The Enormous Struggle.

"When working class children get empowering education you get literacy with an attitude" (xi).

Patrick Finn classifies the education in this country into empowering education and domesticating education--the first leading to positions of power and authority and the latter being the type of education that makes someone "productive and dependable, but not troublesome." (ix).  The working class receives domesticating education, thus perpetuating this social set up, which convinces people it is natural. Since working class children do not get "literacy with an attitude" they do not threaten the current social set up.

 Finn echoes Delpit in many ways.  He points out the maintenance of the status quo that our educational system fosters, "But the working class does not get powerful literacy, and powerful literacy is necessary for the struggle." (xi).  Delpit's assertion that some students come to school with more of the accoutrements of the culture of power than others is reiterated when Finn  explains the students in gentry schools are not empowered by their teachers, "they are already powerful."  He also places the responsibility of initiating the change on the culture of power, as Delpit did, he says the cycle exists "because the people who have the power to make changes are comfortable with the way things are." 

Finn suggests "educating working class children in their own self-interest", which matches Delpit's argument that education must involve teaching students "the codes to participate in fully in mainstream of American life...within the context of meaningful communicative endeavors" (45). Finn talks about motivating these students to want to learn by connecting curriculum to their lives.  Both Delpit and Finn agree that education needs to be connected to the lives and experiences of the students-the way it already is for those in the culture of power.

"Get ready for the 'enormous struggle'"



 In a study of  five differenct elementary schools one major difference noted between the schools delievering an empowering eduation versus those giving students a domesticating education was the amount of responsibility and freedom given to the students.   The lack of this freedom both academically and behaviorally contributed to the working class children learning to follow directions and resist authority.  

 Finn introduces Freire's idea of dialogue vs. debate.  This is a discussion I have had with my classes about how to communicate with each other.   A fellow English teacher gave me this document that further explains the difference. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yaXw0lH3KNHjNicLS6DgqN3Qzf5IC9jTLTunu6h5DQ0/edit?authkey=CJP01rAB&hl=en_US&authkey=CJP01rAB#

 While I think it is a necessary and important distinction to make, and I completely disagree with the teacher who said, "Do it my way or it's wrong" (10) I question allowing students too much "equal dialogue" in collaborative teaching.  It is important to empower students to have a voice, and teach them to be effective communicators, but spending chunks of class time negotiating the teacher's need to deliver instruction and the students' need for a rest might not be the best use of time.  I know he uses this example in a game played by students in role of the teacher to practice dialogue, and he acknowledges teachers have objectives and cannot simply adhere to students' requests- my problem is not with Finn, I actually don't have a problem at all, but the article paints a lovely picture: Students get tired and this effects how they work.  So they engage in a respectful, equal dialogue where they voice their opinion, reflect on it, remain open to discussion, and negotiate an agreement.  I do not believe this would happen in my classroom without a lot of practice.  (I am writing this after spending last period on Friday dealing with two students who decided to fight each other in the 2 minutes they were in my classroom before the bell even rang!) I am not suggesting that these values and skills are natural and that students cannot learn to be these negotiators, but I do feel it will be an "enormous struggle".   Furthermore, some students do not always possess the maturity to make good decisions, so negotiating with them is not always be the best option.     I think at this point I'm just rambling-maybe venting a little too.

"Teachers are supposed to teach, not blame children for what they don't know how to do." When "resistance is the dominant theme, don't expect this to be easy." (175).  I don't expect it to be easy.  This resistance is not something they learned last week; it has been building for years.    The resistance, when it rears its ugly head--in the many forms it will take--is a challenge to deal with in the classroom, and it will be a challenge to turn it around.  But I think we can all attest to the fact teaching the students who are not motivated to learn is the biggest challenge of all.

One last note...

 I thought of Finn mentioning the “excuse” of this not fitting into the curriculum, and Kelly's comparison between the "silenced dialogue" and teachers when I read Obama's speech on Friday.  "We’re going to let states, schools and teachers come up with innovative ways to give our children the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future." 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/23/remarks-president-no-child-left-behind-flexibility

It is late now- at least staying up this late let me see the Red Sox finally win a game.

Lisa Delpit's The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children

Delpit qualifies those who are most skillful at educating black and poor children as those who “understand the need for both approaches [‘skills’ and ‘process’], the need to help students establish their own voices, and to coach those voices to produce notes that will be clearly heard in a larger society.” I would argue this is more good teaching, than good teaching of black and poor children.   I felt this way about many things in this article.  Delpit suggest we need to ensure “that each classroom incorporates strategies appropriate for all children in its confines.”  As educators, we need to take in to account all students’ differing backgrounds, as well as learning abilities, personal situations and other aspects that determine what they need in the classroom.   

While I feel some of the article refers to good teaching practices for all students, Delpit does raise some interesting points about cultural difference.  We should consider that “some children come to school with more accoutrements of the culture of power…some with less.”(29).   Those that have not yet “internalized the culture of power” need to be explicitly taught it.  We cannot expect students who are not part of the “culture of power” to simply figure it out.  

Students bring their own expertise in different areas. “To deny student their own expert knowledge is to disempower them”(33).   Appreciating these in the classroom helps students feel connected to their own lives, and helps them appreciate their differences.  Martha Demietieff uses the contrast between eating at a picnic and a formal diner to mirror the contrast between the students informal/Heritage English and formal English.  This suggests there is a place for both, and doesn’t dismiss one as not as important or as correct as the other.

I am reminded of an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which Will claims he would be doing well in history if they studied any black history.  He felt the curriculum drove the “view of the world presented” (24) and it had nothing to do with him.  In search for the clip I came across the end of the episode.  Will and Carlton came from different homes with different cultures, thus they have differing perspectives and areas of expert knowledge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StY05g5Abrw

 I agree that the parents of these students and educators who share their culture must be allowed into the conversation.  Delpit calls on those with the most power to take the most responsibility in initiating this conversation.  Much like Johnson, she explains the importance of a conscious awareness of privilege and a lack of this will “ensure that the power status quo remains the same” (39).   Both Johnson and Delpit acknowledge that there is a need to recognize our own lens if we are to engagein  the dialogue to work towards the solution.  Delpit asserts “we must keep the perspective that people are experts on their own lives”- but she includes many black teachers’ conclusion that “many of the ‘progressive’ educational strategies imposed by liberals upon black and poor children could only be based on a desire to ensure that liberals’ children get sole access to the dwindling pool of American jobs” and that their good intentions are merely delusions of their true motives.  This came under the larger discussion that I want the same thing for everyone else’s students as I want for mine means I want the same schooling.  Is it possible that this statement refers to the desire for all students to have an education that meets their needs, and teaches them to appreciate their own culture, while also giving them the tools they need to be successful in their lives?  Delpit later states “Both sides need to be able to listen”(46).

Priviledge, Power, and Difference

Johnson's account of his struggle to discuss race and gender with his African American female friend reminds me that often people do treat these topics as too "risky" to discuss and rather let them fester in the background of every encounter.  His feelings give way to the defensive reaction he says paralyzes the work towards a solution.  Even though he acknowledges that he did nothing wrong, he understands "the reality of her having to face racism and sexism everyday is connected to the reality that [he doesn't]"(9) . 

Johnson  claims that people are not naturally afraid of the differences in others.   "If we feel afraid  it isn't what we don't know, it is what we think we do know.  The problem is our ideas about what we don't know...And how we think about such things isn't something we're born with.We learn to do it like we learn to tie our shoes, talk, and just about everything else."(17). 

How we think about such things develops from our upbringing and experiences. It becomes easy to forget that not everyone views the world through our lens.  Similarly, we may be viewed differently than others of different races, genders, and classes.  Johnson refers to Shakespeare in Love as an example of how one can be afforded these privileges just by appearing to belong to the group that has been afforded them.  This indicates the privileges not only have nothing to do with who we are as individuals, but also the power lies in those who are perceiving us, not in ourselves.  We must then be aware of how we view others.

Being the tenth anniversary of 9/11 I thought of a presentation  I attended at URI on the first anniversary.  Ten speakers who were personally affected by the attacks had volunteered to speak. The first nine speakers included firefighters, survivors, and relatives of people who lost their lives that day.  The tenth speaker was a young Muslim girl who lost her Aunt in the attacks. After 9/11 she was viciously bullied in school.  Her family owned a small store that was frequently vandalized and then set on fire.  She and her family were forced to move from the home she was born in.  The people who attacked this family were not afraid of what they didn't know-they were afraid of what they thought they knew.  This girl was not treated based on who she was, but rather on how others perceived her.  Sometimes we needed to stop and clean our lenses.

 When Johnson talks of the "trouble" we are in he says it has the potential to ruin entire generations.
Adil Ibrahim in 9/11 Ten Years Later; Growing up Muslim in America says "I think, in some aspects, things have gotten worse since, and in some aspects, they've gotten better. People are more aware of the religion of Islam, and some people are more aware of what the Middle East is, and the differences between the regions and the people there. ... People have become more knowledgeable. But, at the same time, people have become more angry, people's relatives and sons and daughters have died in the war, so there's a hatred there, and I understand that. We need to educate people even more." 
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670551/september-9-11-muslim-in-america.jhtml

Johnson asserts a lack of awareness is a "paralysis that perpetuates the trouble"(vii).  This reiterates the importance of recognizing our own perspective and biases that Peter McLaren insisted we face.  In addition, I think it is our job as educators to make students aware of their own as well.

Welcome to my SED552 Blog!

 My name is Kristen. I began my 6th year teaching English at Attleboro High School today--seems like just yesterday I started.  I will be teaching two sections of English II, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the third section of the day co-teaching an honors level humanities course.  The history teacher I work with is amazing.  We have a lot of fun with the course, and the collaborative setting has been a great experience.

 I will begin my second year as an adjunct instructor at Johnson and Wales University tomorrow.  This trimester I am teaching an ESL advanced reading class.  Teaching this population has allowed me to meet many students from different parts of the world.

Although teaching high school, pursuing my Master's degree and moonlighting as an adjunct instructor keep me quite busy, I try to fit a few softball and soccer games on my nights off.