Weblog 7

Education in a Multicultural Society: Our Future’s Greatest Challenge
By: Lisa D. Delpit

This article written by Lisa Delpit is very insightful toward future teachers. She divides her thoughts into five different sections: 1.) The cultural clash between students and school, 2.) Stereotyping, 3.) Child-deficit assumptions that lead to teaching less instead of more, 4.) Ignorance of community norms and the “Messiah Complex,” and 5.) Invincibility. The purpose of these five groups is to provide details of multicultural problem in schools and how to fix them.
I found one quote in particular that stuck in my mind. “A primary source of stereotyping is often the teacher education program itself. It is in these programs that teachers learn that poor students and students of color should be expected to achieve less than their ‘mainstream’ counterparts.” (p. 241) After reading her section on stereotyping I began to see how easy it was to do. This particular section proved to me that the teachers have a large part in how students act and participate in class and it is very easy for teachers to overlook that they are the one creating the problem, not the student. We should be taught throughout our educational career on how to deal with these issues and what to expect.
Another part I thought was very strong about her article was bringing parents and members of the community into the classroom. By getting to know the parents it lets you get to know and understand the students better. Also teachers will know what the parents will be expecting out of their children and give the teacher a guiding way to teach. A teacher should always take what parents have to say very strongly.

Weblog 6

Personal Narrative

After reading chapters three through five in Crossing Over to Canaan by Gloria Ladson-Billings, I began to realize that there are many techniques told that I have either recognized in my past or current experiences or could use in my future. A students achievement can be overlooked in all of the other tasks trying to be accomplished in the classroom. I believe that teachers should be able to communicate with their students to ensure him/her that what they are teaching is being grasped by the students. The teacher should also be able to ask the students what he/she could do differently to help the students understand the material better.

Being aware of the many cultures that I will be facing in classrooms is very important as well. I think that this can help students achieve more in the future as well. Teachers as well as students can learn more about our own cultures and others as well. By doing this it will allow the teacher along with the students to recognize their personal biases. I think that culture is an important aspect that needs to be taught as well as understood in a classroom.

Sociopolitical consciousness is the third and last aspect talked about in the book. I think that it is important for teachers to know about the social and political issues in which they live. I think that a teacher needs to be aware of the world around them first. By doing this a teacher can better educate the students with information reguarding the society they live in.