Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Summer 2011)

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceive differently than one sees is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all. ~ Michel Foucault

This quote inspires me to examine the racist attitudes that I grew up hearing about and reminds me to keep myself in check about those ideas. I know that being raised in an environment where other cultures are not accepted does not mean that one can’t break away from those influences and form opinions about people that differ from what was learned. I attended elementary school beginning in the mid-60s. Desegregation was fairly new, but I really knew nothing about that until I studied it in high school. I felt tension around me sometimes but have always had the mindset that people were people. The older I became the more I learned of racism and bias. The moment I became aware of such was an incident where I was riding on the back of a truck and waved hello to a black boy that I went to school with as we passed through his neighborhood. When I got home my father was very angry with me and told me not to do that again. I now understand that came from his attitudes and that I did nothing wrong.

This class and the readings we used reminded me constantly of the need for me personally and as an educator to always be conscious of all people and the need to be sensitive to all regardless of race, gender and/or class. All the readings involving Daniel, Lonnie, Laurie and Jake were real examples of issues that students face every day in the classroom. One specific issue that I deal with is the labeling of students. As a result of No Child Left Behind every student in every public school is labeled and put into categories as a subgroup. I am a Title I teacher and I fight the battle of labeling every day with students, parents and fellow staff members. My attitude about hat is that the government may require us to label students on paper but we certainly have the power as educators not to carry that over to the classroom.

This class has opened my eyes to the implications that students are different because of social, political and cultural backgrounds but for each individual to be successful I need to educate myself about their differences especially when they are different from my own. I need to be understanding of their nature, ability to learn, and learning style and make accommodations that support them and their families. To me, if this means I may feel uncomfortable at times then I will be fine. The more I understand students, their families and my community the more they can understand me and accept that I want their children to be successful.

I have a friend, Ron Harrill that participates in our school Raising Achievement and Closing the Gap Committee. I hear his words frequently, “I have never met a parent that does not want their child to be successful.” I often hear adults say things like, “their parents just don’t care,” and I must admit that before hearing Ron talk about that I used to think and sometimes say that myself. At times when reading the stories and articles in this class I would think do the parents care and do they understand what is happening (Jake in particular). But in reflection I think that they too were parents that want the best for their child and for him to be successful. I want to believe that I am objective and accepting when it comes to race, class and gender but I also know that there is room for improvement. I will continue to educate myself to help my students become successful.
Karen S. Gold