Indian students balance their lives between two worlds, Indian and White. This struggle is very difficult at times. Daniel and Zonnie felt like they had to civilize themselves into the mainstream of the white culture. They both struggled with fitting in and felt isolated. I wonder how many children we serve of different cultures/backgrounds that may feel this same way in our schools today? They both were at an age when acceptance by peers is so important, but they were becoming aware of the differences between their native culture and the mainstream white culture. Because of these differences the result was that Indian students' experiencing racism, discrimination, and prejudice in school related to their lack of academic success. So my question is, was the result of low academic performance coming from dealing with racism or was it a true literacy issue? I think both. I think the racism was a result of the lack of self-esteem and how they saw themselves as students. I also think that they were not exposed to literature that interest them and therefore they had no desire to learn.
They both had talents that enabled them to express themselves through a form of literacy. Both students were able to connect to their native worlds through the arts. We need to bridge the gap between cultures and in doing so, we (teachers and communities) need to take the time to understand one another. As teachers we need to go beyond our "world" and find ways to give everyone a voice. We need to know our students, parents, and cultures that we serve in order to make connections that we can use to build stronger relationships and to ensure that all of our students are learning. We need to get away from expecting students to learn what we think they should know and allow them opportunities to learn what is important to them. Students should not be forced to the "white" world, but to the worlds that make them who they are and that they will be a part of as they grow. Teachers need to be aware of what they are teaching and who they are teaching to. We need to ensure that we are teaching a cultural responsive curriculum.
Comments (4)
You questioned whether racism was the result of low academic performance or was it a true literacy issue. I agree that it is affected by both. However, I can't help but think that the teachers, because they weren't connecting to the interests and cultures of their students, were participating in a form of racism. Webster defines racism as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Though I don't think Daniel and Zonnie's teachers, or any teachers for that matter, were intentionally participating in racism, but when we teach with a one-sided view in mind, meaning we teach a "white" world to a multi-cultural group of students, are we not saying that one particular race is more superior than another? Viewing our classrooms and curriculum with this set of lens makes it that much more important to connect with our students and their cultural backgrounds so we can help them establish their identity with as little complexity as possible. After all, they shouldn't be struggling between the two worlds to express their identity...these two worlds should be working together, and teachers should enable students to express their literacies in multiple ways that appeal to them so that their apathy for learning in school is not multiplied with teachers who could care less about their interests and cultures.
Posted by Melissa Riley | June 9, 2011 8:50 PM
Posted on June 9, 2011 20:50
Sorry! This post was written by Karin Scott.
Posted by Karin Scott | June 10, 2011 7:03 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 19:03
You posed the question of how many students do we serve today who feel like they are forced into the white world, and I would like to say zero, but I know that's not true. There are many students who feel they have to be a different person at school, either to please the teacher or their peers. Children expect everybody to look the same, act the same, and to have the same interests and intelligence. Anyone who is slightly different in any of these areas are teased and ridiculed by their peers. Therefore, students strive to fit into that "norm" to prevent such embarassment, but that's not being true to one's self. For years we have been teaching students to accept others and to celebrate differences between them. And for years, this hasn't been sinking into their minds. My question is... what can we do to REALLY make them get this, so that all the predjudice, discrimination, and bullying will stop?
Posted by Lisa Beach | June 10, 2011 9:11 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 21:11
Such a provocative post, Karin! I think that you raise some very important questions that few teachers ever ask themselves. I agree that this article made it so obvious how white cultural norms can dominate schooling and education -- and that children are sometimes more attuned to that than adults! You are right in that teachers can learn so much if they follow the cultural worlds of children.
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 13, 2011 9:22 AM
Posted on June 13, 2011 09:22