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Friday, September 12, 2008
Anti-Oppressive Challenges
I'm so glad that an article like Kevin K. Kumashiro's is out. I had a critical theory literature class in college that concentrated on the "Other" theory and it was eye-opening and interesting for both us and the teacher. We got to ask questions that would normally be "taboo" and it brought us closer together as a class getting past the tensions and uneasiness of the subject material and our different viewpoints and opinions on that matter. And while I was thinking of my good experience with this theory in practice, I was wondering why I didn't get this knowledge (or rather the opportunity to "unlearn") sooner in high school... or even grade school! However, I think it has to do much with maturity levels. I don't know how I would react as a teacher if my sixth grade student, who was raised by heavily racist parents, comes into my class not wanting and not willing to look at something through a different viewpoint other than his own. Afterall, you cannot force someone to "unlearn" something or even learn something opposite of what they have been told all of their lives. I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how we as teachers might deal with these types of situations which might occur more often than we think.
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I also have often wondered how I would handle such a situation at the middle school level. As you have stated, you cannot force a child to unlearn information. Especially alarming here is the fact that pre-adolescent children many times look mostly up to their parents as role models. So if the parents are prejudiced against certain groups, these same beliefs will likely wear off on the children as well. Obvioulsy, it would be very tough for us, as teachers, to have as much influence on these students as their parents do. Especially when we consider that we will likely only be around the student for a few hours a day. In the end, I think that all we can do is to help the child to see the light in an objective manner. By this, I mean show the child what is socially acceptable behavior and why things are this way.
The last thing you (Shane) mentioned is that we must "showe the child what is socially acceptable behavior and why things are this way." In the reality of American culture, it doesn't seem that homosexuality is a socially acceptable behavior. I think you're saying that students should basically treat others how they want to be treated..?
It's frightening that someday we'll all be in situations somewhat similar to those mentioned by Kumashiro, whether it be about banning a book because of certain sexual content, race, or any other factor that unfortunately is stigmatized.
I think it's important we find out about and meet the resources (people) in our schools who are there to provide services that help in this type of situation. Also, if the school is lacking in these resources, it is necessary for us to advocate for this, because it is one of the main steps in working towards an anti-oppressive education for all.
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