RES 5535: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (summer 2010)

After reading through Chapters 3 and 4 in Reading Lives, I found some interesting connections to some of the racism that still continues today.

As I read about bell hooks’ account growing up in the southern part of the US. She touches on random acts of racism that impacts her attitude and ideas. She felt that she was connect with others in her community and had trouble “inventing herself” pg. 39.

AS hooks goes through school she describes a time where she and her classmates were learning about slavery. She describes herself as feeling “disconnected” from the photos of naked slaves and from the idea of Race. (pg. 40).

I worked with a brand new teacher this year that stepped into a teaching position that was left in December. The class that was left for this teacher was by no means a “terror” class, but just like any other class, had it’s set of issues. I can recall this new teacher asking me for suggestions on teaching social studies lessons. In the 5th grade curriculum, students learn about the history of the US as well as the geography of Canada and Mexico. This teacher was picking up at the point where students were to learn about Civil War, which, of course, leads into Abraham Lincoln and slavery. Our school is about 75% African American. His class was about 94% African American. He was a fresh college grad, but a white male. I was apprehensive about how he would handle this situation with his students if questions came up, but was eager at the same time to figure out what would come of his plans for this time period in history.

This teacher decided to incorporate a Reader’s Theatre program to discuss the issue of slavery. I feel that he did a nice job at introducing the ideas and facts behind slavery, but had a student who wanted to get on his soapbox regarding why “White people call black people niggers”. Just as you can imagine, the teacher was taken aback, but from what he shared with me, he took the question very openly, and discussed that these words were not allowed in school, and that secondly, the word “nigger” was a slang term that had been carried on from generation to generation by groups of people who felt that it was necessary to continue this usage of the word. I was so happy that this teacher addressed this issue so quickly and so professionally. Unlike the instance in hooks’ classroom, the idea of “Race” was addressed, and students then had a clear understanding of why and how the word was used in history. I think it is important that we address any questions that our students have and address those questions with respect and share “just the facts”.

Renee Hennings June 24, 2010