1) In Carter’s reading, Equity and Empathy: Toward Racial & Educational Achievement in the Obama Era, it asks, “How does one come to love and respect his fellow students if fear and apprehension about his neighbor’s social and cultural groups are firmly embedded in the psyche?” (292) With this mind, go back to Kunjufu’s reading about schools hosting multicultural day. Is it enough? If not, how can educators or administrators in schools “make” students not merely care, but WANT to care and WANT to appreciate the culture of others?
2) In chapter 2 of Kunjufu’s reading, it says, “White teachers have tendency to make the only African American student the expert on all African American affairs” (29-30). Also, Kunjufu states that silence is the affirmation of accomplices’ beliefs. Have you had the experience of being that one minority in the classroom? Or have you been the part of the majority that kept silent? If you were to be put back into that situation, would anything change after having read this article? And how would your race factor into your reaction?
3) Consider the following statements from Hughes’ article.
- “The NBA exemplifies a broader phenomenon in which explicit talk of Blackness as the object of White control can be made to disappear into the language of management” (177)
- “It is along these lines that management continues the history of comforting the unmarked majority through the policing of “others,” while failing to reflect on- let alone challenge- the larger social and historical causes of racism from which dominant White interests continue to benefit tacitly.” (178)
4) Why do you think there is no talk for lack of diversity in organizations like NHL where, according to the stats, there are only about 20 Black players total in the organization? Why is confronting “Blackness” or “minority” more prominent than confronting “Whiteness” in this multicultural melting pot we call America?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJenn O'Brien Group 3
ReplyDelete1. Carter’s reading Equity and Empathy: Toward Racial & Educational Achievement in the Obama Era discusses how today, a college diploma is what a high school diploma was years ago. He also discusses the idea of an “opportunity gap” and its affects on black and brown children. As future educators, is there anything we can do in our own classrooms to try to help bride the opportunity gap? What are the steps we can take as educators, if any; to allow African and Latino students to be prepare them for high educational opportunities? Carter discusses that the drop out rate for Latinos is double the national average. Are there certain strategies we can use in our own classrooms to try to help lower the drop out rate? If it is just a matter of funds being distributed equally to education systems, then ho long will it take for the government to do so, if ever?
2. Carter talks about W.E.B. DuBois and his idea of unsympathetic teachers, hostile opinions, and “no teaching concerning black folk.” DuBois says that in order to successfully educate “black folk” there needs to combination of myriad factors. Combining DuBois ideas and Kunjufu’s chapters about white middle class teachers and black students, what can we do as future people in education about trying to teach and keeping in mind the different races and cultures that are represented in our classroom? In each of our classrooms can make a difference by incorporating different cultures or does it have to come from an administration personal to make a difference?
3. In Hughes’ article Equity and Empathy: Toward Racial & Educational Achievement in the Obama Era, Hughes says “the NBA presents and thinks of itself as a kind of solution to racial discord and to the problem of Black disenfranchisement in particular. It does so while presuming as transcendent the values of winning and profit maximization, and it thereby fails in recognizing both that is it the producer of race and that its (White) anxiety is symptomatic of the problem.” What do you think about this statement.
Group Two Discussion Questions (Maggie Maguire):
ReplyDelete1. In Kunfuju’s readings, they examine the difficult balance of bringing multi-culturalism into the classroom as a supplemental benefit, not detriment to classroom learning for all students. The reading from Chapter 2 outlines several different ways that teachers try to deal with multiculturalism in the classroom- to varying degrees of success. In what ways have you seen these different strategies in your own school experiences, whether as a student or student teacher?
2. What was your impression of Kunfuju’s metaphor connecting left and right brain thinkers to left and right handed people (Chapter 5)? Do you think it applies? In what ways do you think a classroom teacher can reach out to “common sense” and “dynamic” learners, instead of playing mostly to their “Analytic” learners? How have you experienced this kind of differentiated learning?
3. Carter states “At the same time, I brace myself for the disappointment that will come when many Americans, even well-intentioned ones, promote the idea that we have become a color-blind and racially healed society.” She is speaking of the promise and hope of Obama’s 2008 election as a symbol of post-racial America. In what ways has her statement been proven true in the four years since she made it? How did this come in to play in this year’s elections? Have you seen any signs that prove her wrong, demonstrating the growth America has made? In what ways have racial identies in America changed since you were in school?
Group 6 Discussion Questions
ReplyDelete1. In Chapter 2 Kunjufu states, “The reality is they are concerned about teaching a subject they are in denial about”. He is referring to educators asking when is a good time to teach certain ‘touchy’ subjects in history. I would like you to think about yourself as an educator or as a future educator. Are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to teach? What are they? What about that subject worries you? Can you think of an example in your schooling where there was a noticeable awkwardness around a particular subject? What was it?
2. In Chapter 6 of the Kunjufu reading he discusses many different teaching strategies for right-brain thinkers versus left-brain thinkers. How does this relate to the multicultural classroom? How can we be as adaptive when thinking about the proper way to teach the student’s in our classroom that lack prior knowledge, a stable family, a safe environment, home-support, etc Think of your own teaching style, what types of immediate changes could you make in your classroom to make it a more conducive learning environment for all students?
3. We are the future teachers of America; therefore, we will play a role in the school integration movement. How can we change our attitudes and behaviors in the school institution of help equalize educational opportunities across races? How can we do this at a district level? What can be done at a national level to close the gap?
1) In Equity and Empathy: Toward Racial and Educational Achievement in the Obama Era, Carter confronts the complexity behind schools with different degrees of racial mixing. Carter references a study where minority students were more “culturally flexible” and willing to cross cultural boundaries when they were in a majority-minority school. I imagine one could flip this statistic and say the same about white students attending a majority-minority school, being more open to friends of different backgrounds. What sort of elements do you think play into this dynamic? Carter claims that “if teachers and principals are not proactive about mitigating racial exclusion in social networks, curriculum, pedagogy, course participation, and extracurricular activities, then the racial baggage of distrust and prejudice that exists outside of the school’s walls…will be brought into the school” (p. 292). What can teachers specifically do in the classroom to influence a school-community feel that will break down the segregated social circles?
ReplyDelete2) In Kunjufu’s chapter on “White Female Teachers” surfaced concrete reasons why teachers today are unprepared for the classroom they operate in. I have yet to have solid classroom experience and have previously deliberated the idea of a successful “multicultural classroom,” and the measures teachers must take in order to present curriculum in a way that corresponds to the students’ backgrounds. What lesson plans/activities/bulletin boards have you encountered in the classroom as a teacher or student that you felt captured the multicultural phenomenon that Kunjufu expands on here? Or, on the flip side, have you witnessed any lesson plan that you felt went along with the “fundamentalist” structure of learning that he criticizes? How can teachers in a community break the mold of the common fundamentalist teaching style?
3) Kunjufu highlights the need for positive peer pressure to counteract the prevalent negative peer pressure. Do you think the Nguzo Saba Assembly, where students are rewarded for improvement, would be a successful mechanism for positive peer pressure? What other school wide incentives can teachers implement that might encourage more positive peer pressure?
Group 1
ReplyDeleteCarter points out that many African American and Latino youth are victims of the prison-industrial complex. How does this “school-to-prison pipeline” connect with the expectations of White middle class teachers, as conveyed by Kunjufu? What are your own expectations in your classroom? Do these expectations change along with the demographics of your students?
Kunjufu writes, “No significant learning takes place without significant relationship” (103). He also notes “African American students divide teachers into two categories: Those who fear them and those who don’t (104). How can we ensure we provide positive individual attention to African American students while retaining our firm authority in these teaching environments? How can we accomplish particularly in schools with high student to teacher ratios where subjects are departmentalized?
Glen Hughes speaks extensively about White anxiety and the need to “manage player behavior” (164). The CEO David Stern wanted to eradicate from the NBA the image of “high-salaried, drug-sniffing Black guys” (164). By disassociating the NBA from drugs and violence and making the sport “safe,” marketers have deemphasized the Blackness of league. Where else have you seen this attempt for colorblindness? How was it been reflected in schools? Is colorblindness troublesome to you? Why or why not?
Group 5
ReplyDeleteIn Kunjufu’s “ Black Students-Middle-Class Teachers” he discusses how the success of students comes down to a teacher’s expectations rather than race and what teachers need to do to help their African American students, especially the males. In the chart on page 23 of chapter two, it is evident that the ideal educator should be a “transformationist” but how exactly can one go about satisfying the criteria? For example, how can you make sure your level of self-awareness is being enhanced and that your perspective is changing? What are ways to embody the “transformationist” identity rather than the “integrationist” identity when teaching about other cultures and differences? Are there certain areas in which you can identify better with a “fundamentalist” or an “integrationist”? How might you go about changing that and in what area might it be most difficult for you?
In the Kunjufu reading, it says “if you listen and observe children, they will teach you how to teach them.” However, you need to gain their respect first. Kunjufu discusses the idea of a “showdown” between student and teacher, and if a teacher shows fear the student loses all respect. He also discusses how African American students need an authoritative role to respect and bond with in order to be successful and in the “showdown,” male students actually want the teacher to win. Have you witnessed this “showdown” in your experiences as a teacher and how did you handle it? Why did you select your specific demographic to teach and have you ever been intimidated by your students? Do you think it is possible to regain a student’s respect once it’s been doubted and a teacher has shown fear? How might a first year teacher handle the pressure/how did you handle the “showdown” in your first couple of years?
In Carter’s article on “Equity and Empathy” he talks about Obama as a role model for African American males by giving them the goal that they too may grow up to be President. Similarly, Kunjufu discusses the importance of teachers bringing in African American males who have had success in areas such as engineering and business to serve as role models for young African American students. Do you think young African American students are provided with enough positive examples of success stories outside of the realm of professional sports and music? Is Obama a realistic role model for African American males or is it more effective to have students experience a successful working adult first-hand? With mixed schools, African Americans still need to feel as if they are being incorporated into the curriculum without the racial pressure to answer for their entire race as mentioned in the Kunjufu reading. What is the teacher’s role compared to the school’s role and society’s role in making this racial integration possible? Since Obama has been elected, how have we begun to “dismiss race” in education?
Finger snaps, Shannon! We will definitely be discussing the all-important showdown
Delete