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Blog Post #2

After reading, Race: Some Teachable and Uncomfortable Moments by Heidi Tolentino, here are my thoughts:

  • I understood Carlen’s reaction by stating, “You can never know what’s it’s like. You will never understand.”  However, I appreciate the fact that Jess was trying to understand and that should be acknowledged, too.  The teacher was trying to shed light on racism because those difficult conversations need to take place in our classrooms.  Our classrooms should be a safe haven for ALL of our learners.  One of the problems with racism is that we don’t have those open discussions about it and I believe that nothing will ever change if we don’t engage in those difficult conversations. 
  • Carlen’s reaction made me think of this video that I view as powerful and eye opening.  With all the racial events that have occurred in the world, my husband I had a similar talk with our daughters.  Procter & Gamble made this video which shows “the talk” that African-American parents need to have with their children this day in age.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovY6yjTe1LE
Image result for the talk by procter and gamble

 After reading, You’re Asian, How Could You Fail Math?, here are my thoughts:
  • The Myth of the Model Minority just reminded me about the importance of not stereotyping students in our classroom based on their ethnicity because it does more harm than good.  This notion is essential when teaching students across ALL ethnicities, not just Asian.  It’s important that we get to know all our students on a personal and academic level so that we can continue to meet the needs of all our learners more accurately.
  • This article also talked about the importance of making sure that all our students ethnicities and cultures are represented, displayed and taught in some way or form in the classroom.  This could be done by ensuring that your classroom fosters culture awareness.  Cultural awareness could be fostered in the classroom by  reading multicultural books, singing multicultural songs, and through cultural projects.  It’s imperative that our students are able to see and learn about various representations of their culture in their classroom settings.
  • To me, this image and quote says a lot in regards to the harm that the Myth of the Model Minority causes our Asian students.

Image result for image that explains the myth of the minorityRelated image
 

   

Comments

  1. Victoria RestlerJanuary 29, 2018 at 7:15 AM

    Thanks for your post and for sharing that video Porsche. I have so many thoughts after watching it!--especially about Black motherhood. Interesting that it's all women in the video who give "the talk." Also the video really highlights the extra burdens of worry, and extra labor of teaching kids how to navigate racism and build self-confidence in a racist world that falls on the shoulders of Black families. I wonder if and how teachers of Black children and children of color can/ do also take up these responsibilities?
    Best
    Victoria

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heidi FoxJanuary 29, 2018 at 7:08 PM

    Hi Portia,

    I am so glad you posted that Proctor & Gamble video. I didn't know anything like it existed and I feel kind of awed by it. My parents never spoke of race to me or my siblings growing up because it was not a "talk" they had received from their parents as children. The culture of my family is also not just to not talk about race, but to not talk about anything uncomfortable. We are supreme avoiders of discomfort and in my family's eyes, to put words to a thing creates something where there wasn't. Here is a powerful video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPVNJgfDwpw) in which Anderson Cooper reviews a project called "Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture." The end of this video touches a little on family differences regarding the race conversation, I found it really illuminating. More families should dialogue about race with their children. I really appreciate you sharing that video and also that snapshot of your life as a parent.

    Heidi

    ReplyDelete

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