"The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies" by Christine Sleeter

    The reading, "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies," by Christine Sleeter had a lot of helpful information based on her research. She explained how the mainstream curricula once tried to include more diverse information, but then regressed and is centered around "Euro-American" experiences and historical figures, and how that can negatively impact students from different cultures and backgrounds. I chose three quotes that reflect and support her views on this right from the text. 

Quote 1: "Beginning as early as elementary school, students have been found to respond to curricula based partly on what they learn and experience in their homes and communities" (p.3).

    This is overlooked a lot in history textbooks that focus mainly on white historical figures while minimizing or even erasing the contributions of POCs. Ethnic studies makes education more inclusive and gives students a more accurate representation of history, including their own.

Quote 2: "White fifth graders believed that the Bill of Rights gives rights to everyone, about half of the Black children pointed out that not everyone has rights" (p.3).

    There's a lot of students who aren't interested/ lose interest in school because the curriculum doesn't reflect their own histories and experiences. Students from diverse backgrounds are more likely to pay attention and participate in ethnic studies courses, which supports academic motivation and success.

Quote 3: "White adults generally do not recognize the extent to which traditional main- stream curricula marginalize perspectives of communities of color and teach students of color to distrust or not take school knowledge seriously" (p.4)

    Like Sleeter said, mainstream curricula mostly focuses on European and American perspectives, making the achievements of white historical figures popular while marginalizing or overlooking the experiences and achievements of POCs. Marginalized groups are often underrepresented, making them feel disconnected from the material and less likely to engage with it seriously. There has been resistance from white parents and educators when it comes to these programs, but I don't think they recognize how important they are to the students because they are only concerned with their (white) children.

    Ethnic studies can help students develop a better understanding of social justice issues. That can empower students to become active in their communities and advocate for change. For example, students who learn about the civil rights movement through an ethnic studies program might be more likely to engage in current social justice movements or be motivated to vote and be part of a bigger cause.

"The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies"

Four I's of Oppression by TREC

The "Four I's of Oppression" by TREC explains four interconnected forms of oppression, so I wanted to talk about some examples of each.

    Ideological oppression is ingrained in a lot of people's minds and sometimes they don't realize it. I think the most common examples for this form of oppression are gender and racial stereotypes, but almost all of them end up relating back to ideological oppression. Even though our society has made a lot of progress, there is still a common belief that only (or mostly) men belong in leadership roles and women are better at caregiving or household tasks. The racial stereotypes are becoming more relevant again too, with people spreading ideas that certain races are more intelligent or hardworking than others. This is harmful because it's usually brushed off as free speech, but it encourages a dangerous mindset that can lead to harrassment and violence.

 

    Institutional oppression is widely noticed but harder to fight against, like schools in "nicer" (AKA mostly white, suburban) areas getting more funding and resources than schools in minority neighborhoods. Even though we can see the inequality, they aren't required to equally fund them, so these institutions take advantage of that. Our legal system is a common example, but this oppression is even seen in hospitals where people are treated and cared for differently just because of their skin color, gender identity, or culture. The President of the United States, who is supposed to lead our country and bring us together, threatened to cut funding to providers that offer gender-affirming care. This is how institutional oppession continues and spreads.

 

    Interpersonal oppression occurs between people, meaning harassment, bullying, microaggressions, etc. would fall under this category. When Inspiring Minds came to do our orientation, we did that exercise where we defined words and my group got "nice racism." This applies to interpersonal oppression because it essentially means that people think they have to be a bad person in other aspects to be racist, when that's not the case. Nice racism can be using microaggresions, downplaying white privilege, and ignoring blatant segregation or discrimination. A student being bullied at school by other kids because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is just one way we see interpersonal oppression in an educational setting.

 

    Internalized oppression happens when a person experiences discrimination or hate speech and they start to accept the negative beliefs of others as the truth. They might think they aren't attractive or smart enough because that's what they were told, so they end up having low self-esteem because they constantly remind themselves of those stereotypes and standards. This reminded me of when I learned about self-fulfilling prophecies, which is when how a person is treated directly affects their actual behaviors.

 

~Angel

The Silenced Dialogue by Lisa Delpit

    After reading "The Silenced Dialogue" by Lisa Delpit, I can see how her ideas relate directly to the ideas we’ve been talking about in class and our future as teachers. An example of how important it is to "bridge the gap" is when a student speaks another language at home and ends up feeling isolated when they’re at school because their culture isn’t represented. Delpit's book encourages teachers to acknowledge and appreciate diversity in their classrooms, but also to help their students explore other cultures without losing their own identity. 

    One of the quotes I liked is actually one of Delpit's five aspects of power, which is "The culture of power is a reflection of the rules of the culture that has the power," (p.24) because it explains how educators have to recognize these unspoken rules that they might already be used to and explicitly teach them to students who aren't part of the dominant culture without minimizing their cultural identities

    When I was researching Delpit, I found another quote that I think is important from further ahead in the book, "If we are to successfully educate all of our children, we must work to remove the blinders built of stereotypes, monocultural instructional methodologies, ignorance, social distance, and bias" (p.182). This is a real call to action for educators to start using more inclusive teaching practices that respect and welcome the diverse experiences of their students. 

    I think the most important part of all of this is that all students have a place where they feel they are able to learn and be themselves. One step teachers can take is to incorporate materials and examples during lessons that reflect other cultures, which will help their students feel represented and valued in the classroom. They should also actively listen to the students and their families to build trust and help them better understand their students' needs and goals.

~Angel