Question 1 - How I think the aritcle will be useful to me as a teacher
I thought the article was very useful, since I am going to be teaching next year in a classroom that will likely be at least 80% African American students. I really identified with a lot of what she said white teachers do. I definitely phrase commands in the form of a question to try to lessen the appearance of power at work, but she makes a good point that as a teacher you are the authority and it is your job to teach the students how to survive in a world run by the culture of power. I think it will be interesting to talk to the parents of my students and see if they feel like they want their kids taught Standard English or if they would prefer that I practice a more all-encompassing style of teaching.
posted by Briana @ 6:53 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I agree that it will be incredibly interesting to talk to parents about what they believe their child needs. Afterall, parents do usually know what's best for their children. I do believe that authority in the classroom is a must for everyone. I don't think this just applies to African American students. Kids are stubborn are oftentimes in need of some structure. I've seen students rule the classroom many times, so be sure to be firm with the students and don't let them walk all over you. Good luck next year!
I agree that classroom authority is important to have alongside doing things like asking things in a non-powered way. I've have instructors who would rather try to be nice to everyone than really teach--real teaching involves helping students actually learn and not babying them. Authority can be established without the power aspect and this seems to help students really succeed.
I had never realized how frequently people I know, mainly white teachers and parents, form commands in the form of questions. Before reading this article I also never realized that this gives an advantage to students who come from backgrounds which enable them to recognize these questions as commands, not as options. It is definitely something to keep in mind when teaching minorities.
It's good that Delpit's article has given you more insight into teaching with an all-encompassing style. Delpit mentioned that those hostile to different teaching methods can be other teachers, so it would be interesting to see if your fellow teachers are supportive of using multiple instructional methods. Hopefully they will be.
I tried to post this comment earlier, so please excuse me if I have a duplicate post.
I think it is useful to ask parents how they want their children to learn. At the same time, I think a teacher has the responsibility to explain to parents what might be expected of students in their futures if the parents are unsure for any reason. I think a balanced exchange is most useful, and the thing not to do would be to ignore parental input altogether.
Also, I found this comment interesting: "if they would prefer that I practice a more all-encompassing style of teaching."
I can't really imagine a situation where a parent wouldn't want an all-encompassing education for their child. In this vein, the most difficult task would probably be developing and actually implementing this sort of teaching style.
I don’t think the issues of language and power brought up in Delpit’s article are limited to experiences between Black and White students and educators. I know a teacher who has struggled with these issues but her students are predominately White. They come from low-class, uneducated families. This teacher noticed her students’ poor grammar skills in class and after conferencing with their parents, realized that the incorrect grammar was passed down directly from parent to child. She felt bad correcting her students in class when she knew she was indirectly telling them that their parents were also wrong. She learned to let many things go. After some time, she realized that that was unfair to her students and they deserved to be taught correctly, even if it could potentially embarrass them. The point to my little story is that issues like these do not only arise between people of different races, but of contrasting economic statuses as well. I also agree with you that there should be communication between parents and teachers.
Give some thought to whether asking the parents what approach they prefer could end up putting you in a difficult position. By asking, you imply that you will change if they request it. They may make requests that you can't follow through on for one reason or another. Because you are young, they also might see the question as lack of confidence. The first thing parents want is for their children to be safe in the classroom and to know the teacher is in charge. Several comments of your classmates related to this as well. Good luck with your teaching!
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