In “‘Speaking Up’ and ‘Speaking Out’,” Henry discusses how Creole-speaking African Caribbean Immigrant girls are often left voiceless in the classroom. These girls rarely saw themselves in the curriculums they were asked to study. Therefore, they were less likely to become engaged and often viewed as low performing. Henry saw a need to “develop the self-expression, thinking skills, language awareness, and writing abilities of” female students (240). So, she attempted to give them a place where their voices could be heard - a place where they could discuss issues important to girls their age with the same cultural backgrounds. Henry picked books and movies the girls could relate to and asked them to respond through discussions, writings, and role plays. Throughout these discussions, Henry learned what difficulties these adolescents faced daily with Standard English, peers, identity, and prejudice. The girls learned to express themselves and share their views. They also gained self-confidence.
Having small group discussions where teenage boys and girls can get together to discuss topics important to themselves is a wonderful idea. Often times issues important to teens are swept under the rug because of the need to fit all the curriculum in. Middle schools around the country would be a happier place if such a program were in place. All teenagers struggle with fitting in and finding their identity.
The problem is ten fold when you are part of a very small minority not at all represented in the school systems. Teachers need to find movies, books, and articles about the various cultures in their classrooms in order to open the doorway to discussions and understandings. It should not be a “cultural awareness” day or “multicultural day.” It should be intertwined in the curriculum every day so their voices can be heard over and over again.
Elizabeth Noll looks at a different cultural group in her article, “Experiencing Literacy In and Out of School.” She was interested in how literacy played a role in the lives of Sioux Adolescents because reports showed American Indians do not perform as well as their white peers on standardized tests and are more likely to drop out of school. She found this was in part due to their lack of representation in the classrooms. Their cultural backgrounds were not taken into account. Inside the classroom they were average students who did not always fully participate in class. They were often mocked or misunderstood. Racial comments were common.
Outside of the classroom, the Sioux teens had lots of support from the home and community. They were read to at early ages by their parents and encouraged to do well in school. The community was involved in teaching them about their heritage and involved them in literacy activities.
There is obviously a gap between school and home. No matter what the geographical area all teachers need to bring the community into their classrooms. These teachers are missing out on some wonderful opportunities to bring the culture into their classrooms through guest speakers and field trips. Just think of the possibilities the Native Americans could teach all the children. It would be wonderful to see all the children learning about each other and not making judgments on color alone. Sometimes it is simply the lack of knowledge about one another that causes racism. Imagine how empowered the Native American Adolescents would feel if their culture became represented and understood in the classroom. I feel these teachers need to wake up and get involved with what’s going on outside the classroom walls.
As an educator it is my duty to make my classroom a community. A family meeting time is a time when we discuss issues happening within our classroom and try to solve problems. This could be one way to open the doors and give your students a voice. Children’s literature is another. Authors are becoming aware of the need for multicultural literature. Take advantage of the books and use them as springboards for discussions and writings.
Tamera Wilson
Comments (10)
Tamera,
Amen on the part where you said that middle schools would be a much happier place if these kids could just get together and discuss topics that were important to them! How many times have those of us who teach middle school had a student (or four all at one time) come up to us at the most inopportune times and want to talk about the most off-the-wall stuff? Bless 'em. These middle-schoolers have the worst timing. You know, though, if we had the designated time for them to get together, then we could just say--write that down on your list of important things to say, and we'll talk about it at "club..." This is exactly what Henry did with these girls. She created a very comfortable, "club" environment where these girls obviously felt at ease enought to open up and find their voice. We should be inspired to follow this model.
Posted by erin farrington | June 15, 2009 2:20 AM
Posted on June 15, 2009 02:20
Tamera,
I am so glad that you made the point about avoiding "multicultural day" and instead weaving multiculturalism into the curriculum all year. There is a lovely resource book titled "Beyond Heroes and Holidays" that is full of activities for teachers to use so that they don't have just a "food day" or "costume day" when studying other cultures. Again, I am so glad that you pulled this insight from the readings!
Posted by Alecia Jackson | June 15, 2009 9:02 PM
Posted on June 15, 2009 21:02
I too think it would be beneficial for all adolescents to have the kinds of experience that Henry describes in the article. If only this kind of project would not require some sort of funding!
I also agree with you about making your classroom a community. this is one of the many reasons I love teaching first grade. It is very easy to create that sense of community. my students do everything together. They're all with me most of the day; they have lunch, PE, and other specials together. However, with older students in middle and high school it is very difficult to get this sense of community when each teacher sees so many students every day and for such a short amount of time. Students are constantly changing classes, teachers, and peers.
Posted by Kelly Beckley | June 16, 2009 12:04 AM
Posted on June 16, 2009 00:04
I love the idea of having a family meeting time inside the classroom. I agree with the comment you made about making their cultures part of everyday, not just a one time multi-cultural fair, although I think the fairs are a good way to let them show off their culture to others in the school, and also the community. We need to work to make not only the school more aware of the cultures and try to rid sterotypes in schools, but also in the community.
Posted by Heather Houston | June 16, 2009 1:20 PM
Posted on June 16, 2009 13:20
You make a great point about instead of these American Indian students feeling like outsiders to bring in their culture. I think that like you said these teachers are missing out on great sontent they could be teaching on. These students should be helping the teacher teach the other students about their culture and how they live. These students can offer so much to the teacher and the class and yet they are being over looked and labled as different. I agree with you that by students sharing their culture with each other that they may gain a new respect for each other and quit bullying and making other students feel like they don't belong.
Posted by Megan Machuga | June 16, 2009 5:07 PM
Posted on June 16, 2009 17:07
You make a great point about instead of these American Indian students feeling like outsiders to bring in their culture. I think that like you said these teachers are missing out on great sontent they could be teaching on. These students should be helping the teacher teach the other students about their culture and how they live. These students can offer so much to the teacher and the class and yet they are being over looked and labled as different. I agree with you that by students sharing their culture with each other that they may gain a new respect for each other and quit bullying and making other students feel like they don't belong.
Posted by Megan Machuga | June 16, 2009 5:08 PM
Posted on June 16, 2009 17:08
Tamara,
I have stated in some of my posts as well that finding you identity as a teen is a difficult task for anybody, but especially true for minority groups. I think as teens we are so reluctant to talk to our parents about very personal issues, and we turn to our friends instead for someone to listen and give advice about what's going on in our lives. If these minority groups don't have friends to turn to, and their parents either are not present in their lives or they don't understand because they didn't face the same issues in their homeland, these these children are going to feel so lost. Then you add in the pressures to be successful in a classroom where a teacher may barely even be aware of your presence, and that presents a scary situation.
Henry did a wonderful thing with these girls, and gave them an opportunity to feel important and take risks. They would probably not have opened up like that in a regular classroom. I still wonder how you could adapt this if you did not have the resources to meet with the children in a small group as she did. I think your journal suggestion is a great idea. Perhaps if the teacher were also willing to spend a small amount of his or her time getting to know students outside of class (who are in minority groups as these children were) that could be a life changing event for them.
Lorie Hedrick
Posted by Lorie Hedrick | June 16, 2009 6:37 PM
Posted on June 16, 2009 18:37
You offer some great ideas that we as educators should be doing in our schools. I really like the thought about integrating culture into the classroom more often, instead of on special "assigned days". I should be doing this more in my classroom to incorporate my students cultures and/or traditions. Instead of me talking about pinatas when we come across the word in a book, I should take the time to have discussions about when a pinata is used and also allow some of my hispanic students to tell about any interactions that they might have had with pinatas. I could have a whole mini-lesson on hispanic celebrations where you might see pinatas. I know I need to start incorporating more of cmy students cultures and traditions into everyday lessons. Good thought!
Barbara Terauds
Posted by Barbara Terauds | June 16, 2009 9:43 PM
Posted on June 16, 2009 21:43
It is each teacher's responsibilty to expose their students to cultures that are different.
About 1/3 of the students at my school come from homes where English is not the native language. The majority of the students are African American, and white students make up tthe smallest number of students. About 95% of our children get free or reduced lunch.
Our media center and ourt classrooms are filled with stories from around the globe. I have spent thousnads of dollars making sure my students see people who look like them when they open books.
I go to Hmong New Year, I march in the MLK Day parade. I went to a community celebration on inauguration day at a local community center in at the invitation of several African American students. I make trips to take part in different festivals for the different cultures in my class. When I show up at these events, word quickly spreads and I am surrounded by children from my school.
When you make the effort, it is noticed by students and parents. They know you really care and that you aren't just talking the talk.
Posted by Caroline Walker | June 19, 2009 10:21 AM
Posted on June 19, 2009 10:21
Tamara,
I agree that introducing muti-cultural books in the classroom is a must and there is a multitude to choose from. I believe that bridging the gap between peer differences and genre related issues starts in the classroom with muti-genre books. Calloboration between students is a must with teacher aided activities introduced daily. Students need new materials and interesting characters to bring cultural differences to life. I think having parents sign up for a cooking day or dress up like their native country would be great for younger age groups. Then the parent and child could display first hand the way they do things. We could all learn alot here.
Posted by Robin Hand | June 25, 2009 6:58 PM
Posted on June 25, 2009 18:58