Post #2

 Delpit Reading and Outside Connections

The Delpit reading, The Silenced Dialogue, demonstrates how intertwined our education system is with cultural bias. As Delpit explains throughout his writing, progressive white people do not seem to account for how people of color may have cultural preferences when it comes to methods of learning. I think this often comes from the fact that the faces that are in charge of most school districts are white. When a child does not feel that their teacher is capable of representing their culture in any way, this can be isolating. Reading Delpit's analysis of how differently black students in particular are treated in predominantly white classrooms is eye-opening just before I start my placement. Delpit's thoughts have provided me a perspective that I would not have thought much about on my own. Inspiring Minds sent a sheet to everyone that briefly summarizes everything to know about the school we will be working in. The school I'm working in will have mostly students of color, whereas the teachers are a majority white. Throughout the semester, I will keep Delpit's thoughts in the back of my mind. He has raised a lot of questions for me, will the teachers have a way of teaching students that is reminiscent of their culture? Will the white teachers be inclusive overall? Will the teachers treat their white students differently, specifically if they tend to score higher on tests? I am curious to see what the answers to these questions will be, but I am certainly hoping that these teachers will prove Delpit wrong and be the change.

Post #1

 Johnson Reading and Argument - 1/24/23

Alan Johnson writes Privilege, Power, and Difference to showcase how we are all guilty of judging people for what makes them 'different.' Johnson's analysis of Rodney King's question, "why can't we all just get along?" is remarkable. Although Johnson is a white privileged male, he attempts to explain how humans 'fear the unfamiliar.' However, if we recognize that these fears are learned, we can hopefully no longer pit people against others based on sex, race, etc. When we see people succeed who exclude or oppress others, we may feel encouraged to do the same, whether or not we are conscious of this. Overall, I enjoyed reading Johnson's view on why humans focus so much on our differences. In fact, I find the most interesting thing from the first few chapters is his stance on reality. He argues that everything we do is really 'a cultural creation.' Essentially, humans are the problem when it comes to assigning privilege to certain individuals. We must undo these socializations to make America truly equal. 

About Me

I love to read in my free time! Last year, I read 54 books 😊

I love attending concerts! This is Lorde, who I saw last year.

This is my cat as a kitten, his name is Leo!