Gary R. Howard's book, We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools has been very eyeopening for me. The main theme running through this book is the idea of White dominance. This idea was very interesting to me and not something I had heard before. It basically says that Whites have certain privileges and other cultures do not get to take part in that. We get certain rewards just because we are White, while other races get certain consequences just because they are not White, just because they are not part of the dominant culture. White America did the things it did because it helped them out and gave them what they wanted, without taking into account or caring about what it did to others. That just does not sit well with me. I get certain privileges just because I am White. I did nothing to deserve these privileges, I was just born into the dominant race. My roommate, on the other hand, wouldn't get as many of those privileges just because she is Asian. This does not make any sense to me and this is not the way that we should live. Howard says that we can't teach what we don't know. We will never know what it is like to be a race other than our own; what it is like to be a minority and to not have the privileges of White dominance, but we can have empathy for these people by sharing our stories and trying to put ourselves in their shoes. We can teach our students the varying perspectives of historical events instead of just giving them the White view.
I really enjoyed reading Howard's book, but he also makes it sound easy. He tells his own story of how he was pretty much blind to other cultures, he had not experienced them, but then he went to Yale and worked in The Hill. Even though this experience was challenging, it really opened his eyes and changed his life, he was able to see White dominance and now he is working to have others see this White dominance as well. He then lists ways to go about understanding other cultures and sort of leaving this life of dominance and not considering himself as part of the White dominant culture. He makes it seem that if you follow these steps, you'll be good to go, but it's not that easy. It's a hard thing to change, especially when that is the world we have been immersed in. It's all we have known, and now we are just supposed to change our entire view of the world. I really do understand the points that Howard makes and he has opened my eyes to some very insightful things, but he appears to make this whole transition seem must easier that it really is.
The point of Howard's book was, just as the title suggests, that we cannot teach what we do not know. I grew up in White, Dutch, Christian schools in White, Dutch, Christian towns. That is what I know. I do not know and have not experienced many other cultures. For Howard, that is what changed his life. As I go forward from, I want to experience multiculturalism. I want to learn more about other cultures and immerse myself in understanding them. I have thoroughly enjoyed my teacher aiding placements because the schools in this area are so diverse and I am able to interact with so many students who are different from myself. I think that it would be beneficial for me to attend a Trinity event each week at Roseland Ministries. There are students from Trinity who go to Roseland on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays to help with an afterschool program. Students come to this afterschool program where they participate in activities and are tutored on their homework. Many of the students who go to Roseland are not apart of the dominant culture and do not have a very high socioeconomic status. These are students with which I have not had a lot of experience. I think that immersing myself in their lives and in their culture would help me to be a better teacher in the future.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
#4 - White Educators and the River of Change
In this chapter, Howard discusses four significant contribution that can be made to help the healing process in regards to dominance and racial identity. The four ways are honesty, empathy, advocacy, and action.
1. Honesty
Here, Howard points back to chapter 2 where we saw that assumption of righteousness and the luxury of ignorance were two dynamics that were essential to dominance. Honesty challenges these two ideas. The main point here is that Whites can go through this stage of honesty by learning to question their own assumptions and acknowledge the limitations of their culturally conditioned perceptions of truth (p. 69).
Howard shares on White teachers view on this:
2. Empathy
By having empathy, we are "focuses our attention on the perspective and worldview of another person," which is the opposite of dominance (p. 73). Howard says that feeling empathy is part of this healing process because "it allows us as Whites to step outside of dominance, to see our social position in a new light, and connect with the experience of others who see things from a different perspective" (p. 73). It is hard for us, as White educators, to fully understand what our students and colleagues of color have gone through, but by creating an empathetic environment, we can share stories and experiences and feel for each other.
3. Advocacy
The main idea behind Howard's point of advocacy is that White teachers need to be reeducated because many are not ready for inclusion of other races. They are not prepared to teach these races, so they need to learn how to best teach students who are different from themselves.
4. Action
Here, Howard basically says that now that we know about and understand White privilege, what will we do to end it? What action will we take to help this cause?
At the end of the chapter, Howard mentions five key areas of learning that he sees in the multicultural education process:
1. To know who we are racially and culturally
2. To learn about and value cultures different from our own
3. To view social reality through the lens of multiple perspectives
4. To understand the history and dynamics of dominance
5. To nurture in ourselves and our students a passion for justice and the skills for social action.
In some of my own experiences, I have seen teachers who tend to have the same attitude the woman that Howard quoted in the honesty section. I was once aiding for a teacher who had this same view - that some of the students would not get far in life, she had low academic standards for her students, and she did not seem to understand other races. The woman taught in a diverse school and had a very diverse group of students, both racially and academically. It was very obvious that she did not have very high expectations for certain students in the class. There were many ELL students in her class, and these tended to be the students that she did not have high hopes for. This was a kindergarten class, so it was a very important time in a child's life, where many foundational pieces of education come into play. This teacher knew these students struggled and had very little hope for them to successful in school. She often wondered how they would pass kindergarten, but did not try to differentiate instruction or give them extra support. On the days I was present, I was assigned to work with these children because she did not want to be bothered by them. This teacher needed to put away these negative thoughts about the children and try to empathize with them. They were trying to learn a new language, while attending a school in a language other than their first language. When empathizing with these students, you can see that this situation must be challenging for them and they may just need some extra support to help them.
Worldview: I believe that God loves diversity. During the story of the Tower of Babel, God created diversity. He created different languages and He is the one who created a variety of cultures and ethnicities. When I think of the situation listed above with this kindergarten teacher, I can only think "What Would Jesus Do?" What would Jesus do if He was a teacher in a multicultural school? How would He handle this situation where a variety of God's beautiful children are learning? Would He just blow off the ones who are different? Would He not concern himself with the children that are not good at school and just assume they cannot learn? Absolutely not. We are like these children who struggle with learning. We know what is right and wrong, but we fail God every single day, but has never turned his back on us. He did everything He could to help us, to save us, by sending His Son to be an example for us here on Earth and then dying for us. As teachers, we need to do everything we can to help our students succeed whether they are White, African American, Asian American, Native American or any other race, whether they receive As or Ds on their report cards, they deserve to have a teacher who believes in them, empathizes with them, and does their best to help their students succeed.
1. Honesty
Here, Howard points back to chapter 2 where we saw that assumption of righteousness and the luxury of ignorance were two dynamics that were essential to dominance. Honesty challenges these two ideas. The main point here is that Whites can go through this stage of honesty by learning to question their own assumptions and acknowledge the limitations of their culturally conditioned perceptions of truth (p. 69).
Howard shares on White teachers view on this:
Much as I cared for these kids, I had no notion of preparing them for college, had accepted low academic expectations of them, and had almost no academic content knowledge about anyone other than Euro-Americans (p. 70)These are assumptions that many White educators carry into the schools, but in order to deal with dominance and racial identity, we need to put away such assumptions and be able to expect the best out of all of our students. Howard goes on to say that one way his program tried to be honest was by presenting U.S. history from multiple cultural perspectives. This would mean showing both the White and Native American perspectives of the westward movement or showing both the White and African American perspectives of slavery. By showing this different perspectives, students can feel empathy, which is the second point.
2. Empathy
By having empathy, we are "focuses our attention on the perspective and worldview of another person," which is the opposite of dominance (p. 73). Howard says that feeling empathy is part of this healing process because "it allows us as Whites to step outside of dominance, to see our social position in a new light, and connect with the experience of others who see things from a different perspective" (p. 73). It is hard for us, as White educators, to fully understand what our students and colleagues of color have gone through, but by creating an empathetic environment, we can share stories and experiences and feel for each other.
3. Advocacy
The main idea behind Howard's point of advocacy is that White teachers need to be reeducated because many are not ready for inclusion of other races. They are not prepared to teach these races, so they need to learn how to best teach students who are different from themselves.
4. Action
Here, Howard basically says that now that we know about and understand White privilege, what will we do to end it? What action will we take to help this cause?
At the end of the chapter, Howard mentions five key areas of learning that he sees in the multicultural education process:
1. To know who we are racially and culturally
2. To learn about and value cultures different from our own
3. To view social reality through the lens of multiple perspectives
4. To understand the history and dynamics of dominance
5. To nurture in ourselves and our students a passion for justice and the skills for social action.
In some of my own experiences, I have seen teachers who tend to have the same attitude the woman that Howard quoted in the honesty section. I was once aiding for a teacher who had this same view - that some of the students would not get far in life, she had low academic standards for her students, and she did not seem to understand other races. The woman taught in a diverse school and had a very diverse group of students, both racially and academically. It was very obvious that she did not have very high expectations for certain students in the class. There were many ELL students in her class, and these tended to be the students that she did not have high hopes for. This was a kindergarten class, so it was a very important time in a child's life, where many foundational pieces of education come into play. This teacher knew these students struggled and had very little hope for them to successful in school. She often wondered how they would pass kindergarten, but did not try to differentiate instruction or give them extra support. On the days I was present, I was assigned to work with these children because she did not want to be bothered by them. This teacher needed to put away these negative thoughts about the children and try to empathize with them. They were trying to learn a new language, while attending a school in a language other than their first language. When empathizing with these students, you can see that this situation must be challenging for them and they may just need some extra support to help them.
Worldview: I believe that God loves diversity. During the story of the Tower of Babel, God created diversity. He created different languages and He is the one who created a variety of cultures and ethnicities. When I think of the situation listed above with this kindergarten teacher, I can only think "What Would Jesus Do?" What would Jesus do if He was a teacher in a multicultural school? How would He handle this situation where a variety of God's beautiful children are learning? Would He just blow off the ones who are different? Would He not concern himself with the children that are not good at school and just assume they cannot learn? Absolutely not. We are like these children who struggle with learning. We know what is right and wrong, but we fail God every single day, but has never turned his back on us. He did everything He could to help us, to save us, by sending His Son to be an example for us here on Earth and then dying for us. As teachers, we need to do everything we can to help our students succeed whether they are White, African American, Asian American, Native American or any other race, whether they receive As or Ds on their report cards, they deserve to have a teacher who believes in them, empathizes with them, and does their best to help their students succeed.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
#3 - Decoding the Dominance Paradigm
In chapter 3, Howard looks deeper into what dominance is. He focuses primarily on the idea of rightness in this chapter. He starts off by saying that in order to understand dominance, we need to explore the construction of knowledge, how people determine what is true and real. In the end, the people and societies that have the power are the ones who determine what the official truth is. Howard also says that those groups that are in control "construct reality in ways that reinforce, protect, and legitimize their position of dominance" (p. 50). When putting this information in terms of education, Howard says that those in power are able to control what knowledge the students gain and what truths are told.
In the early years of America's existence, America was known as a free land. People from other countries wanted to come to America for a new start. America was seen as a just and fair nation, but the things that America did did not coincide with that. For instance, extermination of American Indians, enslaving blacks, and stealing land from Mexico did not fill well with this idea of America being a just and fair nation. It become clear that "just and fair" was only for Whites. The "pursuit of happiness" was only for Whites. Our young nation found ways to justify the unequal treatment of non-white groups. It was okay to run the American Indians off their land because it allowed for our expansion, enslaving Blacks was okay because it helped out the White people, and stealing land from Mexico was okay because it gave us what we wanted.
With young America came the notion of the melting pot. It was this idea that America was made up of many different cultures and races that have come together and "melted together" to create this one nation. Although this was true in the sense that many people are represented within our borders, there was not much "melting together." Not everyone could be a part of the meting pot. The White people of America wanted everyone in the melting pot to look like them. Howard mentions an extreme articulation of the melting pot theory as told to him by a White Australian. This person said, "The problem with Aboriginal people is that they want to keep their culture" (p. 53). Howard goes on to say that "belief in the melting pot [was] intimately related to the assumption of rightness: 'If White folks melted, anyone can. If you haven't melted yet, you ought to'" (p. 53). The idea here is that the White people gave up their pasts to start this new life, and they think others should give up their pasts to become like the Whites. They didn't want people to be called "African Americans" or "Asian Americans." They people should give up the lives they came from and just be called "Americans."
The belief in colorblindness is related to this idea of the melting pot. Often people says, "'I was raised not to see color. I have always treated everyone the same. I see people as individuals, not as member of a racial group'" (p. 53). Although this may sound good in theory, the idea of colorblindness means that race can be erased. The differences between us don't matter; we are all essentially the same. People think that if they see race, they are being racist. But that is not the case. We need to appreciate our differences. Some people have even said that God must be colorblind because he is not racist, and therefore does not see race. In a conversation that Howard had with a woman who had this viewpoint, he told her that if God is colorblind, why would he create so many things that contain a variety of colors? If God was colorblind, wouldn't he create everything to be the same color?
In my novice placement, we have been learning about Native American cultures. We have talked about where they live, how they live, what they eat, how they get their food, the roles of men and women, housing, and the government systems. At no point during these discussions do we stop to say that the way these people lived is wrong because they don't live like us. We talk about how they reason they live this way is because they are using the resources they have. They didn't have the technology or resources back then to live the way that we do today. Does that make the way they live wrong? No. Does it make the way we live wrong? No. Each of us is using the resources we have been given. We also take time to appreciate these cultures that are different than ours. Just last week we took part in a potlatch, which was a Native American celebration. It's really cool to be able to see the students get excited about learning about cultures and people that are different from us.
Worldview: This article really connected with my worldview. I believe that God created each person to be different. We are each unique. God created each race, each color, each culture. So, why did we, why do we, try so hard to make everyone the same. In the last post I mentioned a teacher who said all of her students were the same. They each had a brain, a body, and family, so she teaches them the same. But each of these students come from a different background. They each have different gifts and abilities and different things that make them unique. Instead of trying to cover up these differences and hide them away, we need to appreciate the things that make us different and that make us unique. It's okay to notice the different colors of people's skin because God created it. We just can't let the fact that someone has different skin define who they are where they fit in the hierarchy that we have created.
In the early years of America's existence, America was known as a free land. People from other countries wanted to come to America for a new start. America was seen as a just and fair nation, but the things that America did did not coincide with that. For instance, extermination of American Indians, enslaving blacks, and stealing land from Mexico did not fill well with this idea of America being a just and fair nation. It become clear that "just and fair" was only for Whites. The "pursuit of happiness" was only for Whites. Our young nation found ways to justify the unequal treatment of non-white groups. It was okay to run the American Indians off their land because it allowed for our expansion, enslaving Blacks was okay because it helped out the White people, and stealing land from Mexico was okay because it gave us what we wanted.
With young America came the notion of the melting pot. It was this idea that America was made up of many different cultures and races that have come together and "melted together" to create this one nation. Although this was true in the sense that many people are represented within our borders, there was not much "melting together." Not everyone could be a part of the meting pot. The White people of America wanted everyone in the melting pot to look like them. Howard mentions an extreme articulation of the melting pot theory as told to him by a White Australian. This person said, "The problem with Aboriginal people is that they want to keep their culture" (p. 53). Howard goes on to say that "belief in the melting pot [was] intimately related to the assumption of rightness: 'If White folks melted, anyone can. If you haven't melted yet, you ought to'" (p. 53). The idea here is that the White people gave up their pasts to start this new life, and they think others should give up their pasts to become like the Whites. They didn't want people to be called "African Americans" or "Asian Americans." They people should give up the lives they came from and just be called "Americans."
The belief in colorblindness is related to this idea of the melting pot. Often people says, "'I was raised not to see color. I have always treated everyone the same. I see people as individuals, not as member of a racial group'" (p. 53). Although this may sound good in theory, the idea of colorblindness means that race can be erased. The differences between us don't matter; we are all essentially the same. People think that if they see race, they are being racist. But that is not the case. We need to appreciate our differences. Some people have even said that God must be colorblind because he is not racist, and therefore does not see race. In a conversation that Howard had with a woman who had this viewpoint, he told her that if God is colorblind, why would he create so many things that contain a variety of colors? If God was colorblind, wouldn't he create everything to be the same color?
In my novice placement, we have been learning about Native American cultures. We have talked about where they live, how they live, what they eat, how they get their food, the roles of men and women, housing, and the government systems. At no point during these discussions do we stop to say that the way these people lived is wrong because they don't live like us. We talk about how they reason they live this way is because they are using the resources they have. They didn't have the technology or resources back then to live the way that we do today. Does that make the way they live wrong? No. Does it make the way we live wrong? No. Each of us is using the resources we have been given. We also take time to appreciate these cultures that are different than ours. Just last week we took part in a potlatch, which was a Native American celebration. It's really cool to be able to see the students get excited about learning about cultures and people that are different from us.
Worldview: This article really connected with my worldview. I believe that God created each person to be different. We are each unique. God created each race, each color, each culture. So, why did we, why do we, try so hard to make everyone the same. In the last post I mentioned a teacher who said all of her students were the same. They each had a brain, a body, and family, so she teaches them the same. But each of these students come from a different background. They each have different gifts and abilities and different things that make them unique. Instead of trying to cover up these differences and hide them away, we need to appreciate the things that make us different and that make us unique. It's okay to notice the different colors of people's skin because God created it. We just can't let the fact that someone has different skin define who they are where they fit in the hierarchy that we have created.
#2 - White Dominance
In chapter 2, Howard discusses the idea of White dominance. Howard suggests four reasons for why social dominance exists:
When I think back to one of my aiding placements, I can see that I had a teacher who probably thought a lot like the teacher mentioned in the story above. Each day she gave her students worksheets. She would complain to me about how some students just didn't get it. She had a wide range of students in her classroom - ELL students, English speaking students, students who have lived in America their whole lives, and those who recently came to America. She tried to teach all of these students the same, but had a hard time realizing that she couldn't teach them all the same, just like the teacher above. These students each have their own cultural histories that make up who they are and each student is different. Those students who recently immigrated were used to the way things were in their own culture. Maybe in their culture, their race with the dominant culture, but when they came to America they had to adjust to this idea of White dominance. The student could feel dejected. Yes, each student does come to us with a brain, and a body, and usually some sort of family, but the students are not all the same and we can't teach them like they are.
- "The Minimal Group Paradigm suggests that all human beings are predisposed to form in-groups and out-groups and to respond to other human beings based on these self-created, and sometimes trivial, distinctions" (p. 33).
- Howard says that it is part of our human nature to categorize people into groups. We look for distinctions between people so that we can put them into groups, even if the distinction doesn't really matter.
- Social Positionality reminds us that everyone has a place in the social hierarchy of dominance and our place in the hierarchy "determines how we construct knowledge, how we come to determine what is real and true" (p. 33).
- According to social positionality, we view the world, construct reality, and give meaning and value to our lives based on our position in social hierarchies. For example, Whites tend to think in terms of power and have a sense of invisibility (meaning that Whites don't see a problem with issues regarding dominance).
- "Social Dominance Theory places systems of dominance and subordination in an evolutionary context, arguing that such group-based arrangements have been ever-present, and perhaps even inevitable, in human experience" (p. 33-4).
- There are several basic assumptions of this theory. First is that human social systems are predisposed to form social hierarchies. Second, that the top groups in the hierarchies are mostly male. Third, forms of social oppression can be seen as a groups way of showing their dominance. Finally, social hierarchy is a survival strategy.
- Privilege and Penalty "demonstrates that systems of social dominance are characterized by the differential distribution of rewards and punishments to individuals not on the basis of individual worth but solely as a function of group membership" (p. 34).
- According to Howard and the system of privilege and penalty, "social arrangements of dominance cause privileges to flow to certain groups whether or not those privileges are earned. Likewise, penalties, punishments, and inequities flow to other groups through no fault of their own other than their group membership" (p. 33)
Even though Howard focuses on White dominance, he does point out that dominance is not just a White issue; it is a human phenomenon. Social dominance occurs in all cultures. There are many examples of this today and the following are just a few that Howard shares: the Turkish genocide against the Armenians, the tragic tribal warfare between Hutu and Tutsi forces in Rwanda, and the Chinese occupation in Tibet.
When Howard began this chapter, he started with a story about an White elementary teacher's reaction to diversity in the classroom. Howard says,
During a multicultural workshop in Austin, Texas, a white elementary teacher, with a tone of intense frustration, said to the group, 'I don't understand all of this talk about differences. Each of my little kindergarten students comes to me with the same stuff. It doesn't matter whether they're black, Hispanic, or White, they each have a brain, a body, and a family. They each get the same curriculum. I treat them all alike. And yet, by the end of the year, and as I watch them move up through the grades, the Blacks and Hispanics fall behind and the White kids do better. They all start with the same basic equipment. What happens? (p. 25)When reading this story, one may think it sounds pretty good. Yes, all of the students do have a brain, a body, and a family. They do come to us with those things and they come to learn. Maybe with the exception of students with disabilities (and before differentiation was such a big thing), many teachers would treat all of their students the same. But Howard disagrees with this teacher. He says that these students do not come to us with the same stuff. Each student has a different background. They each come from a different culture. There are different races, socioeconomic statuses, and language groups represented. Not all of the students come from a family that grew up in White America. Each student comes with a whole lot of "stuff" that influences who they are, where they come from, and how they learn.
When I think back to one of my aiding placements, I can see that I had a teacher who probably thought a lot like the teacher mentioned in the story above. Each day she gave her students worksheets. She would complain to me about how some students just didn't get it. She had a wide range of students in her classroom - ELL students, English speaking students, students who have lived in America their whole lives, and those who recently came to America. She tried to teach all of these students the same, but had a hard time realizing that she couldn't teach them all the same, just like the teacher above. These students each have their own cultural histories that make up who they are and each student is different. Those students who recently immigrated were used to the way things were in their own culture. Maybe in their culture, their race with the dominant culture, but when they came to America they had to adjust to this idea of White dominance. The student could feel dejected. Yes, each student does come to us with a brain, and a body, and usually some sort of family, but the students are not all the same and we can't teach them like they are.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
#1 - White Man Dancing
Chapter 1 of Gary R. Howard's book We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers in Multiracial Schools is entitled "White Man Dancing: A Story of Personal Transformation." In this chapter, Howard explains is own experiences with diversity. Howard did not have many experiences with diversity until high school, when his friend asked Howard to double date with him and his girlfriend. Both of the girls were African American. He then moves to Yale University where he began working with inner-city kids through the YMCA. It seems as though working with diverse inner-city kids was a great way to help out these children and for Howard to be immersed in diversity. This was not the real challenge, though. Through his time working and living at "The Hill" with these inner-city kids, Howard learned a lot about what it means to be a White person living in America. When Howard was living in "The Hill" he was amazed at how they people there welcomed him and treated him so well, "considering their painful history with most of the White world" (p. 14). These people did not let their history with White people affect their attitudes toward and relationships with Howard. The students that Howard worked with helped him to see White privilege. The students told him,
These experiences that Howard had led to a shift in consciousness. Howard said, "I came to see that my real work was not in the Hill neighborhood but back home with my own folks. The core of the problem was in White America, and if I wanted to help excise the cancer of racism, I had to go to the source of the tumor" (p. 16). Howard left "The Hill" in order to share his new findings with the White people in America. He was rejecting his own racial identity because he had learned what it meant to be White in America and he wanted nothing to do with it. He had been living a life of "cultural encapsulation," where all he knew was his own culture. But now, after these experiences at "The Hill," Howard was no longer encapsulated by his own culture. He understood what it meant to have White privilege and he wanted nothing to do with it.
So, Howard went to the White people to try to get them to see things his way. His method was to tell everything that they are racist. He learned, though, that this was not the way of going about it. In order to get people to understand, White America needed to be reeducated. The new method was to help White America "break out of the their own encapsulation" by having "direct action with others for positive change" (p. 19).
When I was in high school, I went on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Up until this point, I had not experienced many other cultures. I live in a small, Dutch town where I attended Dutch, Christian schools, and a Dutch Christian Reformed church. Sure, there were other cultures represented here, but I had not interacted with many of them. Going to Mexico was the first big experience where I was interacting with and being immersed in another culture. I did not know what to expect, and this experience really opened my eyes to the privileges we have here in White America. We visited a family in the area. Their house had a tin roof that leaked. They did not have cars. Their dad had to sell things on the street to earn money. Their shoes were sizes too small, and for fun they kicked around a deflated soccer ball. The entire family slept on two mattresses on the floor. Their whole house was at least 1/3 the size of my own home, but they had twice as many people living in theirs. We have flushing toilets, while all they had were pits.
I am privileged. My parents are able to work, and once I turned 16 I could work, too. We earn enough money to have ample food in our house, money enough for multiple cars, a trailer, a home. My parents were able to send me to Christian schools. Why? Because we are White people living in America and with that comes certain privileges. Before this trip I had been so encapsulated by my own culture, that I failed to see how privileged I was. I took for granted every day things that some people can only dream of having.
You may live in the Hill now, and hang out with the Black people, but you're at Yale and you can go back there whenever you want. We were born in the Hill and don't have any other place to go. It's not an option for us not to be Black, that's what we are 24 hours a day for our whole lives. If you wanted to, if things go too heavy for you here, or when you graduate, you can walk away from this thing and never look back. We can't do that (p. 15).White people were privileged. They were not forced to live in the ghettos. Howard was not forced to live there; he chose to live there. But he was able to leave whenever he wanted. Being White brings with it certain privileges because it is the dominant culture.
These experiences that Howard had led to a shift in consciousness. Howard said, "I came to see that my real work was not in the Hill neighborhood but back home with my own folks. The core of the problem was in White America, and if I wanted to help excise the cancer of racism, I had to go to the source of the tumor" (p. 16). Howard left "The Hill" in order to share his new findings with the White people in America. He was rejecting his own racial identity because he had learned what it meant to be White in America and he wanted nothing to do with it. He had been living a life of "cultural encapsulation," where all he knew was his own culture. But now, after these experiences at "The Hill," Howard was no longer encapsulated by his own culture. He understood what it meant to have White privilege and he wanted nothing to do with it.
So, Howard went to the White people to try to get them to see things his way. His method was to tell everything that they are racist. He learned, though, that this was not the way of going about it. In order to get people to understand, White America needed to be reeducated. The new method was to help White America "break out of the their own encapsulation" by having "direct action with others for positive change" (p. 19).
When I was in high school, I went on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Up until this point, I had not experienced many other cultures. I live in a small, Dutch town where I attended Dutch, Christian schools, and a Dutch Christian Reformed church. Sure, there were other cultures represented here, but I had not interacted with many of them. Going to Mexico was the first big experience where I was interacting with and being immersed in another culture. I did not know what to expect, and this experience really opened my eyes to the privileges we have here in White America. We visited a family in the area. Their house had a tin roof that leaked. They did not have cars. Their dad had to sell things on the street to earn money. Their shoes were sizes too small, and for fun they kicked around a deflated soccer ball. The entire family slept on two mattresses on the floor. Their whole house was at least 1/3 the size of my own home, but they had twice as many people living in theirs. We have flushing toilets, while all they had were pits.
I am privileged. My parents are able to work, and once I turned 16 I could work, too. We earn enough money to have ample food in our house, money enough for multiple cars, a trailer, a home. My parents were able to send me to Christian schools. Why? Because we are White people living in America and with that comes certain privileges. Before this trip I had been so encapsulated by my own culture, that I failed to see how privileged I was. I took for granted every day things that some people can only dream of having.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
About the Book
As I explore diversity in the classroom, I have chosen to read We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial School by Gary R. Howard. This book is written from the perspective of a white teacher in a multiracial school. Howard divulges what a good teacher looks like and how to embrace cultural diversity. He draws on his own experiences as he spent many years in multiracial schools. Howard's book can help us to understand race and social justice in education.
I chose to read this book because I found the title intriguing - We Can't Teach What We Don't Know. It seems obvious that we can't teach things that we don't know, so I was very interested in seeing what Howard had to say about this. Howard has spent many years working in multiracial education, so he seems like he would be knowledgeable on this topic and someone who would have good insights for someone who is new to teaching, like myself. I hope that Howard's book will help prepare me for cultural diversity in the classroom.
Howard, G. R. (1999). We can't teach what we don't know: White teachers, multiracial schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Howard, G. R. (1999). We can't teach what we don't know: White teachers, multiracial schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
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