"My Children are black. They don't look like your children. They know that they are black, and we want it recognized. It's a positive difference, an interesting difference, and a comfortable natural difference. At least it could be so, if you teachers learned to value difference more. What you value, you talk about.'" p.12 The things that Mrs. Hawkins says to Mrs. Paley are things that really stuck out to me. I think that if Mrs. Paley had thought more about what Mrs. Hawkins said to her in the beginning of the book she would have made a few of her discoveries about teaching African American students earlier. I feel that this statement made a huge impact on the way that I think about teaching. I never thought about the positives of the differences before. I grew up in a mainly white area. We had a few black students in our school, but most of them where bused in from the city and didn't live in the area. I always wondered why they wouldn't just stay and go to schools that were closer to where they live. Mrs. Hawkins brings up a good point that integrating brings in positive, interesting and natural differences. I think that if I had gone to a school with only white children I wouldn't have been shown these differences in such a good light. "Arlene was black. I was glad that she was in this class, because Steven was there. In other words, if the most difficult child in the class was black, then I wanted the most outstanding child to be black too." p. 25 This passage bothered me. It is probably the part that bugged me the most about this book. There are many African Americans who are better behaved, smarter, more artistic, more athletic, etc. then white children. There are also many African Americans who are less educated and more poorly behaved than white children, but the same for both of these things go with white children. It bothers me that she knows that if the worst child in the class was white she wouldn't care if the best child in the class was white. I think that throughout the book she often generalizes with African Americans and doesn't even realize it. She claims that she is getting better, but I don't think that she really is. She keeps trying to have the African American children become the same as the white children.
E. D. Hirsch and Lisa Delpit are both theorist on teaching diverse students. Both of these theorist believe that when teaching diverse students, teachers need to see their students for who they are. Seeing your students for who they are, means you look past the color of your students’ skin and recognize their culture. According to Stubbs, when teachers look at their students equally, no matter the color of their skin, then the teacher is considered colorblind (2002). Being colorblind is not a great thing because we should not treat all of our students the same, since each student is different. It is important to see our students for who they are because our classes are unique. Instead, our classes represent a rainbow underclass. According to Li, the rainbow underclass is the representation of families who are culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged (2008). In order to meet these student’s needs, teachers need to think about the struggles that each student face.
Miss Moore climbed up against the odds in a time where it was almost unheard of for a black woman to go to college. She was a role model for the children who encourages them to get more out of life. This made Miss Moore an exceptional spectacle as most children would likely, “. . . go to the pool or to the show where is cool” (Bambara), however Sylvia and sugar were being forced to meet with Miss More by their parents. From the parent’s point of view, “. . . it was only right that she should take responsibility for the young ones’ education” (Bambara). The parents themselves realize this was very important for their children, but they did not necessarily take their own advice and at times failed to meet some of their own obligations for the children.—Parents who lived in poverty stricken neighborhoods were not always the best role models they could be for their children to discourage
When Anne Moody was a young child she was not entirely aware of the segregation between whites and blacks. However, as time went on she began to see the differences between being black and being white and what that meant. One of the contrasts that Anne first encountered was that whites generally had better
...at it means to be Black. Does that not still divide the lines of humanity based on the color of a person’s skin? I thank statements like, “race-conscious” parents teaching their children to be Black is forming prejudice. I teach my children to be kind to others not what means to be White. In interracial relationships if they have a child what should the child be taught? How to be black or white because I thank it is true, children are taught racial differences by their parents and other adults. Personally, I find most mixed racial children are the perfect skin color we all try to achieve. I am not sure I would recommend Tatum’s book to read to discourage racism even though she raises some valid points.
In Dalton Conley’s memoir “Honky”, written in 2000, Conley talks about his experience of switching schools to a primarily white elementary school. He discusses the major differences between his prior, very diverse school and his new, primarily caucasian school. He focuses on the main topics of race and class, and how they enhanced the differences between these two schools.
In the next few chapters she discusses how they were brought up to fear white people. The children in her family were always told that black people who resembled white people would live better in the world. Through her childhood she would learn that some of the benefits or being light in skin would be given to her.
...aces, however, when they look at the same classroom about sixty years ago they will find it less diversified. Now, people can see African American children play with the children of white people. There are children who are of mixed race, when back then these children would be shunned by both sides. The children are able to play, become friends, and be happy. They are able to have a life where they do not have to worry about getting off the street just because a white person is passing by. They do not have to worry about moving to the back just because a white person has arrived. This would not have been the case sixty years ago. This place where children of all races are able to enjoy each other’s company was the result of many years of effort and blood, not only by one person but by many courageous individuals who wanted to create a better future for their people.
Three papers were published between 1933 and 1940 on children’s perspective on race. Their experiments were among African-American children, ages three to seven, who attended segregated schools in Washington, D.C. versus students who attended integrated schools in New York. In the experiment, each child was presented with two dolls that were exactly the same. The only difference was the skin and hair color. One doll had brown skin with black hair and the other had white skin with blonde hair. The children were asked questions about the dolls and given directions, such
I had a student that was biracial that was having some issues with fitting in according to his White parent. The book Mixed Me by the Rent actor Taye Diggs was purchased and read to the entire classroom. This story resonated with the student during the Read Aloud period so much that his parent told me how much he appreciated the story. My other example that was mentioned in an earlier discussion is the reformulated story of Afrotina and the Three Bears. I purchased this book, several times, for a character education lesson about responsibility and integrity. Afrotina is young Black girl that finally understood the meaning of “Pretty is as pretty does” from her parents. This was a favorite of all the students and it spun off in to a writing activity. “Pretty is as pretty does” became one of our many classroom mantras. More importantly, the little Black girls in this 1st grade classroom could identify with a character, albeit a fictional one, that they could relate to culturally and
But unlike Gregory’s tale, Wilkins’s story lacks figurative language. Though he does use descriptive language, like when he described what his white neighbors thought about him and his African American family moving in: “The prevailing wisdom in the neighborhood was that we were spoiling it and that we ought to go back where we belonged (or, alternatively ought not intrude where we not wanted.)” (Wilkins). The main problem is that there are no metaphors, similes, symbols, alliterations, and so on. But a strong point of this piece is that it is to the point. All the details he put in his story made sense and helped make his point of equality clear. One such example of this is when he describes his teacher Dorothy Bean, “I later came to know that in Grand Rapids, she was viewed as a very liberal person who believed, among other things, that Negroes were equal.” (Wilkins). This detail helps to establish her as a guiding force to help the other students see Wilkins as an equal. Another great strength in this story was its clear organization of the events that took place. It began with an explanation of the setting, how he was treated, how the teacher treated him, and ended with him being accepted by the other students. Everything was chronologically ordered and easy to follow, which also made it a more enjoyable
The same consistent, expressive voice introduces Ms. Angelou's effective strategy of comparison and contrast. By comparing what the black schools don't have, such as 'lawn, nor hedges, nor tennis courts, nor climbing ivy,' reveals not only a clear illustration of what luxuries the white schools in the forties had but also how unjust the system was. The adults at the graduation focus on the differences that were previously left unspoken. The black principal's voice fades as he describes "the friendship of kindly people to those less fortunate then themselves" and the white commencement speaker implies that" the white kids would have a chance to become Galileo's.... and our boys would try to be Jesse Owenes..." The author's emotions vary from the first proclamation that "I was the person of the moment" to the agonizing thoughts that it "was awful to be a Negro and have no control over my life" to the moment of epiphany: "we are on top again."
I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To some people, being black and white is a contradiction in itself. People thought that I had to be one or the other, but not both. I thought that I was fine the way I was. But like myself, Shelby Steele was stuck in between two opposite forces of his double bind. He was black and middle class, both having significant roles in his life. "Race, he insisted, blurred class distinctions among blacks. If you were black, you were just black and that was that" (Steele 211).
In his work, “A Talk to Teachers,” James Baldwin poured out his point of view on how he believed American children should be taught. Throughout the essay, Baldwin focused on a specific race of school children: Negros. Perhaps this was because he himself was an African American, or even for the mere idea that Negros were the most vulnerable for never amounting to anything — according to what the American society thought during the twentieth century, specifically the 1960s when this piece was published. With the focus determined, the reader is able to begin analyzing Baldwin’s main appeal through the essay. At first glance one could argue that the essay has no credibility with Baldwin’s lack of not being a school teacher himself; however, when further evaluated one could state that whether or not he was a school teacher has nothing to do with the fact that he establishes his credibility, he appeals to morals, emotions with authority, and values, which thus outweighs the possible negativities associated with his argument.
She makes a difference in all of her children’s lives. She changes the way they think about color, race, and as individuals. She portrays her argument perfectly in this quote, “Those of us who have been outsiders understand the need to be seen exactly as we are and to be accepted and valued. Our safety lies in schools and societies in which faces with many shapes and colors can feel an equal sense of belonging. Our children must grow up knowing and liking those who look and speak in different ways, or they will live as strangers in a hostile land” (Pg. 132) Paley was way before her time period. She strongly believed in an integrated society and she always felt the need to plant the idea in the child’s head, so they wouldn’t grow up to have racist thoughts like their parents. Although there wasn’t many black children her class, she treated them all the same, and made sure they knew they were beautiful exactly how they are. Paley reasons, “It is often hard to learn from people who are just like you. Too much is taken for granted. Homogeneity is fine in a bottle of milk, buy in the classroom it diminishes the curiosity that ignites discovery” (Pg. 53.) Paley encounters a student named Michelle who when asked what was beautiful, she pointed to the girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Paley assured she is even more beautiful in her brown skin. I believe Paley is such an amazing teacher is because she is a white Jewish woman, who is able to point out differences and still acknowledge the fact of not judging another classmate based on another’s skin
In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself. The daughter must deal with an internal and external conflict. Internally, she struggles to find herself. Externally, she struggles with the burden of failing to meet her mother’s expectations. Being a first-generation Asian American, I have faced the same issues that the daughter has been through in the story.