Group 6 Discussion Questions

Picower:  The Unexamined Whiteness of Teaching

Picower states in her article, "middle class prospective white teachers have no understanding of their own culture.  Notions of whiteness are taken for granted" (199).  In my own experience being a white male, I find that I hardly ever, if at all, think about what culture I am from, what color I am or what my being white means to others.  When you are teaching or are anywhere for that matter, do you actively and consciously think about your race?  If so, how does it affect your life and the lives of those people you may influence every day?  If not, do you think it is an important thing for you to start to be aware of?

There is a section in Picower's reading called "I never owned a slave" describing a course that introduced tools that white people may use to defend their thoughts and feelings about being white.  One student, Dawn, described being angry about being labeled as privileged for being white because she herself had never done anything discriminatory, like owning a slave, toward a person of color.  What do you think about people who feel "innocent"?  Do you think they are being ignorant or do you think that they should not "be made to feel guilty."


McDonough:  Pathways to Critical Consciousness

In Pathways to consciousness, McDonough quotes Brown:  "The civil rights movement diminished overt racism and many Whites mistakenly believe that all racism has thus vanished.  Instead it has taken on new forms and exists covertly in the discourses of colorblindness..."  Do you agree that racism is something that has not simply gone away but has just perhaps changed forms?  In your own life, what types of racism have you experienced?  How does this racism hurt certain groups?  Do you have racist thoughts that you keep to yourself?



Remember the Titans and other teacher savior films:

Denzel Washington's character in Remember the Titans goes through a series of racial problems directed toward himself and his family upon first arriving to coach the Titan football team.  By the end of the movie the town loves him because of his success as the coach.  Do you think that minorities in power positions are accepted only if they have achieved something society deems as worthy of praise?  Do you think that this succes story narrative hurts or helps minority groups?  Do whites have to prove themselves in the same way?

-Tim Broderick