October 13, 2010
Teachers Squirm When the Topic is Race
I recently assigned graduate students in a class called the Social Context of Instruction a discussion question that went something like this,
African-American students in your class bust on an achieving classmate and say the person is ‘acting white.’ How do you handle both sides of this equation?
Since my students have access to this blog a caveat is in order. I don’t fault any of their responses because it is clear that language is inadequate for tackling these issues. In addition, there isn’t a single African-American teacher in the class. I would have loved some black voices chiming into the conversation. Maybe we’ll get some here.
Without exception the graduate students, all of them currently teaching in secondary schools, skirted the actual question and wrote about (it is an online course, so discussions do not occur in real time-no doubt the subject of a later blog) either what they were comfortable with discussing or some variation.
To also be fair, I don’t have an answer to the question. It isn’t a simple question like it appears prima facie. The nuances and interplay of history, culture, social interaction, and the need to protect one’s standing in the adolescent community all play into the dynamic. The phenomenon is not limited to black culture.
Young Hispanic men fight inwardly with the imperative of traditional machismo and the lure of academic accomplishment. Native American children of both genders must pull away from the cultural expectation of ‘fitting in’ which is defined as not ‘standing out’ if they are to negotiate the expectations of culture. As a young woman several of my family elders reminded me not to bring attention to my accomplishments, lest someone find me arrogant. The same advice dictated that I not always outdo boys at games or I’d never have a date. When I completed my doctorate my grandfather, an aging Native American farmer, worried that my accomplishment would shame my husband who did not share my ambition for a doctorate.
The mix of family expectations and cultural memory won’t allow us to ignore race or gender or economic status. We must address these issues even when they make us uncomfortable.
2 comments:
Cheri
Poignant as always. I find myself asking similar questions to yours, often. In the online realm, it is ridiculously difficult to stoke fervent and interesting discussions amongst the students, and the one quantifiable step I have taken is including more "hot butto" topics. While I don't instruct at the graduate level, I do remember my grad school experiences, and how little critical thinking was involved in the whole ordeal. Students today are not looking for the true educative experience; they want to answer the questions, the way they think you want them answered, and they want a good grade. I'm afraid this shyness around touchy subjects is not a product of modesty; it's a symptom of the undiscerning mind.
great topic
I sometimes wonder if I expect too much from students and I decide that I certainly don't. Intellectual curiousity alone should prompt us to explore our own biases, understandings, ambitions, and deeply held beliefs. I am stunned that many people I encounter appear quite content with worrying about whether or not an assignment will keep them from watching Dancing With the Stars.
Of course I also encounter some simply wonderful people who ponder the larger questions of life.
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