Privilege, Power, and Difference: What Can We Do?

What:
In "What Can We Do?: Becoming Part of the Solution, Allan Johnson explains that "Privilege is a feature of social systems not individuals." (P. 138) Johnson then argues that although privilege and oppression are systemic problems that we can't individually correct or change; we can make a difference as participants in society to help change these systems that oppress. If we end our silence that affirms privilege and oppression and choose to take other paths that set a positive example rather than the paths of least resistance an oppressive society offers us we will contribute to positive change. "Oppression takes many forms, most notably avoidance, exclusion, rejection, unequal access to resources and rewards, and violence." This article is about what we can do to help end oppression, how we can help change the system that oppresses. By choosing to avoid the paths of least resistance that privilege and an oppressive society offer us we can help erode the oppression that is so entrenched in our society.

So What:
Privilege and Oppression cause a great deal of "trouble" in our society. The ongoing Societal Injustice around us provides great motivation to care about doing what we can. On page 168, Johnson explains that "paths of least resistance may perpetuate oppression... Obviously then, working for change isn't a path of least resistance, which raises the question of why anyone should follow Gandhi's advice and do it anyway." Johnson then points out that this is why "subordinate groups have done most of the work for change." People of subordinate groups have the most to gain and are most aware of the injustice and oppression they experience. As a result, people who are oppressed will be the most motivated to work for change.

On page 139, Johnson says: "Although disadvantaged groups take the brunt of the trouble, it also affects privileged groups. It does this in part because misery visited on others comes back to haunt those who benefit from it, especially in the form of defensiveness and fear." I thought this was a very good point. Yesterday, while taking pictures for my final project I was walking on Hartford Avenue surrounded by project housing.

I felt some anxiety because I benefit from white privilege and was surrounded by people who live in poverty and suffer the effects of oppression. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned walking through this neighborhood on a weekday afternoon, but I was carrying my digital camera taking pictures designed to illustrate some of the ways this neighborhood suffers oppression resulting from white privilege. If oppression didn't exist, there would be no reason for anxiety in this and other similar settings.

However, guilt and injustice also affect the whites when we do nothing about racial privilege and oppression. We lose our "authenticity and aliveness" (170) and contribute to a system of oppression when we silently allow the status quo to continue.

Now What:
Johnson shares a number of ways we can contribute as change agents within our oppressive society. First we need to recognize two myths and avoid being held captive by them. Myth #1 is that "It's always been this way, and it always will" and Myth #2 is the myth of no effect, this myth is "the belief that nothing we do can make a difference" (p.145).

Johnson explains that it hasn't always been this way, that no social system lasts forever and that racial oppression has only been a feature of life for several centuries. He also explains a number of ways we can be part of gradual change. In some ways the change may be so gradual that we may not see it happen, but that doesn't mean that we aren't having an effect. On page 146 he says "we need to develop a similar ability in relation to time that enables us to carry within us the knowledge, the faith, that significant change happens even though we aren't around to see it." Then on page 147 he says "The myth of no effect obscures the role we can play in the long-term transformation of society. But the myth also blinds us to our own power in relation to other people...If we deny our power to affect people, then we don't have to worry about taking responsibility for how we use it or, more significant, how we don't.

Johnson suggests some steps we can take to have a positive effect on the transformation on society. We need to use simple everyday scenarios to avoid going along with a joke that affirms systems of privilege and oppression. "Systems shape the choices people make by providing paths of least resistance. We need to openly choose a different path that will show others both the path of least resistance they are taking and the option of choosing another path." Johnson says, "the simplest way to help others make different choices is to make them myself and to do it openly, As I change my participation within the system of privilege, I make it easier for others to do so as well and harder for them not to." (p.149)

Johnson wants us to admit and talk about the oppression and trouble that occurs in society. He also encourages us to learn how privilege and oppression work and how we participate in them (p.154). He challenges us to see if we can identify "paths of least resistance" and lets us know that the more aware we are of the power of these paths the more easily we can decide whether or not to go down them.

Johnson finally encourages us to take "little risks: Do something." Some of the little risks he tells us how to take include:
Make noise, be seen
Find little ways to withdraw support from paths of least resistance and people's choice to follow them, starting with yourself.
Dare to make people feel uncomfortable, beginning with yourself.
Openly choose and model alternative paths
Actively promote change in how systems are organized around privilege.
Pay attention to how different forms of oppression interact with one another.
Work with others
Don't keep it to yourself and
Don't let other people set the standard for you.

If we take some of these little risks, we will help bring positive Systemic change to our society. We may not see dramatic changes in our lifetime but when we take these risks we will help reduce the oppression and privilege of our systems. Johnson's article is mostly about the "Now What" and applying these principles to our lives. Systemic change doesn't come easily but if we follow Johnson's recommendations we will help put cracks in the dominant system of oppression and privilege that exists in our society.

Citizenship in School for students who have disabilities

In my last blog I expressed concern regarding the complexity and challenges educators face when instructing students who use a variety of learning styles. Our time in class helped me see how we can work together to include all students who have disabilities in our community of learning.

Methods such as team teaching with special education teachers and resource instruction will enable students who have disabilities to participate in community with other students. I was expecting our class to focus more on people who have Down's Syndrome or a mental illness, rather than on a more general overview of issues related to people having a variety of disabilities.

When students have disabilities whatever they may be whether it is a physical handicap, learning disability, mental illness or Down's Syndrome, we need to help them integrate as fully as possible into our learning community. This will help free our students who have disabilities from isolation and include them in the classroom so all students can learn from and benefit one another.

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome by Christopher Kliewer

What:
Mr. Kliewer argues in this article that eliminating people who have Down Syndrome or other disabilities from normal integration in the classroom detracts from the learning environment and schooling community. On page 213, he says "To eliminate a single person through any form of banishment, no matter how benevolent the logic, reduces the web and makes the community a less democratic and less rich place."

In this article, Mr. Kliewer emphasizes the point that "dialogue of citizenship does not require spoken, or indeed outspoken, language. Rather, communication is built on one's ability to listen to others." (p.201) On page 205 Kliewer quotes Gardner's research that shows how there are many culturally valued ways of knowing and acting in the world. Gardner shares how school traditionally emphasizes "logical-mathematical thinking and linguistic capacities", then he includes five other valuable ways of knowing and contributing in the world that are often overlooked in our schools.

Mr. Kliewer has given us reasons to believe that we need to include students who have Down Syndrome and other disabilities as full citizens. He even shows us that our classes are likely to experience a richer community and learning environment if we include students who have disabilities.

So What:
Many students who have disabilities such as Down Syndrome live a segregated life devoid of many of the educational opportunities of other students. Kliewer uses some examples of students with Down Syndrome such as Mia (p. 200), Isaac, April (p. 208-209) and John Mcgough (p.209) to show how isolation and segregation produced frustration, disconnection and limited the ability of these students to communicate. After these students were able to enter into a caring community as full citizens they contributed productively to this community to help it become a richer and more full learning environment.

Now What:
Mr. Kliewer advocates educating all children together as full citizens of our classroom. He says if we educate all children together it will change the representation of Down Syndrome from burden to citizenship (P.212). While referring to the students he talks about in this article, Kliewer says "Through citizenship, they came to be recognized as thinking, creative individuals who added unique and valuable dimensions to the group."

I agree with Mr. Kliewer that including students who have disabilities such as Down Syndrome can make a tremendous difference in helping students learn to listen and to develop appreciation for one another. I think this can also build teamwork along with many other skills and abilities. However, I am concerned about the complexity and challenges educators face in instructing students who use a variety of learning styles. I wonder how this will impact the ability of teachers to cover the required curriculum and students to learn this curriculum. How will this affect standardized testing? Will inclusive instruction improve test scores, cause a decline in test results or make little difference?

Social Class and the Vocational Educational Tracks Hidden in School Curriculum

Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work by Jean Anyon

What:
In this article (p.1) Ms. Anyon quotes the argument from Basil Bernstein, Pierre Bourdieu, and Michael W. Apple that "knowledge and skills leading to social power and regard (medical, legal, managerial) are made available to the advantaged social groups but are withheld from the working classes to whom a more 'practical' curriculum is offered (manual skills, clerical knowledge)."

Ms. Anyon presents research in this article to support the argument above. She demonstrates that classroom education differs in quality and purpose according to the social and economic classes of the student body. Ms. Anyon reports evidence from 5 schools to illustrate this variance in quality and intent of instruction. She examines two working class schools, one middle-class school, one affluent professional school and one executive elite school.

Ms. Anyon reports:
In working class schools, work is following the steps of a procedure (p.3)
In the middle-class school, work is getting the right answer (p.5)
In the affluent professional school, work is creative activity carried out independently (p.7)
and in the executive elite school, work is developing one's analytical intellectual powers.

Ms. Anyon's research indicates a significant variance in educational approach among 5th graders within the same state but communities that also vary significantly in their social and economic classes.

So What:

On page 11, Ms. Anyon says "School experience, in the sample of schools discussed here, differed qualitatively by social class. These differences may not only contribute to the development in the children in each social class of certain types of economically significant relationships and not others but would thereby help to reproduce this system of relations in society."

If our educational systems broadly reflect the societal class profiling and educational practices evident in Ms. Anyon's study then most students in American society will have a tendency to remain in their current socioeconomic class. The educational system will obstruct their efforts and limit student potential to achieve success.

If we continue to educate differently according to social class (providing greater knowledge and skills of power in proportion to their increasing identity with the culture of power), then we can expect a continuous cycle of poverty and oppression that will entrap many Americans within a particular socioeconomic class or group. Ethnic minority students and others who are not part of the culture of power will have their opportunities to improve their quality of life severely limited. This discrimination and injustice against people of minority races and the working class continue to prolong the cycle of limited opportunity and segregation here in America. When will this injustice and poverty end?

Now what:

Ms. Anyon calls for "further research...in a large number of schools to investigate the types of work tasks and interactions in each to see if they differ in the ways discussed here and to see if similar potential relationships are uncovered." She is seeking more research to determine if her initial findings are generally reflected within American schools. If these findings are consistent with most schools or even a significant number of schools then the educational system should be changed to give minority students and other working class students access to the codes and rules of the culture of power. As a result, there will be increased opportunity for students to break the cycle of oppression evident in American society.

It is disturbing to see educational paradigms established that are designed to limit the opportunities of students and direct them into a particular vocation. It is especially disconcerting to hear some of the attitude expressed by some teachers in the working class schools that Ms. Anyon talks about. For example, "No, you don't; you don't even know what I'm making yet. Do it this way or it's wrong." and "Simple punctuation is all they'll ever use."

I feel frustrated by the Occurrence of these attitudes in education. If one doesn't believe in his/her students and their potential than why serve as an educator? We need to strive to encourage and equip our students to take advantage of the opportunities they receive. The implications of Ms. Anyon's studies confirm what Lisa Delpit, says in her article Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. Delpit says that: "If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier." All of our students have the potential to learn and grow. As a future educator, I want marginalized students to have the opportunity to develop their creativity and achieve success in society.

Tim Wise: "On White Privilege"

"One More River to Cross"

"'One More River to Cross' Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies" by Charles Lawrence and "Whites Swim in Racial Preference" by Tim Wise.

In "'One More River to Cross'Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown" Charles Lawrence discusses how the decision in Brown vs. The Board of Education allowed society to continue maintaining an established system of racial segregation. Lawrence argues that the court wrongfully focused on just the results or "effect" of segregation rather than the purpose and motivation for segregation. On page 283 Lawrence says:

"By focusing on the effect of school segregation rather than its purpose the Warren Court confused the issue and led us to look to separation as the sole source of black children's feelings of inferiority rather than at the larger institution of which segregated schools were only a small part. This confusion has limited us both in proving injury and in our search for appropriate remedies."

Lawrence shares that the purpose of segregation isn't just separation of different races. If this were the case, the court's decision in Brown probably would have effectively eliminated the discrepancies between opportunity for whites and blacks. The real purpose of segregation is to "label or define blacks as inferior and exclude them from full and equal participation in society."(p. 282) Lawrence goes on to point out that as long as blacks were enslaved and slavery made the superior status of whites clear, then whites had no apprehensions about living near or with blacks.

It was only when slavery ended that segregation was established. Lawrence tells us that "historians... are in full agreement in their description of the institution (segregation) as an instrument of subordination which used a strict and rigid caste system to clearly define and limit the social, political, and economic mobility of blacks. Woodward ha called 'Jim Crow' laws the 'public symbols and constant reminders' of the inferior position of blacks."

So What:

Segregation continues throughout our society today because of its self perpetuating nature (Lawrence p. 283). Zoning laws and inferior school systems, contribute to limit the mobility and opportunities of blacks. The limited mobility and opportunities of blacks force most to remain in communities with inferior school systems. Of course the problem goes far beyond this because of the privilege that white Americans receive. On p. 292 Lawrence points out that many white Americans argue in court that they are victimized by affirmative action. He then says:
"Lost in this debate over so called preferential admissions is the fact that medical schools are still over 90 % white, that 95 % of law students are white, and that in virtually every desirable job category, minorities come nowhere near having representation approaching their numbers. Lost is the fact that the new reverse discrimination plaintiffs are claiming the right to continued operation of a system that places them in a preferential position."

In the Article, Whites Swim in Racial Preference Tim Wise explains how some attempts at affirmative action don't even come close to creating an equitable situation for minorities and whites. Wise uses the admissions policy at the University of Michigan to illustrate how the system of segregation in America reinforces white privilege and limits opportunities for minority students. He notes how the Univ. of Michigan offers 20 admissions points to minority students on a 150 point scale but "offers various combinations worth up to 58 points to students who will almost all be white." The 20 points are seen as preference for minority students but the 58 points are hidden behind a system of "social inequities that limit where people live, where they go to school and the kind of opportunities they have." This means a poor white student from the upper peninsula of Michigan will get at least 36 extra points and most minority students in Detroit won't have the possibility of getting any more than the 20 extra they receive for being a minority student. This segregation that has them living in inner city Detroit and limits the options of their parents so they need to work low wage jobs will also limit their ability to go to college. This is because schools where Blacks and Latinos live are less likely to have honors classes or be high performing high schools.

If Black students are able to go to college, then they still may have difficulty getting a good job because of our entrenched system of White privilege. Lawrence points out on page 292 that "white high school dropouts have lower unemployment rates than black young people with some college education."

Now What:

Segregation in American society consistently limits the options and opportunities available to Blacks and people of other minority groups. On page 292, Lawrence indicates that there are "sharp racial differences in life expectancy, medical care, income, jobs, education and political power." In his article "Whites Swim in Racial Preference", Tim Wise reports similar findings. These are serious and disturbing examples of social and racial injustice, entrenched racism and oppression that severely limits the opportunities for African Americans and other minority groups. Before we can implement effective solutions to these tragic problems, Lawrence says that we need to acknowledge "the nature and scope of the injury of segregation."

Most white Americans just don't recognize that segregation still exists. We also often have a difficult time recognizing the privilege that we receive as white Americans. Lawrence is advocating for systemic changes to end the system of oppression that creates and reinforces discrimination against blacks and other minorities. Lawrence articulates that this "system of oppression will continue to exist and operate to the benefit of whites until they destroy this system. The destruction of this subtle yet pervasive segregationism will take significant action. That is the reason that there is always "One more river to cross."

In the article "Whites Swim in racial privilege" Tim Wise expresses that "all talk of ending affirmative action is not only "premature but disrespectful and dismissive of those who have fought and died for equal opportunity." Wise wants us to continue with affirmative action to help blacks and people of other groups have the opportunity to achieve success in our society.

It is clear that there are serious issues that limit the opportunities of black and other minority students. There are great obstacles at each step in the process of education and seeking employment for Black students. I think that we need to change many of the processes in our system to bring freedom and justice for African-American students. This could help increase their opportunities for success. As Lisa Delpit shared in her article Other People's Children, minority students need to know the codes and rules of the Culture of power in order to be able to achieve success in our society. They also need more significant affirmative action then we currently have, since we have such significant racial preference and subtly unrecognizable affirmative action benefit whites as it has for many generations.

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community by Dennis Carlson

What:
Carlson uses this article to show how people that are gay and "gayness" have been silenced by the "normalizing community". On page 233, he describes normalizing community as the idea of community in America where "some individuals and subject positions get privileged(i.e., white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) and represented as 'normal' while other individuals and subject positions (i.e., black, working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways 'abnormal.'"

Carlson goes on to say that "Public schools have often promoted this type of 'normalizing'... community... based on defining a cultural center or 'norm' and positioning class, gender, race, and sexual Others at the margins." Carlson is arguing that these normalizing practices are difficult to sustain and should be changed. He suggests using public schools to help build a "multicultural community, one in which sexual identity (like other markers of difference including class, gender, and race) is recognized, in which inequities are challenged, and where dialogue across difference replaces silencing and invisibility practices. He is arguing that we need to discuss and recognize differences particularly related to gayness and sexual identity. Then we can use dialogue across difference to avoid the continued marginalization of those not labeled as "normal".

So What:

Carlson gives us some good reasons to care about these issues. He points out on page 239 that up to one-third of all adolescent suicide victims are gay, approximately one-quarter of all homeless youth in the the United States are gay and dropout and drug abuse rates among gay youth are also similarly high. These rates are very disturbing especially since numbers of gay youth are much smaller then 1/4 to 1/3 of our total numbers of youth. Carlson also draws attention to the intimidation that many gay teachers and students feel (P. 238). This may often result in gay teachers to avoid class discussions regarding gayness for fear of losing their jobs. Carlson says that abuses and oppression continue "because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves, and because any discussion of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated."

Now What:

On pages 248-9, Carlson includes several steps that he thinks we need to take in order to reduce and eventually eliminate this oppression against gays. He implies that schools need to respond to the existence of "out" gays-both students and teachers. Secondly he emphasizes the need to help gay youth. He also advocates for inclusion of gayness in the curriculum. He then goes on to say that "we need to hold schools accountable for failing to meet the needs of these youth."

On page 251 Carlson indicates that at a minimum, multicultural educators need to involve students in talk about gay identity while discussing human rights and caring for others including gays within community. Carlson would like to see democratic multicultural education directed toward helping youth build connections and alliances with others who face a variety of cultural struggles. Ultimately he concludes that a "democratic multicultural education must become a dialogue in which all 'voices' are heard and all 'truths' understood as partial and positioned." (p.252) He says that the purpose of classroom discussion isn't to achieve a "true" or "objective" reality but to clarify differences and agreements and work toward coalition-building across differences and build relationships based on caring and equity.

My reactions:

This article raises significant issues. Some of Carlson's suggestions are very controversial. I find that Carlson brings up some valid concerns but I wonder about the implications and effects of his recommendations regarding curriculum changes. I agree that we need to build a caring environment where the human rights of all groups of people including gays are protected. As a Christian, I desire to follow the example of how Jesus models compassion and advocacy for social justice. He calls his followers to "love your neighbor as yourself." On a practical level this means that I need to listen to the concerns of others including people who are gay, respect them, and value them. In a democratic multicultural educational environment it is certainly a good idea for us to discuss relevant human rights issues and caring for others. I also think it is important for gay students as well as students from other cultural minorities to have opportunities to talk with counselors and get help as needed.

In regards to the curriculum, on initial consideration, I agree with the decision of the New York school board to reject the rainbow curriculum. I am not aware of the specifics of this content, but am concerned as a parent, because I don't think first graders are ready to discuss many of these types of issues. The title Heather has two mommies sounds like it will raise many questions and issues that my children may not be ready to explore at such a young age. If they have classmates and/or friends who actually have two same sex parents, then it becomes a topic of necessity but we still need to exercise caution in our approach.

I am also concerned that the Rainbow curriculum did not involve community-based dialogue. Dialogue is essential to prevent resentment and strong reactions from concerned parents whether or not they are familiar with or fearful of gay issues. We need to increase dialogue and productive discussion rather then just implementing untested administrative mandates.

However, Carlson does raise a good point about publishers and curriculum writers avoiding gayness to marginalize and preserve the status quo(p. 236). I am not in favor of over-representing gayness in our discussions of English literature or history, but I do believe that it is appropriate to include these references or discussions when it is relevant to our subject content.

For example On page 236, Carlson brings up the tendency of English literature anthologies to go out of their way to avoid acknowledging the gayness of some famous writers such as Walt Whitman, James Baldwin and Gertrude Stein. It is dishonest and contributes to negative bias to edit our educational texts in such a misleading manner. When gayness is an influential theme in the works of writers like Whitman, then it is appropriate for students to be aware of Whitman's gayness in a respectful manner that gives appropriate coverage to Whitman considering the significance of his work in relationship to other writers." I also agree that we need to promote the protection of minority rights and individual freedoms of all minority groups including people that are gay in an age appropriate context. Students need to discuss caring for others and respecting the differences of others including those who are gay. If students are old enough to tease students about gayness or show hostility towards others because of race, gender, sexual identity, etc., then they are old enough to discuss issues of difference and the need to respect and care for one another and learn to bridge across differences. At this point, students need to seek to understand and listen to each other.

This is a complicated topic and their are many other potential variables that can and will influence the appropriate level of discussion both in the community at large and within various multicultural educational settings.

The Debate over Bilingual Education

What is this about:
In the articles "Aria" by Richard Rodriguez and "Teaching Multilingual Children" by Virginia Collier we see two very different viewpoints. When I initially read Rodriguez's essay, I felt a little uncertain of his argument. At first it sounded like he was against bilingual education, On page 34 he says: "What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right--and the obligation--to speak the public language of los gringos." On page 35 Rodriguez speaks positively of the nuns who talked with his parents: "With great tact the visitors continued, 'Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are at home?' of course my parents complied."

Then I read how he described the painful process of developing a "new quiet at home." He writes of "not knowing what words to use in addressing his parents, and of he and his siblings gradually sharing fewer and fewer words with his parents." (p.37) Then on page 38 he writes: "I would have been happier about my public success had I not sometimes recalled what it had been like earlier, when my family had conveyed its intimacy through a set of conveniently private sounds." After reading this I began to wonder if he was using irony but then at the end of the article he restates his argument.

He says, "Today I hear bilingual educators say that children lose a degree of 'individuality' by becoming assimilated into public society....But the bilingualists simplistically scorn the value and necessity of assimilation. They do not seem to realize that there are two ways a person is individualized...while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated...such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality.

Rodriguez is arguing that if bilingual children learn the public language of the culture of power they can become assimilated into society and achieve success in the "public" society. He is arguing that is better to gain public individuality then retain private individuality. In some ways this is similar to Delpit's position on page 25 of the Silenced Dialogue that "If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier." However, Rodriguez appears to be advocating assimilation into the culture of power rather then just teaching students the codes and rules of that culture.

So What:
I think Rodriguez has lived through a painful dilemma that many immigrants experience. They may feel a need to choose between "public" and "private" individuality (Rodriguez p.38). Some students may experience peer pressure or family pressures if they or their families seek to assimilate into the "American melting pot." This discussion is significant because of the pain that many immigrants feel when they attempt to assimilate into American culture and the oppression they often experience whether or not they seek to assimilate into the culture of power.

Now What: Rodriguez is advocating for the assimilation of immigrants into public society. He implies that assimilation is a necessity: "But the bilingualists simplistically scorn the value and necessity of assimilation. They do not seem to realize that there are two ways a person is individualized...becoming assimilated into public society,such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality." It appears that he is an advocate of immersion in English similar to his personal experience as a young boy.

I know two brothers who are students at UMass Dartmouth that moved here from the Azores when they were young. At a campus ministry event we hosted in April my wife discussed with them their own language dilemma. Their parents want them to speak English at home so they can improve their English and the brothers want to speak Portugese at home to continue to identify with their culture.

I don't really know how I feel about bilingual education. I do think that bilingual students need to learn English and the "codes and rules" of the culture of power to have a good opportunity for success in American society. However, I agree with Delpit that we need to value and respect the diverse cultures and backgrounds of the students in American schools. Delpit said on page 30 of The Silenced Dialogue "And I do not advocate that it is the school's job to attempt to change the homes of poor and nonwhite children to match the homes of those in the culture of power. That may indeed be a form of cultural genocide."

I don't know if the nuns who spoke with Rodriguez's parents overstepped their bounds by encouraging the use of English in the home or not. What do you think? Maybe this would make a good classroom discussion or possibly sidetrack us from one.

What:
In the article Teaching Multilingual Children Virginia Collier is arguing for teaching skills in the primary language of students rather then in English. On page 233 she cites research showing that "most successful long-term academic achievement occurs where the students' primary language is the initial language of literacy...Once a child becomes literate in the home language, literacy skills swiftly transfer to second language settings."

So What:
Students who are immigrants are put at a serious disadvantage when they are placed in an English speaking class to learn literacy skills and other principles useful for their education. On page 233 Ms. Collier mentions that
"Sadly, the worst option is too often the only one offered to immigrant students. This occurs in spite of the research literature, which speaks with one voice: To dismiss the home language in literacy development instantly places immigrant children at risk. This risk does not recede over time but accumulates."

It does seem intuitive that it would be easier for students to learn literacy and other learning skills in their primary language rather then trying to focus on both learning how to learn and learning a new language at the same time. However, with the variety of languages that immigrant students know, and the budget challenges of inner city schools where these students are most likely to attend it is no wonder that the worst option is often the only one offered. I am sure there are other factors that could contribute to the tendency to teach in English. For example, there is probably a lack of teachers who are able to teach these skills in the varied languages of immigrant students. I think there is also a tendency for many privileged Americans of the culture of power to disapprove of teaching basic learning skills in any language other than English.

Now What:
On page 233 Ms. Collier states that:
"The 'most successful long-term academic achievement occurs where the students primary language is the initial language of literacy'. First at the early stages of instruction, using the home language for literacy builds the self-worth of language minority students. Further, literacy research states that first language literacy favorably influences subsequent second language literacy. Once a child becomes literate in the home language, literacy skills swiftly transfer to second language settings."

It appears that Ms. Collier is recommending some significant changes in our education system that would help immigrant students get the benefits of literacy instruction in their primary language. I think this would be very beneficial for immigrant children and could probably be done without significant complication for spanish speaking students in most urban areas. However, I think it will be very difficult for municipalities to make this type of bilingual education available to most other language groups represented in our schools.

Exploring School Context at Pocasset Middle School

Exploring School Context at Pocasset Middle School
A few miles make an amazing difference. When I leave my house in central Cranston to volunteer at the Pocasset Middle school in Providence it feels like I'm traveling through a gradual transition zone. My neighborhood has a majority of people that are white but is a somewhat diverse working-class neighborhood. However the transition zone from the predominantly white culture of power to the diverse multicultural community in Providence appears to have started a couple miles west or south west of my home. These neighborhoods to the south and west are primarily comprised of white people who identify with the upper middle class. Their neighborhoods are filled with 1-2 acre lot sizes and oversized contemporary homes. By the time I arrive at Pocasset middle school the scene has dramatically changed. Many of the stores and businesses near the school use English and Spanish bilingual signs, but some don’t appear to bother using English.
Instead of the mostly single family homes and duplexes in my neighborhood, there are large numbers of triplex apartment buildings on “postage stamp” lots around half to two-thirds the size of most lots in my neighborhood. The Providence housing authority has one of their housing projects and an office within close walking distance of the school. A Physical education class is playing soccer in the grassy field behind the school. While parking my car it is easy to see that this is school is different from the Middle School at the end of my street. Instead of white students making up the majority at 62% of the student body, Pocasset Middle School has a small minority population of white students who comprise less than 10% of the student body. Approximately 70% of the students at Pocasset are identified as Hispanic and another 21% are from other ethnic minorities. These percentages are quickly evident when I observe the physical education class playing in the field behind the chain link fence.
Pocasset Middle School is an impressive brick building probably built in the early twentieth century. It was obviously an era of great craftsmanship and fine attention to detail. The school itself looks somewhat foreboding similar to a fortress. The chain link fence and heavy steel doors out front contribute to the feel of entering a castle or fortress. It is here, at this school that I conduct my service learning project. In our class at RI College, we have talked about the Foucault quote “we know what we do, we know why we do what we do, but do we know what we do does.” I have had the opportunity to observe how the educator I volunteer with (Ms. Cabrera) uses Space, Curriculum and Pedagogy in her classroom and I have a few ideas about some of the results. I have the feeling that her class is very different from most of the others in this school. Another teacher told me on the first day that Ms. Cabrera’s methods are a little different, but she is getting good results. It appears that Ms. Cabrera carefully considers the impact of what she does on the students in her classes.
During my tutoring sessions, Ms. Cabrera usually arranges the desks in a circle or oval in the middle of the room. Her classroom has 3 sections. One area contains her desk, blackboard and new (pre-owned) whiteboard. The middle section is where the desks are arranged in a circle and then the other end of the room has a stage with some computer stations that students can use. I have the feeling that Ms. Cabrera values student interaction and the opportunity for students to learn from one another. She has encouraged me to stop class readings whenever I have a good question for the students to think about and discuss. It appears to me that she is trying to help her students learn how to communicate with one another and listen to each other’s ideas. When I asked “why she has her students sit in a circle?” she said that she is trying to foster unity in her classes. She expressed that this enables them to all see one another and experience a sense of togetherness. She did say that she uses variety in her seating and at the beginning of the year she arranges the desks in rows looking facing the blackboard so she can go over procedures and uses other arrangements depending on her teaching purpose.
I have the feeling that it is difficult to build authentic unity and communication in diverse classrooms like the ones Ms. Cabrera teaches. Approximately 70 % of the students at Pocasset Middle school are Hispanic, 16% are African American, 9 % White, 4% Asian and 1% Native American. There is also a great deal of diversity within some of these broad ethnic people groups. Ms. Cabrera’s classes also reflect a similar ethnic and cultural diversity. It is hard to know how the space layout has impacted these students but I have the impression that her students feel valued and cared for. This is evident, since Ms. Cabrera seems to have more than her share of drop in visits from students, both before and during classes. I think it is difficult to create a culture of unified class interaction in middle school because the students will often talk to one another instead of focusing on class content and topics. It seems to me that this probably results in Ms. Cabrera being more limited in the amount of content she can cover, but hopefully students will learn the content they cover more effectively. They may also have a greater appreciation for the material.
During my tutoring experience, Ms. Cabrera has primarily used the book “Children of the River” as the curriculum for her students. Her classes also worked together to write a school newsletter. The book “Children of the River” is a good example of the literary type known as realism. The primary character in this novel “Sundara” was a Khmer refugee who came to the USA with her aunt. This book helps the reader understand some of the issues and situations that many people experience when they leave their country of birth to settle in the United States. Sundara wrestles with a number of cultural issues such as her inner conflict that results from her desire to follow Khmer tradition and marry the man her parents made arrangements for her to wed and the feelings she has for an American boy she knows at school named Jonathan. The story brings many other issues up for students to think about such as the genocide in Cambodia that Sundara escaped from and the many who didn’t escape. There are many other cultural overtones evident in the story such as how the book portrays Sundara’s accent and her thoughts about American life and how it relates to Cambodian customs and culture.
I think this is a very interesting choice of content for Ms. Cabrera’s multicultural classes. Many of her students can relate in various ways to Sundara’s experience since they were born in other countries. This morning several students actually indicated that they were born in the Dominican Republic. In Lisa Delpit’s article she discusses the need for students to learn the codes and rules of the culture of power. If students who are not members of the culture of power learn these codes and rules, they will have an easier time gaining power and success in this society. I think that Ms. Cabrera is hoping that this book will help equip her students to understand the codes and rules of the culture of power and what it can look like for them to adjust to American life, while continuing to value their personal heritage and culture. Since, I have only read some of the book, I’m not sure how effective it is. However, it does seem to raise many issues for Ms. Cabrera’s classes to discuss. The book appears to be a good tool for helping them discuss and learn more about the culture of power. It also enables the students in Ms. Cabrera’s classes to see how Sundara wrestled with issues similar to the challenges that they encounter. Sundara valued her own culture while striving to learn how to have success in an unfamiliar culture of power.
Ms. Cabrera’s pedagogy is another significant factor that impacts the learning context of her students. She exhibits a significant degree of trust and belief in her students. She has established a fairly open classroom, where students have freedom to get up from their seat to throw away trash or chewing gum or take a Kleenex if needed without asking permission. She has also chosen use a very different teaching method than I anticipated for literature study and analysis. She usually plays a tape of the book her classes are currently reading in class instead of reading out loud in class.
Whenever there is a theme, issue, or literary device she would like to discuss or teach about she stops the tape for discussion. When I asked her why she does it this way instead of reading out loud, she told me that they read the first few chapters out loud, but that her aim right now is greater reading comprehension. She said that when the students read out loud they tend to focus more on how they read or sound instead of the content. In light of the diverse cultural backgrounds and the varied accents of Ms. Cabrera’s students, I think there is merit to using the tape. It has potential to increase reading comprehension and also limits the self-consciousness and anxiety of several students who have learned or are learning English as a second language. However, I wonder if it would be better for these students to read out loud in class more often. This would enable them to practice their English out loud and I think it may help increase their confidence in other settings where they need to interact with the culture of power. I don’t know the right balance of reading or speaking out loud for practice and listening for greater comprehension but I wonder if it would be better for these students to have some additional time reading out loud.
I have had some interesting conversations with students in Ms. Cabrera’s classes. On either my first or second day of tutoring I spoke with Manuel about what college is like and asked him if he had any ideas about where he would like to attend college. He expressed a great deal of interest and wants to go to school but he hasn’t thought very much about where he would like to go or what he wants to study. Since he is still an eighth grader this isn’t very surprising. This has actually been a great classroom for informal interactions and conversations with students. One of the days that I tutored, the students were working on a newsletter. Since the students were working in small groups they had plenty of opportunity for casual interactions with each other. During this time, I visited several small groups to find out what they were working on and how it contributed to the newsletter. Some students were much more focused then others but it was a great opportunity for those with special interests or talents to use them. I have really enjoyed getting to know some of the students and interacting with them.
One team of students was working on developing a comic strip for the newsletter. Calvin wrote the words while Jerome drew the illustrations. A few other students sat with them and occasionally offered input or ideas. Another group was searching for recipes to include in the newsletter and one student wrote a short political column related to the upcoming election. The informal nature of the small groups provided opportunities for students to connect with one another and build relationships.
Ms. Cabrera has demonstrated some of her values by her teaching methods and classroom use. She desires to promote unity and communication to bring students together. She also believes in showing kindness and encouraging her students to be kind to one another. This isn’t always easy for eighth graders to practice but she taught the students the rules and codes of her classroom and in the process given them the opportunity to earn and keep trust. She is careful to respect her students and many of them will informally visit her classroom in between classes. She has demonstrated true care for her students and a desire to help them learn what they need to in as safe an environment as possible.
In regards to this school, it is difficult for me to use my limited observations to identify the values of this community and how they are reflected here. I believe that this in itself is a statement about the values of this and other communities throughout the state. Pocasset Middle School doesn’t have any sports teams, and I also have the impression that there aren’t many extracurricular activities or programs here. It feels like this school and others in the district struggle to receive the funding needed to provide diverse subjects and extracurricular opportunities for students. It appears that our society marginalizes schools like Pocasset Middle school and the students from many diverse cultural backgrounds who attend here. It seems that those who need opportunities the most receive the least! When I hear about middle schools in the suburbs, they appear to have many more opportunities for students. Why is it that small wealthy towns can have art and music classes and sports teams, while a city school goes without? When will this change? So that the cycles of oppression and injustice can end.

Racial Bias & White Privliege entrenched in America

I found the articles by Salim Muwakkil and Peggy McIntosh to raise some interesting points. Muwakkil is arguing that mainstream white Americans have been deceived into thinking racism is gone. We have a tendency to think that racial minorities have equal job opportunities as whites. Muwakkil is right about this, actually many whites probably think people of racial minorities have greater job opportunities than whites because of affirmative action. However, this is simply a deception based on some individual situations where we observe affirmative action take place.

I found Muwakkil's statistics very interesting. Since I have heard some similar percentages in the past I wasn't surprised but it is still so unbelievably injust to make it hard to believe! "blacks constitute 13% of America's drug users, but make up 58% of those sent to prison for drug possession." The system is unjust and isn't working. I wonder how many prisoners who claim to be innocent really are? It is probably a fairly high percentage of blacks. This could relate to not knowing the codes and rules of the culture of power and of course the potential lack of access to good attorneys and possibility (or probability) of racially biased juries and judges.

Another passage that I found disturbing and thought provoking was "The study found that applicants with white-sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get called for an initial interview than applicants with black-sounding ones. What's more, higher quality resumes provided little advantage for black applicants.
'For us, the most surprising and disheartening result is seeing that applicants with African-American names were not rewarded for having better resumes', Bertrand said."

This is just plain sad and discouraging. It is just another of many examples of oppression in our society and as Muwakkil mentions it is hard for us to see it: "But racial disparities persist, and many analysts trace them to biased cultural attitudes and prejudiced social policies so deeply woven into the fabric of American life that they are virtually invisible." With the segregation that exists in our society it is very easy for most of us whites to go through our days without thinking about these issues or the obstacles that limit the opportunities of people of color. Our natural tendency is to think about the challenges of life that we need to overcome rather then what others need to deal with.

Now What: Muwakkil says "These studies make clear that racial biases persist. Those who assert we've arrived at a colorblind society are blinding themselves to reality." I think Muwakkil wants us to acknowledge the elephant in the room, the racism and biases that exist. In alcoholics anonymous the first step is to admit you have a problem. We need to acknowledge the fact that racism is still entrenched if we are going to see real justice in our society.

McIntosh had some similar things to say. I thought her opening statement "I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group" was very insightful. She is arguing that whites "enjoy unearned skin privilege and have been conditioned into oblivion about its existence."(p.2) When we only think of racism as meanness or hate crimes then we lose sight of the many other ways racism is entrenched in our society. Ms. McIntosh does a great job of listing some of the conditions of skin-color privilege. I actually remember when I was a student in college in western NY crossing the border into Canada. I crossed the border a number of times with friends from school and every time they would ask us "where are you a citizen?" and we would say USA and we could cross the border without showing an id. Then one time another friend was in the car was black. When we got to the border this time they asked to see his passport and our ids. A couple of us were so used to our unearned privilege we didn't have the birth certificate that was required.

So What: On page 4, Ms. McIntosh makes some strong statements about America. She says: "The pressure to avoid it is great, for in facing it I must give up the myth of meritocracy. If these things are true, this is not such a free country;ones' life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own."

For whites America feels like a free country and a land of opportunity. I wonder what percentage of African-Americans can honestly say "I'm proud of America." I remember all the controversy that came about a couple months back in the presidential campaign when Michelle Obama said "For the first time I'm proud of America". Why would African-Americans have reason to feel this way? The statistics that Muwakkil mentions, the history of civil rights, slavery and continual racism even to the present day! Ms. Obama's comment didn't sit well with many whites and she ended up backtracking somewhat, but America isn't such a free country for those who lack the advantages of white privilege.

Now What: Ms. McIntosh says first we need to acknowledge and talk about the "unearned privilege and conferred dominance" which whites receive.(p.6) When we stay silent and fail to recognize the inequity we just help perpetuate systems of dominance. McIntosh wants us to "use any of our arbitrarily awarded power" to change or "reconstruct power systems on a broader base." This change requires the altruistic actions of choosing to use our advantage to weaken the system that gives us advantage. The first obstacle that keeps this from happening is the fact that over half of whites in the survey Mulakkil mentioned don't see or acknowledge the problem. Fear of what will happen and the work involved in advocating and implementing societal change also provide significant barriers. However, with hard work and determination we can see real positive social change. The determination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the advances of the civil rights movement show that change is possible and we can have hope but as McIntosh said if may take decades!

Red Tailed Hawk vs. Rattler! Who wins?

Two will fledge and one will be left behind

Celebrate Urban Birds!

Here are a couple great websites for learning more about urban birds and bird identification.

Kozol & Goldberg: Two contrasting realities of American Life

What!
In Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation Jonathan Kozol argues against the notion "that the largest portion of the suffering poor people undergo has to be blamed upon their own 'behaviors'(p.21). He quotes professor Lawrence Mead saying: "If poor people behaved rationally, they would seldom be poor long in the first place." Kozol is arguing against this flawed ideology that poor people are to blame for their own suffering. This reasoning will logically produce contempt for the poor instead of compassion. Kozol does a great job of showing how some of the choices made by government (the city of New York in this article) and flaws in the welfare system contribute to make it difficult for those who live in poverty.

In this article, Kozol describes the South Bronx ghetto neighborhood Mott Haven as the poorest in the Bronx. He explains the epidemic rates of HIV and prevalence of drug addiction in this area.He also describe the substandard project housing that most people live in and shows difficult living conditions in this part of New York. One example of social injustice he shares is how the city of New York chose to locate the incinerator in this neighborhood over the objections of parents. The most disturbing point is that the original site location was cancelled over similar parental objections in the more affluent east side of Manhatten.

So What:
Kozol gives us real reasons to care about the conditions of the people in his article. He describes serious health risks to thousands of children. On page 4 he states "Depression is common among children in Mott Haven. Many cry a great deal but cannot explain exactly why. Fear and anxiety are common. Many cannot sleep." On page 5 Kozol asks: "What is it like for children to grow up here? What do they think the world has done to them? Do they believe that they are being shunned or hidden by society? If so, do they think they deserve this? What is it that enables some of them to pray? When they pray, what do they say to God?

It is clear that children who are living in poverty haven't done anything to blame for their suffering. Kozol then shares the story of Alice Washington to illustrate that adults are often forced into poverty even while making rational intelligent decisions. Mrs. Washington encounters a welfare system fraught with error and abuse that can make it difficult for some who need help to get it while others may receive checks for those who have died months or years ago. On page 20 Kozol quotes Mrs. Washington saying "My doctor says, when it comes to the poor, they can't get nothin' right." This is why Mrs. Washington and others in her community suffer in understaffed, substandard hospitals. Sadly there isn't just inequity in our society but injustice, poverty and few options for those who live in poverty. This results in a continuous cycle of poverty and injustice.

Now What:

Jonathan Kozol quotes Mrs. Washington's son David on page 23.

David says "Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people --that is my idea of evil."

The implication in this statement is that many of us who have power and ability to help others pretend we don't have the ability to do anything. In many cases this may be a subconscious easing of conscience. The result is the same, cycles of poverty and injustice continue. The answer is for all of us to recognize the poverty around us and do what is in our power to help those in need. It is much easier for many of us to do nothing about the poor around us becaus we don't feel as privileged as we are. As Johnson says in his article, "We use reference groups to construct a sense of how good or bad, high or low we are... we usually don't look downward in the social hierarchy but to people we identify as being on the same level as or higher level than our own."

I have some additional thoughts that I would like to share. I agree with Kozol that many are poor because of a lack of options and opportunities rather than irrational behavior and poor choices as it seems Lawrence Mead and probably Goldberg would suggest. It is true that irrational behavior and poor choices that lead to various addictions can contribute to poverty. However, most people who are poor have limited opportunities to improve their situation. In any case, it is not my place to judge why someone is poor but rather to do what I can to help those who are poor. There is some great wisdom in what David said on page 23 of Kozol's article. As a Christian, I believe God calls us to use the power we have to help people, especially those who live in poverty. It doesn't help anyone to ask them what they did to become poor, or criticize them for not making the best decision possible in every situation. However, there is tremendous potential for positive change if we ask "what injustices are contributing to or causing their poverty?" Then we will be in a better position to seek social justice and help those in need.

I would like to share a relevant verse from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

In his article titled "Jonathan Kozol," Goldberg is arguing that our schools teach anti-America propaganda. He says on page 294 that so many of today's schools are turning out "smart" kids with little understanding of how precious their heritage is." Goldberg then goes on to say that this problem is a complicated one but Jonathan Kozol has had considerable influence in changing our classrooms. His books "focused mainly on poor and minority kids, he has preached his version of how kids should be educated and his influence today is immense. Kozol is a fierce opponent of traditional learning... He believes that education cannot and should not be politically neutral."

So What:

Goldberg expresses extreme concern about Kozol because "Kozol is strongly admired in the education establishment and his ideas are put into practice every day in classrooms all across America from high school all the way to preschool." Golderg also expresses concern about Kozol encouraging students skepticism of authority and the "left wing publications and organizations including information agencies of the Chinese and Cuban governments where teachers can get worthwhile classroom materials."

Now What:

I'm not sure what Goldberg wants us to do about this. It seems like he wants us to teach patriotism, a pro-American view of our heritage and obedient civic behavior (p. 294-295).
I have not read very much of Kozol's writing, only the earlier article so I don't know what to make of this critique. However, America has a very painful past and a record of extreme racial injustice toward African Americans and near annihilation of native Americans. There are also other significant examples of racial injustice in our past such as Japanese-American internment camps. Interestingly we did not have the same camps for German-Americans.

We have both good and evil in our heritage and it is advisable to give our students the truth about both. We have provided a new home for many millions fleeing religious and other persecutions. We helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II and are a land of opportunity for many. However, there is still a great deal of injustice and racism in our nation. It is a land where those who have money and privilege often easily gain more and those who live in poverty usually only have limited opportunities. I plan to read more of Kozol in the future to see what I think of his ideas as he expresses them. Then I will have a better context in which to evaluate the criticisms that Goldberg has raised. What I did read of Kozol resonated pretty well with my limited personal observations of our society and government.

My Relationship to the Culture of Power

In The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children, Lisa Delpit identifies how significant miscommunication occurs when dialoguing on the topic of "how best to educate children of color." She asks "how can such complete communication blocks exist when both nonwhites and whites truly believe they have the same aims?" In examining and reflecting on these issues, Delpit has found a connecting and complicated theme she calls "the culture of power" (p.24-26):
1. Issues of power are enacted in classrooms
2. There are codes or rules for participating in power; "that is there is a culture of power."
3. The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power.
4. If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier.
5. Those with power are frequently least aware of - or least willing to acknowledge - its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.

What is the culture of power like, what does it mean?

On page 25 Delpit says that "this means that success in institutions -- schools, workplaces and so on - is predicated upon acquisition of the culture of those who are in power. Children from middle-class homes tend to do better in school than those from non-middle-class homes because the culture of the school is based on the culture of the upper and middle classes - of those in power....children from other kinds of families operate within perfectly wonderful and viable cultures but not cultures that carry the codes or rules of power."

So what is my relationship to this culture of power? As a middle class American, I have had the benefits of access to the codes and rules of power. I don't normally think of myself as having personal power. However, each of the letters in the acronym SCWAAMP represents a characteristic true of me. I can also see some of the ways that society bestows on me certain privilege and benefits which others lack who are not as well connected to the culture of power. There are certainly others who have more economic and social capital than I do but I still benefit from significant privilege that I did nothing to earn.

I was raised in a middle class family, where I learned many of the codes and rules for participating in power. I also received the benefit of attending a good high school, good success in high school and college. As a white male, whose family had a middle - class lifestyle I have had many options to choose from for pursuing both higher education and employment. At times I have put in a great deal of work and effort to attain what I have, but I still benefit from significant privilege. I rarely fear for my safety. I don't need to worry myself with whether or not my landlord will renew my lease. I don't need to learn a second language in order to communicate or buy groceries, etc.

It is clear that there are people who have more property and/or economic and social capital than I do but I still benefit from many privileges that others lack. This isn't fair for the many people who need to work harder to achieve similar or lesser results.

Now what can I do as one who benefits from the culture of power? The more power we have the greater our ability and responsibility to help bring social justice and fairness to those who operate within cultures that lack the codes and rules of power. Since, I lack political power and have only limited social and economic capital, I am limited in my ability to bring change to our culture.

Since I plan to pursue a career as an educator serving in inner city schools there are several things I may be able to do. If I am able to find employment in a city school, then I need to follow through with Delpit's suggestion to consult with other adults who share the cultures of my students when deciding how to educate my students. I will need to listen well, especially when it is painful to do so and then learn from my mistakes. I would also like to help others grow in their awareness of the racial injustice that is happening all around us. When we become aware of the social injustice around us then we can help advocate for positive change and take appropriate steps to level the "playing field" for those who experience oppression in our society.

When I have traveled in Europe and Mexico, it has been helpful to read guidebooks and study the language and customs of the countries I visited. When I went to Mexico and Germany, I actually received the benefits of specific cross-cultural training. This helped me to have a more successful experience during my time in these countries. Without learning some of the codes and rules of these cultures, I would have risked miscommunications, offending others and my personal safety.

In a similar way, our students who are not part of the culture of power need to learn the rules that will enable them to have success in this culture. When educating my students I would like to help them learn the codes and rules they need to know, while also validating and appreciating their cultural backgrounds. They will still have significant barriers to overcome in our society but if they know the rules it will be possible for them to achieve success and to potentially help bring change to the culture of power. They can help cause change when they get opportunities to "tap the glass" of our society's most valued ideologies.

Lisa Delpit "The Silenced Dialogue"

In "The Silenced Dialogue" Delpit expresses the point of view that we need to teach students "the spoken and written language codes that will allow them success in the larger society." On page 45, Ms. Delpit argues that "while students are assisted in learning the culture of power, they must also learn about the arbitrariness of those codes and the power relationships they represent." Delpit is arguing that in order to change the status quo of the current culture of power, students of groups oppressed by this culture need to know how to communicate within the culture of power. If they are to assist in bringing positive change then they will also need to recognize how power relationships have been established.


Passages of Interest:

• On page 40-41, Delpit says: "But I also do not believe that we should teach students to passively adopt an alternative code. They must be encouraged to understand the value of the code thy already possess as well as understand the power relation in this country. Otherwise they will be unable to work to change these realities...she labels 'Our Heritage Language,' On the other half of the bulletin board she puts the equivalent statements in 'Standard English,' which she labels 'Formal English.'"

This passage helped illustrate how we can attribute value to the culture values of an oppressed group while equipping students to communicate in the dominant culture. However, in many of our inner city classrooms our students come from diverse cultural and lingual backgrounds. These students share a common need to learn to speak and write in our society but it will be quite challenging to develop an awareness of the cultural values of each individual student. The classroom I volunteered at thursday provides us a good example of a multicultural teaching situation with Latino, African-American, Asian and White students all present. In a more homogenous teaching environment in the suburbs, educators prepare mostly white students to communicate and live as adults in a white dominant society.


In inner city schools or other locations where there are a significant number of people of color, students need to learn a great deal more to effectively operate in the culture of power. This fact helps illustrate how the S.C.W.A.A.M.P. culture of power remains privileged and those who are not privileged continue to experience the cycles of oppression. If some students of oppressed groups can learn to operate within the culture of power while recognizing the dynamics of power structute, then real "Change" may come.

• In another thought-provoking passage, (p. 29) Delpit quotes a parent. "As one parent demanded, 'My kids know how to be black you all teach them how to be successful in the white man's world.'" A little later (p.32) she includes another related quote:

"Maybe they're trying to learn what black folks knew all the time. We understand how to improvise, how to express ourselves creatively. When I'm in a classroom, I'm not looking for that, I'm looking for structure. This {white} teacher didn't get along with that black teacher. She said that she didn't agree with her methods. But I don't think that white teacher had any methods."

These quotes and a few other similar ones caught my attention. We need to learn to properly assess the needs of our students and equip them for the challenges they will face in society. This is especially true for students from inner city schools who face oppression along with so many obstacles in our society.

When I graduate, I will need a job and will have to take whatever teaching position I can. However, I would like to serve as an educator in an inner city school. There are obviously great needs in our cities and I am more motivated to serve in a place where I may be able to help people who are seeking to overcome significant obstacles. As a result, I find it very helpful to think about these issues and as I read this article it made alot of sense to me and I found some helpful principles.

For example, it isn't a good idea for me to assume that I will always know what my students need to learn. I need to learn from my students and their parents what their needs are and then give them what they need even though it will be difficult. Effective teaching is more about teaching students and helping them learn and develop the skills they will need rather than about me teaching them the ways or material that I would like to teach.

• The other passage that I would like to comment on is found on page 45. Ms. Delpit "suggests that appropriate education for poor children and children of color can only be devised in consultation with adults who share their culture. Black parents, teachers of color, and members of poor communities must be allowed to participate fully in the discussion of what kind of instruction is in their best interest. ... Massey, Scott, and Dornbusch found that under the pressures of teaching, and with all intentions of 'being nice,' teachers had essentially stopped attempting to teach black children. In their words: 'We have shown that oppression can arise out of warmth, friendliness and concern.'"

I'm glad to read this now, instead of several years into my teaching career. I think this quote makes alot of sense and it sounds like there will always be need for a white educator like myself to consult with adults who share the culture of my students. I would like to be a good and effective teacher and it is evident that I can't just assume that I will know the right methods to utilize in the classroom. This will require a significant amount of work and effort but so do most other worthwhile ambitions.

Questions/Comments/Points to share:

I thought this was a very interesting article. Even though I am missing some pages from the article, I think the material here was pretty clear in expressing Delpit's "suggestion that students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American life." Sadly for most of American history significant groups of people in our nation have been prevented from participation in the freedoms and privilege of some Americans. When the founders of this nation wrote the Declaration of Independence discussing certain "Inalienable rights" many of them owned other people as slaves. This oppression although to a lesser degree continues to exist in our nation till the present day. Hopefully we as educators can help make a difference in helping Change our society.

In addition to these comments, I have a question about No Child left behind. Obviously, Delpit expresses disapproval towards the No Child Left behind act in her introduction. Most of the teachers I've talked to have had at least partially negative attitudes toward this act and the results of it. What do you see as the problems with this act and what could be changed to make it effective in promoting quality education for all?

Privilege, Power, and Difference

"Privilege, Power, and Difference" by Allan G. Johnson

In this work, Johnson argues that "a great deal of trouble surrounds the issue of difference in this society". He communicates that there are social constructions which lead to privilege for some and result in oppression for others. Collectively we don't get along with each other and we need to examine the reasons for this. He communicates that the differences we possess from each other are not the problem but rather the system that provides unearned benefits to a white male like myself and unearned liabilities to people of non-privileged groups.

Passages of Interest:

• "The existence of privilege doesn't mean I didn't do a good job, of course, or that I don't deserve credit for it. What it does mean is that I'm also getting something that other people are denied, people who are like me in every respect except for the gender, race, and sexual orientation categories they belong to.... In other words, 'To be white in America means not having to think about it'' (Johnson 24-25).

Johnson is making a great point here. It is true that as a white male there are many things that I don't have to concern myself with which many others do. I take it for granted that I will be safe from physical harm and harassment in many situations. I remember several years ago when my wife and I lived in Buffalo, NY that sometimes she wore a baseball cap to make it less obvious she was a woman when she needed to go out at night. This passage is a good reminder that their are many privileges bestowed on me as a white male in American society that many others are unable to benefit from.

• On pages 36-37 Johnson states that "The paradoxical experience of being privileged without feeling privileged is a second consequence of the fact that privilege is more about social categories than who people are. It has to do primarily with the people we use as standards of comparison -- what sociologists call 'reference groups.' We use reference groups to construct a sense of how good or bad, high or low we are in the scheme of things. To do this, we usually don't look downward in the social hierarchy but to people we identify as being on the same level as or higher than our own....Since being white is valued in this society, whites will tend to compare themselves with other whites, not with people of color...What this means is that whites will tend not to feel privileged by their race when they compare themselves with their reference group, because their reference group is also white."

I find this quote challenging and the point Johnson makes here indicates part of the reason privilege and oppression consistently continue in our society. Instead of doing what we can to help those who are oppressed and advocate for social justice we are caught up in complaining or feeling that we don't have it as good as we should have it since some of our friends and family have bigger houses, nicer cars, etc. I tend to think of myself as having a relatively modest lifestyle when I observe many of my friends. It is more difficult to compare myself with families who live crowded in small inner city apartments and it is still even more difficult to take significant action to help those who live in poverty.

• On page 40 Johnson says "in order to have the experience of being oppressed, it is necessary to belong to an oppressed category. In other words, men cannot be oppressed as men, just as whites cannot be oppressed as whites or heterosexuals as heterosexuals because a group can be oppressed only if there exists another group that has the power to oppress them."

I disagree with Johnson's statement here. It appears to me that Johnson is saying that men cannot be oppressed as men. I may be confused by his meaning of the term oppression. It seems to me that through affirmative action a white man or woman may experience some form of oppression because of preferential hiring of a person of color. Obviously the white person will typically benefit from privilege outside of this situation, but they are still experiencing some reverse discrimination. When I was in college back in the early 90's looking for jobs in Wildlife Biology I was concerned that it would be more difficult for me to get a job because of being a white male because of affirmative action concerns.

More recently, I directed an inner city mission project in New York. Since I wanted a more diverse team I held open positions and charged white students more then ethnic minority students because of our desire for a racially diverse team. I don't think this was oppressive in any sense for the white students but rather helping to level the field for ethnic students. However, this type of affirmative action can contribute to resentment in white people and potentially be oppressive in certain situations.

Questions/Comments/Point to share:

I felt Johnson raised alot of great points and I agreed with most of what he said. I think it is great for us to think about and discuss these issues of privilege and how privilege for some of us creates such a significant cost for others. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to bring about true racial reconciliation and healing to our society. I would like to ask (if you are willing to share) others in the class, are you aware of ways you have or do experience the benefits of privilege or costs of oppression?

"A Great Teacher"

Mr. Mac stands out as my most memorable and effective teacher in high school. In his ecology class he entertained us with his great stories, which carried with them a significant message. He used stories about the impact of human activity on the relationships of animals and plants existing together in community. This helped us learn that everything we do can have an impact on our environment. He used humor and stories to develop our interest in the ecological topics we studied. One story I still remember 22 years later is about the Kern county mouse war. Hearing stories like this helped me realize the delicate balance of ecosystems, and learn the material. This also did a great job of helping us see the impact we can have on the world around us for good and bad depending on how we treat the environment. Mr. Mac was a great teacher because he helped make the learning process enjoyable and interesting.
He made our classroom a safe place to learn by sharing about his personal interest in and passion for birds and nature. He told us about his experiences birding at nearby Trustom pond. Some of them were humorous but most importantly, this helped me see that science wasn’t just a subject he taught at school but something he did for personal enjoyment. I knew that I enjoyed nature and wildlife and participating in Mr. Mac’s class helped inspire my interest in studying wildlife biology. Now as I look back, I can also see how my time in his class helped me decide to pursue a career in secondary education. Mr. Mac probably doesn’t remember me or know how his teaching has impacted my life but he had a profound impact on me and many other students from our school.

welcome to my Saw-whet blog!

Welcome to my blog.

My name is John Mitchell. It is a pleasure to be here at RIC taking secondary ed. classes. I would like to introduce myself by letting you know that I live in Cranston and am a native Rhode Islander. My wife and I have two lovely children: Anna & Samuel. Anna will turn 3 on May 31st! I look forward to posting a picture soon.

Thanks for coming by and visiting my blog.

John