Despite the government’s attempt to converge what students are
learning, it has been my experience that communities and school districts still
have a major impact on what kids are reading, what they’re learning, and their
motivations for success. The first example that comes to mind is Hazlewood and
the fact that this sickness may take some time to cure because of the
conservative nature of our community.
The second example that comes to mind is based on my
experiences working in Alabama. My second year of teaching came in Anniston,
home to the tragic bus burnings of the civil rights era. I taught at a 98%
African-American Title I school with uniforms, single-file marching and regular
lockdowns due to fights and weapons. I wan to preface the following comments
with the fact that I am not racist. What I encountered in this school was what
I consider to be counter-productive in the fight against white-on-black racism.
As a literature teacher, I was only allowed to teach African American authors.
The community events at the school were centered on African American themes
i.e. “My President is Black,” and the students were encouraged to attend
notoriously all-black colleges i.e. Alabama A&M, Tuskegee University, and
the Talladega College, and Miles College. In addition, as one of 3 white
faculty members, I was discriminated against on a daily basis by my supervisor,
my co-workers, and even some parents who refused to meet with me because I was
white. It’s not a part of my history that I’m super fond of because I know how
it sounds.
One thing that was really great for those students was some
of the guest speakers that were used to ‘Scare Students Straight.’ They were
very serious encounters, complete with profanity, yelling, and stomping around.
Not a lot like the following clip, but they served similar purposes:
What I wish they had received however was the information
that we gained from Ira Glass via Dave Seibert in the photography
workshop. There is a serious gap between
what students in our country are learning about themselves and what they should
be and deserve to be learning/knowing about themselves:
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