In both chapters three and four, Milner focuses on black female teachers teaching in a suburban white schools, and black males and females in diverse urban schools. Milner focuses both chapters on cases studies that diversity curriculum and instructional opportunities can become apparent in mostly white spaces (white school environments). In the first case study in chapter three, Milner highlights that race and diversity should be incorporated into a school curriculum even if the school population is mostly white. Milner argues that all students live in a multicultural society which forces students to understand and accept others and how they may experience the world. Additionally in the case study Milner states that some people feel that race and diversity is insignificant in pronominally white schools when a parent becomes unfavorable with interracial dating among students, or parents do not favor their children being taught by black teachers. Building experiences within a school setting will later support what students will later encounter in life.
“You teach what you know, you teach what you’ve experienced; you teach who you are…My students know me. They know how I live, and there’s no misunderstanding, no misinterpretations about that. I am a black woman, and they need to understand that there are some differences between myself and them.”
-Dr. Johnson, suburban high school language arts teacher
In the above quote, highlights a bit of Dr. Johnsons experiences as a teacher, and further explains how important matters of race are mainly in white spaces.
Chapter four focuses on teachers race and if it is significant or insignificant in the classroom and how it plays a role in construction learning opportunities for their students. In this chapter a case study was formulated from a black male teacher who believes that being black is an advantage being that most of his students are black. The teacher argues that students can relate to the teacher because of his ethnicity. On the other hand, he reasons that the effectiveness of his classroom comes from his teaching style, how he teaches, and his management skills. Milner then highlights in the case study those students will initially become attached to the teacher because of the race but over time if the teacher is not effective, students will lose the connection because a connection between a student and a teacher is deeper than race and gender. I feel that Milner’s case study helps support my belief on black teachers in both an all black and all white school. I feel that any person that is trained well in becoming a teacher can learn how to appropriately become effective. As Milner stated the outside color is seen for only so long. For many things the inside shines brighter that what is seen from the outside. Our world view of teaching is to engage students and be effective regardless of what you may appear to be. In this chapter I truly appreciate Milner supporting whites in black schools and blacks in white schools. Though there is a difference in ethnicity I feel that teachers are models for students and teachers take on the role to support their students as well as bridging opportunity gaps in the classroom.
Great post Jessica, I like how you highlighted an important quote to show how race in teaching is viewed. It seems as if your author points to the claim that race is insignificant as a teacher in the classroom, because teachers should be able to bridge the gap in their teacher-student relationship regardless of race.
ReplyDeleteMy author has a different viewpoint on race in the classroom. In my book "Other People's Children; Cultural Conflict in the Classroom" by Lisa Delpit, she paints a picture of mostly African American students within the classroom and how they are mistreated. My author would make the claim that unless a teacher has been through that student's situation, has a similar lifestyle as them, or comes from the same background, they will judge the student and not understand them. My author does not believe that teachers of different backgrounds and races do this on purpose, but rather because it is all that they know. She would point out that a white teacher in an all black neighborhood would not be able to assimilate to the culture, and she wants to open the eyes of educators and help them to see more like your author.
My author would support your author's claims as an ideal viewpoint of any educator, but my author, Lisa Delpit, would say that it is exactly that at this point, ideal.
I encourage you to continue to provide great blogs, I enjoyed reading yours.