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.