Personal histories & sociocultural characteristics

The culturally competent teacher is aware of the diverse cultural groups represented in his/her classroom, investigates the sociocultural factors that influence student learning, and is able to integrate this knowledge into his/her teaching. No one enters a classroom without a personal history; thus, no one enters a classroom completely free of bias. How might your personal history/sociocultural characteristics intersect with those of your students? What challenges or advantages might you have as a teacher in this classroom? What misconceptions about various cultural groups have you confronted during this experience?

When the reading program began, we all received the groups we had been assigned. Mrs. Lennon, the reading coach, asked who was responsible for group C. I glanced down at my folder and raised my hand. “This is a tough group,” she said, “and they are absolutely crazy! You have to be very alert and firm with them.” I was nervous; I am a relatively timid person, and I doubted my ability to command their focus and attention. We played a rhyming game that day. Three of the four students present that day seemed to understand the activity. Little Harrison, however, did not seem engaged in the activity. I changed the rules around in an attempt to peak his interest. He started playing and soon began to enjoy himself; he was pleased with all of the matches he was able to make. I noticed that he was muttering to himself, and I caught words like “loser” and “jail” and “stupid.” Once the session came to a close and my group members started heading back to their classrooms, I pulled a chair up next to him and inquired what he was talking about earlier. He said that his brother was in jail for putting “steak in his pants,” and that his mother told him that he would also end up in jail if he did not do well in school. I asked him if that was why he did not want to participate in the activity. He told me that he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to create matches for some of the rhymes, and that his mother would somehow find out and think he was “stupid.” I told him that he was exceptionally bright, and I asked him if he noticed if any of his peers got an answer “wrong” today. He said he couldn’t remember, and I pointed out that the other students would not be likely to remember if he made a mistake on one of the words. He smiled, and I hoped that quelled some of the apprehension he faced. I could not imagine what it would be like to grow up thinking that there are only two options: school or jail.

The exchange I had with this student reminded me of the dialogue I read in Jonathan Kozol’s article “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apatheid," where a young woman is required to take a hairdressing course instead of an AP class she wanted to take in order to prepare for college. I think that most children have the inherent desire to be successful. I do not believe that it is wrong to offer hairdressing classes-- nor do I intend to diminish their value-- but I do believe that if a student wishes to pursue something, they should be able to do so. Some educators or schools may set up programs based on what the "majority" of students in a given area end up acheiving. Although these people may have good intentions, their actions are detrimental. To insist that a person is only capable of performing the type of work associated with the stereotype that applies is demeaning and limiting. That a school could stand in the way of helping a student reach his or her full potential is not only contradictory-- it is absurd. Every student should have the opportunity to reach their goals. If the idea that Harrison is valuable, intelligent and capable is not instilled at home, it is vital that every person he encounters in school reinforces and supports that very truth.