Quotes from "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies"
“Students posited that teachers avoided in-depth discussions of race and racism out of fear that the Black students would react violently.”
This quote at the root of it is saying that teachers are avoiding difficult conversations because they don’t believe their students of color can handle it. Not only that, this statement is the reason why we need to have conversations about racism. By fearing that Black students will react violently, it shows that teachers still believe the stereotype that African Americans are angry people with uncontrollable tempers. How teachers view students matters, and if you are scared of your students, you can’t teach them what they need. In addition, teachers who are saying this need to have conversations about race to address their bias so they can have these conversations with students through a neutral lens.
“ For example, although White fifth graders believed that the Bill of Rights gives rights to everyone, about half of the Black children pointed out that not everyone has rights.”
From a young age, students of color are told and made aware of the fact that history has not always served them well. White students are not made aware of the injustices done, and due to it not being addressed in the classroom, they leave with a naive version of history. From day one, students leave the classroom with two different versions of history. In addition, one of the main arguments against ethnic studies, as seen in “Precious Knowledge,” is that it is hateful to white people. However, if we teach proper history from the beginning of a child’s education, there will be no reason for white people to feel hated because they would have already been exposed to it, making it less jarring when they learn these historical realities.
“Studying one’s community’s creative and intellectual products, both historic and contemporary (Sleeter 2002).”
Lastly, this quote ties to the importance of teaching holistic history. If you expose students of color only to slavery and other injustices, they will internalize a negative view of people of color in history. However, by exposing them to the successes of people of color, it allows them to see that people who look like them also contribute positively to society. For example, teaching students that the Black Panthers initially created the Free and Reduced Lunch program shows students that black people created a spectacular program that is still used today. Students need to see themselves in history, not only fighting but being successful and thriving.
Hi Joanmarie, I enjoyed reading your analyses on the quotes from the reading. I especially liked how you pointed out with the second quote how students end up leaving the classroom with two different versions of history. It is important that teachers do not leave their students with an incomplete and, as you said, naive version of history, but rather leave students with the truth regarding how injustice has played a role in history.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the breakdown of each quote! I also agree its very important to start teacher proper history at the beginning of education. I feel we then won't have as much push back in the later years when we add more nuance and context to the situations. I also agree that we need to show successes of people of color more. It's very important for students to see people like them succeed as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanmarie, I really enjoyed the way you did your blog this week! From the structure to what you talked about in your last sentence, students need to see themselves in history, not just fighting back and but ultimately thriving in their lives.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanmarie! I really enjoyed your blog. I am fascinated by the point you made with your second quote about white people feeling threatened by ethnic studies. I totally agree that if ethnic studies were introduced in all classrooms, there would be less of a threat. People fear what they do not know, and that is how stereotypes come about. If you are familiar with something, you are not going to fear it or feel threatened by it. Instead, it will become a part of your life and you can embrace it. I think this point is a really important one, and I am so glad that you brought it up in your reflection!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really unique and in depth way to understand this reading. I really liked how you pulled each quote apart and explained its meaning thoroughly. I really think your second quote has so much power in it too; learning about cultures should not be something people fear and especially by living in America where so many cultures are mixed together; it should be something to embrace.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanmarie! Your analyzes on these quotes were extremely detailed, and really break down on the point. I like how you included that exposing the history of African American's in the US, will cause black students to have a negative impact on history. This is one of the main topics that is taught in schools today, and I remember being introduced to this topic at such a young age. It was not often that we are taught of other black successors for example, other than individuals such as Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. are the main two talked about to younger students in topic of the Civil Rights Movement, when there are so many more individuals that were involved like Malcolm X and John Lewis.
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