On one level, the issues examined in the article and the book affect me less than they may affect other teachers. I teach at a private school with policies that excludes the majority of students that might attend a public school. Many of the students share the same faith identities, making my teaching context a homogeneous one in which students' insular experience can sometimes become problematic to their education. Although my school does have ethnic diversity, many of the other identities claimed by today's population are conspicuously absent from my classroom. Fortunately, many families step up and support their students' growth by ensuring that they participate in activities and events that expose them to a broader experience of cultures and beliefs around them. Many, if not most, of my students are transfer students from public schools, so they have had the opportunity to meet and interact with people who see the world differently from themselves. Certainly, few of my students have come from a situation like the one described in Drown. I have met a few parents of my students, however, that are probably familiar with the lifestyle described by Diaz.
On another level, the reality of my teaching context makes it perhaps more important for me and the other teachers at our school to ensure that our students have a wide range of exposure to other ideas. I think our teaching team does a good job of exposing our students to other popularly-held beliefs and ideas. One project required in an 8th grade class at school requires students to articulate their own opinion on a controversial topic (e.g. abortion, etc.) and then interview an adult who disagrees with them. I'm thankful that our teachers are willing to push our students out of their comfort zones to learn more about others. It's also very important that my students learn how to respectfully agree or disagree with others. Ezell and Daly (2022) explain that "Multicultural literature has the capacity to foreground stories and experiences of individuals and communities who have been silenced and have experienced injustice." When we understand the background stories of those around us, whether we agree on things like politics or religion, we have a better grasp on their rationale for their beliefs. My goal for my students is that they become more and more gracious toward all people around them while simultaneously becoming more and more grounded in their own beliefs.
Díaz, J. (1997). Drown. Penguin
Ezell, S., & Daly, A. (2022). Texas Association for Literacy Education Yearbook (Vol. 9).
Your comment at the end of your post about helping students "ground their own beliefs" makes me think. While at such a young imprintable age, hearing from others gives them perspective about others thoughts while either helping them ask questions of their own or affirm the beliefs they already had. Teaching at a private school like you mention would be a very interesting experience as it probably holds challenges of its own. I really like the assignment your school gives to 8th graders to practice interacting with someone who disagrees with them, and not just anyone but an adult. Respectfully disagreeing with someone who hold more "power" or authority than you makes the skill even more challenging. I am sure it is a great step of growth for your 8th grade students.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a great assignment for the 8th graders! They're often very nervous about it, but that's part of the point, after all. I was never required to do anything like that when I was there age, and I'm sure it's a very empowering feeling to complete the task and realize that it's possible to disagree with someone and still be ok afterwards.
DeleteI'm posting for Kaetlyn, who is having some technical difficulties!
ReplyDeleteBen, I like that you brought up how you teach at a private school that is less diverse than public schools, and how this makes it even more important to introduce students to other cultures. I think reading and teaching multicultural literature would be a great way to do this. I also really like the 8th grade project where students take up a position on a controversial topic and then interview an adult that disagrees with them. That would be intimidating, but is such a great lesson for students! I think it also teaches that you won’t always get what you want, won’t always be right, and even if you disagree with people’s opinions, you can still get along with them and act professionally. Great post!
Thank you! Yes, I agree that this 8th grade assignment is very healthy for our students. I think it also helps their social development as they are pushed out into the real world to face real people with different perspectives.
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