Multicultural Education April 26-May 2: Social Justice

What does it mean to be Black? What does it mean to be white? If a Black person is wealthy and highly educated, does this mean that person is 'acting white'? For example, is Oprah 'acting white'? What does the saying 'acting white' even mean? I believe some might feel if someone is wealthy or well educated they are acting white and defying the expectations of Black people. But I don't agree with this. I believe that people are people, no matter what the color of their skin. Everyone has the innate ability to accomplish great things, however because of race, which is a socially constructed thing, it isn't as easy for some to wok within societal stereotypes as it is for others.

There are multiple forms of oppression in society today. People are discriminated against for being female, gay/lesbian, Black, Latino, Jewish, poor, and having a physical and developmental disability. The question then is, is a male Latino less capable than a Black male? Is a Black female less capable than an Asian female? Why is there such an emphasis on race? I believe all people were truly created equally. However, with that being said, I think everyone is different. Everyone has different gifts and talents, and race does not affect that talent or ability. Race is not biological, it is completely an experience that society has constructed to label people and keep them in different socioeconomic classes. What would our world look like if there was no such thing as affirmative action and no specific race or gender was in complete power because everyone was in fact equal? Unfortunately, not everyone is treated equally. This is why I think teaching social justice in schools is so imperative today.

Schools are forming the future citizens of our society. If teachers today teach equality and multiculturalism to students, we can move one step closer to justice for everyone.

The question is though, how can teachers teach social justice to their students? The first step teachers should take is to make sure students are aware of the unjust society we live in; they can do this through teaching current events. As mentioned by Asa G. Hillard III in the book, Rethinking Multicultural Education, there needs to be more of an emphasis on hegemony rather than race because that is what the real problem is. Often times teachers and parents try to shield children from the world's negativity. But what good is that doing? While I always believe in keeping the material that is being taught age appropriate, it is essential that we talk about real issues also, and through this we can bring social justice to reality. Like Prof. KM Smith always says - parents, community, and teachers need to take responsibility to make sure our children are learning about real issues of race, hegemony, and diversity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fwjaPTgoYA

I have posted a link above that discusses racism in America. In the interview Al Roker interviews Charles Barkley on his book "Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man". After watching this interview it taught me that in order for an oppressed group to truly gain social justice, they need to unify together. Charles Barkley says in the interview that "Black on Black" crime needs to stop and people need to stop having children they can't afford (which then leads to more poverty); the way I interpreted this, is that when people in general start having respect for people of their own race or ethnicity and unify together, justice can be a more likely a reality.

Multicultural Education Mar 22-Mar. 28: Culture and Power

This week in my Multiculturalism and Practice of Schooling class, [Prof. I got it right this time...:)] we took a quiz measuring our knowledge on equity and diversity in the United States. As I was taking the quiz, I undoubtedly felt confident about some of the answers and not as confident about other answers. One of the questions, that stood out in my mind, was question #1. It asked, "According to the National Center for Education Statistics, what is the percentage of U.S. schools with no teachers of color on staff?" The choices were...a) 0%, b) 20%, c) 40%, or d) 60%. My answer was 60%, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 40% of schools in the U.S. have no teachers of color on staff. This caused me to question the reasoning behind this statistic. Is this because there aren't a equal amount of qualified teachers of color? Or perhaps they aren't applying for these teaching jobs at the same rate as their white counterparts? Or is this because our country is still discriminating against people of color?

In an idealistic society, we would just like to think that the only reason why they are not being hired is because they merely are not interested in the teaching profession. I would hope that it's not because they aren't being denied these jobs. However, while I argue the importance of having teachers of colors, I feel it's important to make even more of an effort to hire high quality teachers. Schools need to find a way to do both. We need the high qualified teachers coming from all races, all to help students do well academically and educate them on multiculturalism.

Interacting with people of other races and cultures promotes the goals of the Human Relations approach, which is to create positive feelings among students in order to reduce stereotypes and develop a deep feeling of respect and unity. Just as when a school hires good teachers...their students do better academically, which is in important; so too, when a school makes an effort to have a diverse staff of teachers coming from all ethnicities, races, and cultures... multicultural education is better implemented. We need both...qualified teachers...AND teachers of color...and as our education system and schools become more progressive, hopefully, we will have an equal amount of qualified teachers coming from all races and cultures.

I have posted a link to the Equity & Diversity Awareness quiz :

After taking this quiz, I realized that there is so much about equity and diversity that I am unaware of. Seeing my shocking results (only 7 correct out of 15), I am now even more motivated and committed to educate myself on issues regarding equality in our education system.

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/quiz/quizNEW.pdf

In regards to this week's class discussion on Ebonics, the question that was posed was-should Ebonics be an accepted and specific language and should we offer it in schools. I am of the opinion that Ebonics should not be taught in schools because it is not yet an accepted language and because it can be construed as degrading. Ebonics is language dialect that was developed by Africans living in the U.S., which means the United States is the only place where people speak it. Since the purpose of schooling is to prepare children for their future employers, teaching Ebonics would not be beneficial. Why teach someone a language that will keep the geographically limited?I think it would be a good idea for a teacher to learn Ebonics if he or she is going to go into a community where the students speak it so they can relate to them better. But going into a school teaching and it to the students, I think is not a good idea and I believe it will limit them.

Multicultural Education Mar 15-Mar. 21: The Achievement Gap

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, was originally proposed to ensure that each student across the nation is at his or her appropriate reading level by the year 2014. A question Kat proposed in class on Monday was is the No Child Left Behind Act actually helping to minimize the achievement gap? I am of the opinion it is not. The initial premise of No Child Left Behind, which was to hold schools and teachers accountable, is a positive thing; however the method by which it is being handled does not seem to be effective.

There are many reasons as to why our achievement gap is at an all time high. While I do agree with the opinion brought up in class that there is a lack of funding in many communities, I do not think that is the core of the problem. The lack of high-quality teachers is the real problem. Schools need to be putting an emphasis on finding caring teachers and principals who have high expectations of their students. While many continue to argue that the root of the problem is money, when we have programs such as "Teach for America", which seeks out individuals with good leaderships skills, that are successful, despite the difficulties they face with in the classrooms.

In addition to the achievement gap being high due to the lack of good teachers, I believe the gap is also high because of the method in which students are being assessed. Many people do not do well on achievement tests (myself included). Testing a child's knowledge based on a linear and often culturally biased test is unfair. We are placing our students in a 'box' based on results from a single test that cannot truly measure intelligence. I know personally that I have always done well in school, but that I don't do well on standardized tests. If someone were to see my results he or she might think my teachers weren't doing a good job. However, if they were to see my school work through out the year they would realize I am mastering the material and making progress. There must be another way to assess children on their academic progress. As it was talked about in the Hammond article, we need to find another way to assess students. I agree, however, I am unsure of what an effective nationwide method would be.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100313/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_education

Above is a link to an article that came out this past Saturday. The article focuses on President Obama's emphasis on getting kids into college. In the article, it talks about reforming the No Child Left Behind Act by instead of focusing on grade-level proficiency, there would be more of a focus on college and careers. Reading this reminded me of the Human Capital Theory talked about in one of our earlier readings. I realize the importance of preparing our youth for the economy, and as I have said multiple times I do believe that schools should be preparing kids for their future employers. However I also believe that there is too much of an emphasis on this. Whatever happened to learning for the sake of learning? When I decided to take Multicultural Schooling and Practice at the end of last semester, it had nothing to do with preparing me for our global economy. I took it to educate myself on other cultures and sub-cultures. It is now, after taking this class, that I can use what I learned for my career. The order of the priorities is the problem. Let us first learn to learn, and then see how we can translate it into the work world.

Nonetheless I still support President Obama in trying to find a way to reform NCLB.

Multicultural Education Mar. 8-Mar. 14: Schooling and Culture

In class this past Monday we took on a very taboo issue...the issue of race. What does the term race even mean? While race can be defined differently by different people, when I think of the term race I think of someone's skin color. Right now I am sure many people (mostly whites) like to think that we live in an equal opportunity society. However this is far from true. Prof. KM Smith went around the class and asked each of us what we thought it meant to be black and what we thought it meant to be white. Through this exercise, I think many of us became more aware of stereotypes they had about other cultures. We began to realize that while our nation has become more equalized over time, it is still very far from where it can be.

One interesting thing I realized from Monday's activity, was that I barely had any stereotypes. The only thing I could think of when thinking of a black person was basketball. Whereas that might seem like a positive thing I saw it as the exact opposite. I had no biases toward blacks because until coming to Binghamton I had almost no interactions with black people. I went to an all white, all girls, private school since I was eight years old. I had never learned about black people (except in history class when we learned about the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, which in my opinion does not really count). However, even if I had learned about other cultures I do not think it would have had the same impact on me as attending Binghamton has had. I'm aware Binghamton tries to diversify its campus but it is not completely successful, since most of the students and faculty are mostly white. Nonetheless, I feel that I am becoming immersed in other cultures and learning about different backgrounds. I am actually beginning to realize that I have better chemistry with some black people then I do with some white people.

I definitely believe that stereotypes and prejudgments are a negative thing, but at the same time I think having those thoughts shows that one is thinking about the other cultures and ethnicities. I know writing this blog I felt embarrassed to say that I had not really been exposed to other cultures before (and for that matter wasn't really exposed to the opposite gender either). Taking this course has encouraged me to think about unconscious thoughts I might have and talk about them openly in class in order to change the misguided or nonexistent thoughts into accurate ones.

In last's week's reading, there was a section titled "Exploring Race Relations" from the book Rethinking Multicultural Education by Wayne Au. The section focused on the importance of teaching about other cultures and diversity because one thing is certain in our society: racism exists and it affects all our lives. Whether someone goes to a school that is all black, all white, all boys, all girls, or mixed - it is imperative to experience multiculturalism. The ability to understand other cultures and accept the differences as not being a bad thing but being a good thing, can only help one to grow to be better person. Integrating classrooms is a good idea, however I don't think it is feasible nor do I think it wealthier Americans are going to send their children into poorer neighborhoods. Since I don't believe that those outside a community can rescue the disadvantage within a community...I think it is the responsibility of the parents, teachers, and that community. Whether our schools are integrated or segregated, the schooling of multiculturalism is imperative.

I have posted a video that focuses on segregation in U.S. public schools. The video talks about how even 50 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education case, schools today are still segregated. The video also discusses the difference between the segregation in the race range and the segregation in the class range. I found this very interesting and saw a correlation to the point made in Monday's class about trying to redistribute the funding for public schools.

Since our communities are divided between economic class, some schools will have better resources than others...this is why it comes back to the point about the responsibility being on the teachers, the parents and the community. Similarly to the point I made earlier, we can only blame the government so much before we begin to take personal responsibility for the success of our youth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxiqGLZ9BWE

The second video is short and it is just something I found interesting which I thought you all might enjoy. It focuses on stereotypes and how many people form judgments from just looking at someone. I hope that after watching this video we can stop judging people based on their race or ethnicity but as an individual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOZd11Mcej4

Multicultural Education Mar. 1-Mar 7: Facing Difference

Fifty years ago the primary thought of school was that all children respond to the same method of instruction, which was essentially lecture, the use of a text book and a test. But as time has progressed, educational philosophers, educational psychologists and educational theorists have realized that all people learn differently. There are three primary learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Classrooms today have approximately 30 students and each student learns differently. I believe it is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that he or she is meeting the learning needs of their students. One way to ensure that as a teacher you are meeting the needs of your students is by beginning the year with a 'Learning Style Test'. Every teacher wants his or her students to be successful and when relying on one method of instruction (whether it be lecture or discussion) one will not be catering to their diverse needs. It is best to expand what is done in the classroom: mix it up a little and incorporate lecture, discussion, experiments, role playing, debates, group work, and videos. These approaches cater to the many different learning styles that are in the classroom.

In the book Making Choices for Multicultural Education by Christine E. Sleeter and Carl A. Grant and according to Reverend Jeremiah Wright, learning styles are culturally dependent. This means a black child learns differently than a white child. Studies have proven that black children use the right side of their brain more, which is the creative side. While white children, use the left side of the brain more, which is more the logical and cognitive style of understanding information. Reading this in the text and hearing Rev. Wright talk about it in the video really made me think long and hard. Does one's cultural background actually have an impact in the way one learns? I know black children who use their left side of the brain and I know a lot of white children who use their right side of the brain. To say that this is a hard core fact I think is untrue, no matter what psychologists may believe. I think someone's learning style is based upon a number of factors (including environment and chemical make up) but I don't think that one's ethnic background has as much as an effect as Rev. Wright contends.

Something else that was mentioned in another book, Rethinking Multicultural Education by Wayne Au and talked about in class today, was the method in which a teacher can teach multiculturalism and the differences which are represented in the classroom. One activity I thought that would be very successful in teaching multiculturalism (and individualism) is the "Me Pockets". "Me Pockets" is ac activity where each child takes home a letter-size, clear, plastic sleeve, and fills it with photos, pictures, drawing, and anything else they can find that represents them and what is important in their lives. By doing this type of process and then sharing it with the class, is helpful in allowing students to learn about their classmates and to recognize that just because someone has a different colored skin doesn't mean there aren't similarities. In fact a white child may even have more in common with another black child then they do with a white child.

From this past week's reading and from our discussion in class this week, I am becoming more aware that race is merely a social construct to form economic classes. In this article that I have posted, it discusses diversity in public schools vs. diversity in private schools. After reading the it I am more conscious of the idea that multicultural education is not just about immersing oneself in another ethnic culture but also in another economic culture. In addition to be divided by skin color, neighborhoods also reflect the size of one's house, the type of car someone owns, and the style of clothing one wears. To me this is another form of avoiding the opportunity for constructive interaction. I am seeking an appreciation for the depth of an individual that transcends their socioeconomic status. I think it is the responsibility of the parents, the community and the teachers to proactively ensure that they guide our youth to the wonderful benefits that a multi layered cultural experience allows.

http://ethnoblog.newamericamedia.org/2009/08/public-vs-private-what-diversity-in-high-school-really-teaches-us.php

Multicultural Education Feb 22-28: Multicultural Schooling vs. Education

Multiculturalism...what does this mean? I believe it is the acceptance, understanding and promotion of multiple cultures. Why is it so important to incorporate multiculturalism in schools? Well for the obvious reason, our society is so diverse with people from all different ethnic backgrounds and schools are merely preparing students for that. I see the importance of implementing multiculturalism in schools today, however the question is how to accomplish this? How might a teacher teach multiculturalism to his or her students, especially when there are so many different cultures to represent?

A teacher needs to be able to creatively insert multiculturalism into the curriculum. For example, suppose the class was to analyze a poem. Each student could read the poem and interpret it in how it relates to their own life. As Sleeter and Grant note in chapter 5 of their book, Making Choices for Multicultural Education, it is imperative that a teacher puts the lesson into contexts and make it relative to students' lives, experiences, and ethnic backgrounds. Subsequently continuing the theme of learning about other cultures and sub cultures each student can present their own interpretation of the poem and how it connects to them.

In class today, we spoke a little about creativity and the importance of a teacher being creative in their classroom style and allowing the students to develop their own creative style. As displayed in the youtube video of Ken Robinson and according to John Holt, it is important for teachers to encourage students to... strive for success, develop their own gifts and talents, and not be intimidated by potential failure. In many schools, students are not only steered away from individual expression but they are trained from such an early age that if they do display creativity and if it goes against what the teacher is teaching they will not be successful. We are teaching our students to avoid risks when doing assignments.

Now I ask, why does failure need be such a negative thing? Some of the most successful people in this world have had many failures. A famous quote from Donald Trump, is "I learned that to be successful you must never give up. Every failure is a step on the way to success". This quote shows that it is through the failures in life that we learn and grow and reach ultimate success (however success is personally defined). When a child fails at something instead of punishing him or her, a teacher should take that student aside and see why they did poorly, what was it that they did not understand and how can they do better next time. And on another note, maybe it wasn't even that they didn't understand the topic but perhaps the method in which it was assessed was unsuitable. Prof. KM Smith recalled that she had a student who she allowed to do an art project rather then the final writing assignment critiquing a lesson. The student knew the information and understood it but was unable to articulate it through his writing. I found that very interesting and very comforting to know that there are teachers out there who cater to their student's individual expressive abilities.

I have posted a video link below. I have chosen this video because it highlights a point spoken about in class today. One aspect of multiculturalism is the importance of involvement from the parents, the community and the school. I found it so interesting that principal Perry said that people need to stop blaming the government and start taking responsibility. He explains that communities, parents, schools, and religious leaders need to take responsibility for why kids from low income communities are failing. And as it was mentioned in the Hillard article, students from the "non-white cultures" such as African American or Latino American are more likely to fail academically. This is why I believe it needs to stem from the involvement of the family, community and school to help students be successful and reach their potential. Please enjoy this short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Ozi-eQLH4&feature=related

Multicultural Education Feb 8-Feb 14: The Historical Context

What does it mean to be a teacher? According to the book Making Choices in Multicultural Education by Christine E. Sleeter and Carl A. Grant, there are two primary models to define teaching. The first model puts a strong emphasis on what the teacher does; its main focus is a teacher-centered learning approach. This approach is when the teacher is telling the students what to do and how to do it.

The second model engages students and assist them to make sense of the academic concepts they are learning; this approach is geared more toward the student. Historically, our education system has followed the teacher-centered approach. I believe that this approach is becoming less common. However, due to the pressure that many teachers are under, the student-centered approach has not taken off in the way it should have. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, which puts pressure on teachers and making them accountable for how their students test. The focus rests with the test results thus taking away time for creativity and true learning in the classroom.

Since I aspire to be a teacher, I take this issue to heart. Although I think it is important for a teacher to be held accountable, I wonder if there might be a better way to achieve this. I agree with Prof. KM Smith’s method of how she assesses her students, which is through the progression of a personal portfolio. I think a portfolio potentially measures an individual’s progress rather than comparing a child with other students their age from around the country. All children are different and come from different background and cultures. I therefore, believe it's important to measure a child by their individual progress rather than comparing them to other students.

In addition to my concerns with the method by which students are tested today, I am also concerned as how racially, culturally and socioeconomically biased the tests are. I believe this can somewhat be shown by the statistics shared in the book Making Choices for Multicultural Eduction. The statistics illustrated that in 2006, only 10% of white children lived in poor families, 33% of black children lived in poor families and 27% of Latino children lived in poor families. These statistics seem to be related to the average earnings of these different races and their subsequent graduation rates. It was shown that poverty is negatively correlated to test scores, which then affects the chances of higher education, employment and income. In 2002, whites with a high school degree earned 28,145 dollars a year, while Blacks only earned 22,823 dollars and Latinos earned only 24,163 dollars. This shows there to be a direct correlation between education and employment. These statistics cause me to wonder what exactly is wrong with our schools today, especially in the low income and culturally diverse areas. What I think is the biggest issue, an issue that was talked about in my class today, is the level of expectations teachers have for their students. I think that many teachers who work in these lower income schools tend to think their students aren't really capable of that much. Teachers need to increase their expectations of their students and show that they believe they can do well and succeed in school and in life.

This whole concept of a student–centered learning approach and increasing the level of expectations, especially in neighborhoods that are poverty stricken, is shown in the movie, "Dangerous Minds", starring Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie is about a retired Marine officer who is hired to teach angry teenagers, all from lower class and underprivileged backgrounds. Most of them are involved with gangs and drugs, and refuse to engage in anything academically or school related. Desperate to connect to her students, LouAnne (Pfeiffer’s character) begins to use themes and the language that the students can relate to (which was something Matthew pointed out and I agree). She also took a very interesting approach, in the way she tried to motivate them. She began the year with giving them all an A and the only way to maintain that A is if they can understand the symbolism from the lessons she teaches and then are able to relate it to their own lives. LouAnne shows how she believes in them and expects that they will all do the work needed to keep their A. I have posted a link to a short scene from the movie. I had a tough time choosing what part to show because I think the whole movie is an excellent example on how a big part of a student’s success is dependent on a teacher and the expectations he or she has of them. This video shows that when students have someone who believes in them, they will make the right choices. Please enjoy this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9yGsweX6eA

In addition to this fascinating clip from "Dangerous Minds", I also think many of you will find this article (link below) very interesting. The article centers around Capital Prep, which is a school in Hartford, Connecticut started by principal Steve Perry. Perry is a tough principal with extremely high expectations of his students. The school is more than 80% Black and Latino students. I found this article extremely telling because it shows how with the right teachers and proper encouragement and motivation, anything can be accomplished. Many would say that principal Perry is defying the odds, but I disagree. I think he is just proving that no matter what someone's race, gender, religion or ethnic background - all people are capable of being successful when given the proper tools and motivation. I think this all relates back to the importance of the way teachers teach and of standardized testing. These tests are putting students into a 'box' and defining what their capabilities are. Someone's potential cannot be determined by a single test. It is through motivation and assessing the student in an individualized way, that he or she will truly become successful.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/07/22/bia.education.success/index.html