for me, it is for many people of color. My physical appearance has allowed me to move into both sides of my color. In Oklahoma, I did not advertise my Hispanic side and it was not questionable because my coloring could go either way and my last name was German. In Albuquerque, I claimed being a Hispanic. I had a harder time here because my last name was German. hahaha. This ability to choose happened mainly because we moved around most of my life and finally came back to Albuquerque when I was a sophomore in high school. So I guess, in actuality, I too have reacted to what the dominant culture wanted or thought. I still truly believe that it is a person’s decisions that decide who you are; it should not be your color or your background. However, I also know that personal background and your color helps to shape what decisions you make and knowledge of that background in a student will bring awareness and understanding to who they are. Ideally, I will be a teacher that can embrace every student who comes into my classroom and meet them where they are. I don’t think that multiculturalism should discount the dominant culture in order to uplift the other. Everyone has worth. As a teacher, regardless of where I am at, I want to assist students discover and reach their dreams and educate them in a fashion that achieves that goal. I also want to teach equally and to my best ability every student I have the opportunity to have in my classroom regardless of their beginnings.
Here is the outline for my POE. Two of my references will be my textbooks from 2250 and 2252 and an article I found. They are School and Society and Psychology Applied to Teaching and the article is Kings and Castles.
I. Intro
II. Beliefs – EEO & right of student
III. Purpose
a. Positive impact
b. Challenge
c. Reach all students
d. Student success
IV. Personal Expectations
a. Role Model
b. Highest effort
c. High expectations
d. Students as people
V. Involvement
a. Parental
b. Fellow teachers
c. Administration
VI. Goals
a. Future preparation @ local, national and international
b. Expand student knowledge
c. Achieve greatest potential
VII. How
a. Basic Facts – Building Blocks
b. Maintain interest
c. Acceptance, respect and appreciation
VIII. Methods
a. Traditional and Constructivist
b. integrated curriculum
c. high expectations
d. application to real world
e. technology
f. grading methods
IX. Why?
a. Reach multiple learning styles
b. Propel students to success
X. Conclusion
3 comments:
Hi Miriam -
Your outline looks great, in fact, I think I need to retool mine after reading yours. I enjoyed reading your Philog. I also struggle with many of the things you mentioned. I even brought the issue up to my parents and my brother and their general reaction was mixed...I think it is difficult for white people to recognize the fact that we are and always have been so privileged. We are socialized not to see it...now that we are aware of the situation, is it possible not to teach it? A book I'd recommend that really helped me in this arena is "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. There is also an amazing website inspired by his work, called the Zinn Education Project. Check it out and let me know what you think. See you tomorrow! Rachael
Miriam, I enjoyed your response this week. I think you illustrated your point well that identity is flexible in regards to the dominant culture with your example of what part of your heritage you claim depending on where you were living. Obviously this week's readings were aiming to help us put white privilege into perspective as we will ultimately teach students from varying cultural backgrounds. I wonder, however, what the best way to approach teaching with our own ethnicity in mind? Do you think it is in our students' best interest for us to strive to teach as if we are void of any kind of culture so as not to impress our own cultural beliefs on our students, or is it simply enough to be aware of our cultural backgrounds and how our culture can/does effect how we teach? It would seem almost impossible to become a culture-less person in the classroom but doesn't it seem like that might be the most fair option with our students in mind? Or do you believe that every teacher, whether they belong to the dominant culture or not, have something, culturally, to offer their students? It seems like there are quite a few questions about how to tackle these issues in the classroom and not necessarily any clear answers. Nice job this week!
Hi Erin and Rachael.
Thank you for your comments. I did look up the Howard Zinn website and read a portion of the first chapter of his book. I am not aware enough about his philosophies and what and where he got his research. I still hesitate to swing the pendulum back the other way and crushing the view of history we all know. I do believe in opening up the thought in the classroom of what did the indigenous people think when Columbus came to their land? How bizarre Columbus and his people would have seemed. What would we, as Americans, do if something like that happened to us? I am not sure it is our responsibility to change the world but rather to open up the possibility that the way things are presented are not always the most accurate. I guess develop the critical thinking in the students.
Erin, I think what you brought up is the age old dilemma. Do we strive for a color blind (culture-less)classroom? And is that even possible when everyone has a culture? I personally do not think it is possible to have a culture-less classroom. At that point, culture would be come the "elephant in the room", a taboo topic because everyone sees the culture but are not allowed to speak on it. I believe that a teacher needs to be aware of culture, bring it into the classroom for a different perspective, respecting of culture, address/discuss it when it comes up spontaneously in the classroom (because it will) and move on. I think by handling it this way, students realize it is a part of all of us (differently of course) and it is okay. There are great people in every culture/race. It could also help them with forming their identity.
Miriam
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