Skip to main content

5/21 Assignment A - Delpit

“The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children”

Talking Points
1. "If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier." I found this quote to be powerful and relatable to general teaching best practices. In order for our students to do well on assignments, it is better to explicitly tell them the expectations and model effective responses. For students to be successful in our society, we must name the power systems around them so they can gain access to that power.

2."People of color are, in general, skeptical of research as a determiner of our fates. Academic research has, after all, found us genetically inferior, culturally deprived, and verbally deficient." In today's education system, supports and resources are typically allocated when the proper data and research has been produced. How can we use the tools that have disadvantaged POC in order to bring positive changes to these social issues?


3. Delpit discusses the idea that educating our students about these power systems is not meant to erase their culture and language and experience, but to speak power to "how they are". This is an idea that I look forward to implementing in my classroom discussions and curriculum as I progress as a teacher.

Argument Statement

Delpit argues that white educators who teach their students as they would their own children are working to ensure the maintenance of the inequitable status quo.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Going to school...but how do I get in?

The documentary "Going to School" investigates the reality of special education in Los Angeles School District in the early 2000's. The district was in the midst of revamping its special education services, due to the district having significant shortcomings in regards to its services for students with disabilities. The film follows several students, and there are many interviews with educators, support staff, students and parents about what education (and special education) means for them. Below are some of the quotes that made me think the most about the current state of special education and the inadequacies that are present even today. Throughout the film, a particular parent of a student named Richard, was a vocal advocate for the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Beyond advocating for her own son, she worked to help other students and parents understand the special education system and what they need to do in order to advo

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

While I was not a Disney obsessed child like some friends I had, I believe Disney played an important role in my childhood as source of entertainment and culture. I fondly remember watching many Disney classics such as Fox and the Hound or Robin Hood. As an adult, I primarily remember watching the movies that were unrelated to the princesses, likely because those were mostly directed towards typical female audiences. An exception that I recall would be the movie Mulan, which seemed more appealing as a child with its action and fighting. Additionally, I was fortunate enough to have been raised in San Diego, CA, which was only an hour away from Disneyland. Disneyland as an attraction was always a desirable location to go to, and one that was rare to attend as a family of 8. Regardless of background, everyone loved going to Disneyland if they had the means to do so. I also recall the 'playground status' given to students in elementary school that came back from vacations wea

Rethinking Schools: Ignoring Diversity, Undermining Equity

For this week's reading, I chose to read the article  Ignoring Diversity, Undermining Equity  by Katherine Crawford-Garrett. Professor Crawford-Garrett teaches at the University of New Mexico, and prepares preservice teachers for their service in schools, specifically teaching them literacy best practices. I was immediately drawn by the title of the article, and was curious to learn in what ways diversity was being ignored at the expense of increasing equity in schools.  Crawford-Garrett beings the article discussing a conversation she had with her Dean. There was a high-stakes evaluation of the school's curriculum by the National Council on Teacher Quality ( NCTQ ). Per NCTQ's website,  "The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research and policy organization that is committed to modernizing the teaching profession".  NCTQ was to come into the school, and evaluate whether the curriculum at UNM was up to the standards of t