First, Let's Look at Ourselves...

First, Let’s Look at Ourselves…

We’ve now defined culture—or we’ve at least come to a mutual understanding of it—and before moving on to any sort of classroom strategies, Davis encourages us to look inward at our personal experiences with race and culture. This next section will take a look at your life rather than your students, because in order to reach our students we, as educators, must know who we are first. As Davis said, “the more we know about ourselves, the better we can reach and support our diverse learners” (40).

That being said, teachers continually lead a dual life. One life takes place in the classroom (we’ll call this the Educator Self) and the other takes place outside (we’ll call this the Personal Self). Both are extensions of the other and must be explored before moving on in our discussion.

First, let’s reflect on our Educator selves. Based on the questions that Davis presents, I’d like you to consider the following:

·       

      Think of the physical environment of your school and classroom. Do they reflect diverse individuals? How many steps must you walk before you see a picture of a culturally diverse person?

·       

      Think of your verbal and nonverbal interactions in school. Does your body language change when communicating with some students and not others? Do your interactions with both colleagues and students reflect the sort of interactions you expect back from them?

      

      Think of your relationship with your content. Do you practice it outside the classroom? Do you have a broad understanding of it, and are you continually learning about it? Will your students leave at the end of the year liking your subject more than when they started?

In order to continually improve, any professional must constantly reflect on his or her performance, but I would argue that the reflection questions above are just as valid as those that reflect on lessons or unit goals. After all, students are far more responsive to our actions than anything else. Without even realizing it, we may be communicating certain biases or opinions. Therefore, it’s important to consider the actions of the Educator Self first.

The next step in this reflection is to move beyond the Educator Self and consider the Personal Self. After all, the actions and understandings that go on in your classroom most likely stem from your experiences outside of it. There are several ways in which we can reflect on ourselves, but Davis encourages us to explore our racial identity above all else. This once again proves that this book is targeted to White teachers who are teaching students of other races. In fact, Davis says at one point that in order to “bridge better the cultural gap between the diverse learner and ourselves (if you are a White teacher), we must explore our racial identity” (44). I’m not sure why learners are only “diverse” when compared to a White teacher. I’m quite positive that there are a high number of diverse learners in any classroom, regardless of the skin color of either the students or the teacher. I’m also convinced that in order to be effective, every teacher must consider his or her racial identity and how it affects his or her actions in the classroom and beyond. Davis focuses specifically on this issue of Black and White, which does not (in my opinion) give enough credit to all the types of diversity that exist in our communities and schools. That being said, even though Davis focuses on Black and White racial identities, I feel that these reflections can apply to every person. She even says at one point that in our society “race impacts us 100% of the time, no matter our color” (44). Therefore, throughout the next part of this discussion, I encourage everyone to consider his or her racial identity and how race affects his or her personal life.

Davis presents two stories, the first being her racial history as a White woman, and the second being the racial history of her African American colleague and friend. These stories reveal a lot of insights not only into their personal lives, but also into what it means to be Black or White in America. However, these stories only reflect two people’s experiences; it is impossible for them to represent two racial groups. Thus, I’d like you to take the next few minutes to reflect on your racial past.

Think of how race has impacted (or eluded) you at these various times in your life:

·       Childhood

•       Adolescence
•        Adulthood
•     How might your personal story compare with that of your classmates or your colleagues?

Finally, because Davis focuses mostly on White educators teaching students of color, she brings up a discussion of White privilege, by presenting a day in the life of the two women who shared their stories earlier. Once again, two people cannot possibly represent the experiences of entire racial groups, but the differences in their daily experiences are striking. Think about your own daily life. What or who do you see? What do you hear? How are you treated? How are people who look like you reflected back to you?

Davis refers to the diversity expert Glenn Singleton by stating that “each morning he looks out the window as a Black man, while I, as a White person, look out the window as just a person” (55).

Would you, regardless of your skin color, agree with this statement? Then, whether you agree or disagree, how do you think this could affect our students? How might White privilege be affecting them in their daily lives? How might this translate into the actions and opinions that exist in our classroom?

As you continue on in the future, I encourage you to consider your role in either supporting or eliminating White privilege at your school. What are some ways that you can privilege all children? What are some ways that you can call attention to any oversights that occur at your school? How can you work with your students to ensure that every child feels confident and welcome at your school, regardless of his or her skin color or culture?

I hope you’ve had the opportunity to really look into who you are and how your personal story might contribute to the topic of diversity in America. I also hope that you can continue to use this knowledge as we go on to consider concrete strategies for dealing with diversity in our classrooms.

Lindsay