“When I was four years old they tried to test my IQ, they showed me this picture of three oranges and a pear. They asked me which one is different and does not belong, they taught me different was wrong.”
Every year, on the first day of class, we have a discussion regarding tolerance. I always present the kids with this quote. I believe that it corresponds nicely to what Kahl was discussing in chapter nine. Sometimes, as teachers, we do not realize the implications of our word choices. Whether we realize it or not, our inner feelings and attitudes are on full display in our language. Our kids can tell when we are having a bad day, or, even, how we feel about certain people or topics. I believe that it takes a conscience effort to eliminate bias from our words.
As part of the discussion on tolerance, I ask the kids what they believe people are prejudiced toward. Most of them mention race, religion, and gender. However, I also get “the way people talk.” Nine times out of ten, this response comes from one of my minority students. When I ask them to elaborate, they continue by saying, “you know…some people judge you because you don’t talk right.” As I read chapter twelve, I could not help but think of this class discussion. Often, it is really difficult to get several of my minority students to speak--even the ones who are identified academically gifted. The only thing that holds them back (in my opinion) is their insecurity with their language.
Something else that I really had to learn my first year of teaching was how to simplify my word choice. I would present the students with directions, and, even though they listened, they would have no clue what I was saying. Even this year, I have written things on assignments that were perfectly clear to me, but not to the majority of my students. Sometimes, it is difficult to determine how simple to make the assignment. I have some kids that are pretty low; however, they will receive the same EOG as every other student in the state. I don’t want to short-change them by “dumbing down” assignments. What I have finally learned to do is give the original assignment, but go over questionable directions together--often asking the class if anyone knows what it means.
One aspect of chapter ten that I agree with is that children should be exposed to a second language. A great deal of developed countries around the world require their kids to speak two or, sometimes, three languages (especially English). I think that it is time for our kids to become global citizens. With the onset of global trade and, eventually, the internet, our world is more closely connected and interdependent than ever before. Future generations are going to have to know how to survive in an interconnected world. A goal of mine for my seventh graders is to impress upon them the need to understand their world around them. I believe that it is imperative for them to understand how decisions made in Africa, Asia, and other continents affect them and their families.
Heather Coe
Comments (5)
Heather,
Your quote in the beginning of your post hit home for me. I teach PreK and of course I always teach same and different. And like most, I assume, I have asked which was does not belong. I never thought about it teaching that different is wrong. But from the way you stated it I now realize I am setting my kids up to be judgmental and that which ever person is different then they don't belong. It saddens me to think that I have taught them possibly to be racist at an early age. I will definitely think twice about how I teach that concept next time.
Amy Spade
Posted by Amy Spade | February 7, 2009 8:11 PM
Posted on February 7, 2009 20:11
Heather,
I was struck by your comment in regards to taking bias out of our words. That is exactly it-it is a deliberate act to speak carefully. My husband shared a quote with our three children last summer that I have used in my class this year. "God gave us two ears and one mouth. Therefore, maybe we should listen twice as much as we think." If we put this idea into practice, perhaps some language issues may be resolved. I often practice the opposite using my mouth twice as much as my ears. Speak first, think later mentality has invaded our classrooms and our society and we need to forge a different path for the students we teach. Your quote in the beginning is AWESOME! I would love to sit in on your classroom discussion each year, I know I would learn so much from a seventh grader.
Posted by stefoni shaw | February 8, 2009 3:27 PM
Posted on February 8, 2009 15:27
Heather, I like you have found that sometimes my ESL and other students are "fearful" of talking in class. I taught kindergarten for two years and many of my students had never actually even been asked their opinion. They were timid and many spoke differently and had never heard someone like me, talking in big words with a northern accent. I found that, along with having a great discussion about the importance of trying and being respectful, that speaking in different voices helped them feel more comfortable. Now let me elaborate a little more. I would talk in French accents, speak some basic Spanish to the class, and generally change my tone of voice like when we did the days of the week song. We would sing in low voices, high voices, silly voices, etc. opening up to variety and differences. I think this way, they became more confident, realized that it was an open place and that even if I helped them say their thoughts correctly it was with care and understanding. This really helped to create an open classroom where we discussed many different topics. Also, with my word choice, I still used larger words, but generally followed them up with a synonym. I do this during read alouds too if I come across a word that I think might be difficult for them to understand. This way, they are still being exposed to higher tiered vocabulary. Perhaps this will help a little.
Posted by Whitney Gilbert | February 8, 2009 8:36 PM
Posted on February 8, 2009 20:36
Heather: What an incredible attention gainer! How true of a statement your first one is. From a very early age, we are conditioned to believe all sorts of things. One of them being that different is wrong. We are given numerous activities throughout the primary grades that ask us to decide which one does not belong. We are TAUGHT to discriminate in some ways.
I would have never thought of this prior to this week. I have many times considered that we are conditioned to be boys and girls, which is also a way of discriminating. Why is it that at every baby shower, there are mounds of pink or blue? Why is it that little girls have toy kitchens and little boys have cars? We, as a society, socially condition children to believe certain ways. It often infuriates me when I see or hear people teach little girls to be nurses and little boys to be doctors. If we are not careful, we teach children to discriminate, whether they are biased of ethnicity, gender, language, or a million other entities. The first step in solving this problem is becoming more aware of it though. Thanks for raising these points.
Posted by Brittany Guy | February 9, 2009 9:59 AM
Posted on February 9, 2009 09:59
Heather,
You've touched on the subtleties of our language and communication that can carry so much weight. Many times, we say things and take for granted the multiple meanings that our words and concepts carry! Thank you for sharing the examples from your teaching to enlighten all of us. I have a 3 year old, and now I'm going to be mindful of how I teach the concept of difference through the descriptive language that I use.
Posted by Alecia Jackson | February 15, 2009 11:08 AM
Posted on February 15, 2009 11:08