Educators who embrace a social justice perspective are attentive to inequalities associated with race, social class, gender, language, and other social categories. They consciously look for alternatives to established educational practices that support the learning, development, and academic achievement of children whose backgrounds place them outside of the dominant culture. They employ multicultural, anti-racist, anti-bias educational practices that foster deep engagement in learning and high academic achievement among all of the nation’s children.
Inequalities
associated with race, social class, gender, language, and other social
categories are present in American society. It is important that educators do
everything they can to promote equity among their students, because every
student needs to benefit from their educational experience. In order for
teachers to address the present issue of inequality, they must look for other
options for children whose backgrounds place them outside of the dominant
culture. Once educators identify these alternatives, it is imperative that they
implement them within their classrooms. In the implementation of these
multicultural, anti-racist, and anti-bias practices, students should be fully
engaged in their learning. When students are interested in their learning, are
engaged in their work, and feel as if they are equal to their peers, they will
experience academic achievement.
This
standard is especially important to me as an educator, because every child
deserves the opportunity to excel in school despite what their cultural
background is, what they identify as, or what their disability or social
category is. Throughout history, there have been many inequalities present in
American society. Some have been addressed, although most inequalities are
still an issue. I believe that most inequalities such as race, gender, and
disabilities are being talked about, but there is still an abundant amount of
work to do in order to decrease negative beliefs about these subordinate
cultures. The most important fact about people that experience these
inequalities is that they should not feel as if they are of lesser value
compared to mainstream culture. There are strategies that teachers can use to
lessen the amount of inequalities that are present within schools and their
classrooms. Throughout my time at Wheelock, I have enrolled myself in many
courses that involve equality and where it originated from. In these courses, I
was able to learn many ideas that were new to me and apply them to my work as a
student and educator.
Some of the courses that I have taken
at Wheelock College are called Media and Race, Racial and Cultural Identities,
and the Psychology of Race. These courses introduced me to the idea of race as
a socially constructed idea that inhibits many Americans’ lives in drastic
ways. One of the ways that race can hold children back is if racism is present
within the school system and through interactions with the community,
classroom, peers, and educators. It is important that teachers are aware of
racism among other inequalities that may be present within the school and
community surrounding it. One way that I have been attentive to the
inequalities associated with race, social class, gender, language, and other
social categories was by writing an anti-racist praxis paper (Artifact 1A) for
my Psychology of Race course. In this paper, I discussed ideas that were
brought to my attention in class, and while completing readings for the course.
As I stated in my opening paragraph, one thing I learned throughout this course
was that it is acceptable to be confused about the idea of race. The authors of
the books and articles we read helped me shape my opinions on race, and helped
me become comfortable in reaching out in hopes of finding ways in which to
support and advocate for the destruction of oppression.
Being able to advocate for others, especially
for my future students is important for my success as an educator. It is my
responsibility to make sure that all students are given additional support in
the ways they need it. In Artifact 1A, I discuss a quote from one of Gloria Yamato’s
articles. In her article she states, “With the best of intentions, the best of
educations, and the greatest generosity of heart, whites, operating on
misinformation fed to them from day one, will behave in ways that are racist,
will perpetuate racism by being “nice” the way we’re taught to be nice” (Yamato, 1988, p. 4). I remember as I
had read this for the first time, I felt bewildered at the thought of me being
racist just because I wanted to be kind to others that are seen as
disadvantaged. As discussed in Artifact 1A, the rest of the article taught me
that in order to be proactive in “helping” others, I must do it for myself and
my beliefs, and not for the other person. This is important for me to keep in
mind so that I can be attentive to the inequalities that my students will face.
To truly fight oppression, I need to get to know my students, learn what they
need from me and how I can support them, and then we can work as a team to
diminish the reality of inequality.
Another
way to support children that face inequality is to find alternatives to
educational practices that are already established. For example, when planning
lessons teachers must include differentiated instruction. This allows students
with disabilities, language differences, and varying strengths to succeed
during whole class instruction. During my pre-practicum at the Manning school
in Jamaica Plain, I planned a lesson where the students would compare their
lives and responsibilities to the lives of Pilgrim children. This lesson
(Artifact 1B) was a full class activity. To prepare for this activity, I needed
to plan a lesson for thirty children in a full-inclusive classroom. Special
needs within this classroom included social/emotional disabilities, and
academic disabilities. I also had to consider the needs of English Language
Learners. Some of the alternatives or
differentiated instruction that I included in the lesson to support students
that were not members of the dominant culture were: predetermined group parings
of children, varying adult support, and visual and auditory aids. By finding
alternatives to established educational practices, educators are able to
support the academic development of students.
In
addition to finding alternatives to educational practices, educators must
utilize multicultural, anti-bias, and anti-racist practices to their work.
During my practicum at the Runkle School in Brookline, Massachusetts, I
overheard a conversation between a small group of my male fourth graders.
During this encounter, the four friends were making jokes about one another and
instead of intervening, I decided to sit back and observe. Next thing I knew,
the boys had begun to make racial remarks about the shape of one of the boy’s
eyes. This young Chinese boy did not say anything back to his peers and it was
evident that this was no longer a harmless interaction between friends. At this
moment, I jumped right into the conversation and decided to intervene. To the
boys I exclaimed, “Why would you make fun of the shape of someone’s eyes?” At
that moment I was so infuriated with the boys for what they had said to their
friend, that I did not even completely hear what they had said in response. As
they were explaining themselves, I was unsure of what to do next to teach the
students that what they said was wrong on many different levels.
Looking back at this
situation, I would have handled it a different way. While studying children’s
play in one of my courses, I learned that children often play and say things in
order to learn about ideas they are curious about or were introduced to. According
to Beverly Daniel Tatum, “The impact of racism begins early. Even in our
preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from
ourselves. Many of us grew up in neighborhoods where we had limited
opportunities to interact with people different from our own families” (Tatum,
1999, p.3). In the case of my fourth graders, I believe that they are able to
see physical differences that people hold and look to understand them more. One
way that I could have used this instance to employ a multi-cultural,
anti-racist, and anti-bias classroom would be to have a class meeting. To start
this meeting, I would have told the students about a time in which I had felt
like someone had treated me poorly based on my social class, gender, or race. I
would hope that this story would help students understand the feelings that go
behind making fun of others based on inequalities that are present in American
society. The class meeting is more of a short-term strategy although these
conversations could continue throughout the year. A more long-term educational
strategy that would promote equality in my classroom and society overall would
be to carry out a study of different cultures as a whole year assignment. I
think this would benefit me as an educator, and also my students to help them
start their thoughts of eliminating bullying and living in a multicultural,
anti-racist, and anti-bias world.
As I continue learning
about inequalities that are present in society, it will be my responsibility to
myself to find out what my beliefs are about each inequality, and what I can do
to be attentive to my students’ needs. I look forward to researching and
attending workshops that will teach me about new educational practices that I
can include in my curriculum to support all my students, but students that face
discrimination in particular. I am interested in developing curriculum that
promotes anti-bias thinking and helping my students develop their thoughts
about inequalities and how to advocate for what they believe in.
References
Tatum, B. D.
(1999). Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?
New York, NY: Basic Books.
Yamato, G. (1988). Something about the
subject makes it hard to name. In J. W. Cochran, D. Langston, & C. Woodward
(Eds.), Changing out power: An
introduction to women’s studies, (pp. 3-6). Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt.
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