1.) "Despite my own attempts at establishing a strong relationship with the students I nevertheless remained at some level one of "them"- "the other".
In this quote Mclaren is talking about being white and middle class while working in a school that is predominantly minority. I just now came from my placement and so the feeling is fresh on my mind. I feel funny being white- they deserve a Latino or Black role model. Something other than me- I'm more of the same and more of what the students are not. I don't want them to think only white people are teachers, nurses, or cops. Every authority member I see is white. Okay, not everyone- but the vast majority. These poor students. they need their role models. Though 75% of the time I feel them wanting my attention, to affirm who they are, and respecting me, the other 25% is filled with a feeling of indifference. I feel like I have to try that much harder to let them know that I want to understand them and that I care about each student.
2.) " A moderate level of depression, an absence of political awareness, the presence of self blame, low assertiveness, and high conformity may tragically have constituted evidence of the good urban student."
I've taken care of kids. This one boy was always nervous to join in anything. He watches his big brother's soccer practice from the side lines. He'll sit on my lap at the playground and ask me before he does things if it is okay. He is a very easy child to take care of but that doesn't mean that these characteristics will fare him well in life. Here is a difficult conundrum. We want engaged, intelligent, autonomous students who sit quietly and follow the rules. I'm pretty sure that child doesn't exist. If we, as teachers, must choose between the student that is a hard control firecracker or meek lamb many would maybe want the lamb. But the firecracker is the one with gusto. The firecracker is the one who will affect change and who will be control of their destiny. The smarter a student is the harder it is to control them. Look at Einstein and John Stewart. Great minds are seldom easy to contain.
3.)"murder being the second leading cause of death in young women"
What! What!!! Oh my goodness- I had no idea. I'm almost made speechless by this statistic- what a tragedy! I don't know how accurate this information is but the idea that this is the way women may often find themselves the victims in violence really shows how dangerous deeply embedded oppression can be. It is even more upsetting when you tend to think about people who are involved in daily violence are more likely to get killed due to homicide. But women are not engaged in these gang, drug, or other high risk activities as men.So these women getting killed are dieing from domestic domination. What's even sadder is a person with more economic options can get out of an abusive relationship much easier than someone who is limited financially. Many of the victims may have been able to leave had they had the monetary resources to do so.
I think this was one of the more thought provoking articles we have read. Talk about education reform. We are essentially pushing a system of learning that is not applicable, desirable, or obtainable on many of these students. We have vocational technical school but do not encompass the students larger and broader needs. What is it that the students might need to know that they do not know. What type of jobs will they get and what skills and knowledge will lend themselves to that? Will they be graphic designers, business managers, cooks, small business owners, builders, etc.? Why Shakespeare when it just isn't applicable? I found it fascinating that sometimes- students are just better off without school- or at least the form of school we currently offer and endorse. Why go along with an oppressive system that wastes you time? It is okay to say these things because education shouldn't be wasting a students time. If it is then that education is failing. Pushing a student through high school when he/she doesn't know the language is a waste of a resource. Whereas, seeing their first language as a resource in this changing economy and working hard to develop their English gives them a reason to come to school. It graduates them with a useful skill too. Computer programing, IT, coaching, etc. are all useful skills. Lower performing schools often are unable to motivate their students because their students cannot benefit from the curriculum. Serve the population you serve and the world will be a better place!!
Great post, Kelly,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of thought provoking points.
I found your point about the teachers in predominantly non-white urban schools being predominantly white particularly interesting.
I think it would be very beneficial to the kids if they had more teachers throughout their school careers that looked like them and had some shared experiences and backgrounds.
One of the first unspoken lessons that these students learn is that teachers are white. I can't remember seeing any non-white teachers at the DelSesto Middle school were I'm doing my service learning project.