The chapters for this week were interesting, but not really that surprising. Particularly the chapter devoted to African-American boys. I am not in the classroom yet, but I can picture some of the "verbal disparagement and...harsh dressing down of kids" by some teachers that may not be comfortable dealing with diversity or have accepted some of the stereotypes that are presented on television and in movies (page 317). Too often these teachers are commanding respect from their students, but they are unwilling to return the favor. This is not the 1950s. We cannot rule the classroom with Principal's office threats and yardsticks. Instead teachers must be up-front with their students early on and enthusiastically show them respect.
I was kind of thrown off by the following quote on pages 320-321: "in the final analysis the focus is all too often on individual maladaptive behavior and black mothering practices as the problem rather that on the social structure in which this endangerment occurs." If teachers make this sort of argument about why they are having trouble reaching or controlling African-American male students, they are forgetting about what they signed up to do. I am not sure how I will react to teachers that say, "I am not a babysitter, my job is to teach math. If kids don't get it because they are disruptive or they have problems at home, well that is their problem, not mine." That may be what their union contract says they have to do, but if they believe their job is not to work with children, then I think they are in the wrong profession.
The chapter about Asian-Americans as the "model minority" was also riveting. When conservative commentators brag about how Asian-Americans were able to pick themselves up by their bootstraps, and therefore other minorities should be able to do the same, they are desmonstrating their ignorance. In reality, people that carry prejudices appreciate Asian-Americans because they believe Asian-Americans have lived up to the white status quo and have not fought to change parts of society. This while African-Americans and Hispanics continue to be painted as inferior. The truth is that this is not and should not be about skin color. It has more to do with poverty and power. If we can provide the impoverished with real opportunities for advancement, racial stereotypes and prejudices may begin to melt away.
These are tired stereotypes that will hopefully run their course. All students deserve opportunity and it is the responsibility of teachers to provide them with that opportunity. Race should not matter.
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4 comments:
I couldn’t agree more with the points that you made in your blog. One quote that I found extremely disturbing was on page 323, and read “I’ve lost so many library books this term. There are quite a few kids who don’t have any books at home, so I let them borrow them. I didn’t sign them out because I thought I could trust the kids. I sent a letter home to parents asking them to look for them and turn them in. But none have come in. I just don’t feel the same. It’s just like the looting in Los Angeles”. This goes along with your point when you said, “Too often these teachers are commanding respect from their students, but they are unwilling to return the favor”. This quote proves it. The teacher already had it in her head that she was dealing with “criminal” or “bad” kids. The kids will always be able to pick up on attitudes like that and in return they won’t show respect to the teacher. You get what you put in and if you put an attitude in that’s what will be gotten back. Teacher’s want to be respected above all else and they will not accomplish this if they are not respecting the students.
I have dealth with the babysitting concept of teaching already in my student teaching. I really believe that the students behavior reflects the teachers lesson plan. A good lesson with high and clear expectations will defeat bad behavior. I've seen it first hand, an enthusiastic teacher with a powerful lesson plan can defeat children with "behavioral issues." You won't hjave to "babysit" if you are doing your job. So the statement that "you should not have to babysit, just teach math" is kind of a catch 22 because if your really teaching, than u dont have to babysit.
A few points and opinions about your blog this week: I do agree to a certain extent that it is not the teachers duty to babysit their kids. But at the same time, I understand that no learning can take place without a civil classroom. I think there should be a clear, concise plan to deal with students who are disruptive. The goal should be to deal with the problem as quickly as possible, so the class can be back to learning. As far as the chapter on the asian students becoming model students, I think the goal for minority students is not to try to assimilate minority students to the classical, white way of doing things, but rather find a common ground that all races can agree with and encourage students to act that way.
I agree that teachers are not meant to babysit but some students need to be dealt with in a different manner than others. Like we discussed in class, maybe make them your personal helper or talk to them on a daily or weekly basis checking up on their classroom work or just simply talking to them like a normal person. As a teacher in a classroom, we can never truly know what goes on at home, and yes, it's not our "problem" to deal with technically but if we truly want to teach these children then they need to be put on a level playing field. This means that a child coming in with no sleep because he or she has to take care of his brother or sister is not on the same playing field as someone who got a good nights rest and a full meal the next morning. We need to acknowledge the fact that students do have issues outside of the classroom and not turn into a social worker but also not deny this fact and pretend like it's "not our problem." If we are invested in our students and their success than we should be doing everything in our power to give them the opportunity to learn.
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