Talking about Race in the Classroom

The importance of discussing race and different aspects pertaining to race is highly critical in shaping an individual. Racial dimensions need to be discussed to fit the needs of a school system that has an increase in diversity. Those diverse students’ necessities need to be met in order for them to properly thrive in school. Though addressing the subject is difficult it still needs to be addressed to help create a safe place for kids of all minorities.

As educators we need to be able to openly discuss race and ethnicity confidently, without bias or without a fear of addressing the subject. If students observe that their teacher will barely address the issue of racial minorities or ethnicity differences then students will be less willing to learn about other cultures. Educators also need to be educated about other ethnicities, races and genders so that they do not misinform students. Educating teachers can also aid in abolishing stereotypes and negative opinions formed from personal experiences.  

An article titled Different perceptions of race in education: racial minority and white teacher’s converses about the race in education, the role of teachers, and in-depth case studies pertaining to the subject. The authors Thomas R. Klassen and Paul R. Carr state “Our findings indicate that investigation of the diverse needs of racial and ethnocultural groups is required.” (Klassen and Carr 1997)

The article provides a perspective of how white and minority teachers integrate other cultures in their daily lessons. He further elaborates by saying “Many racial minority teachers also perceived that White teachers were rewarded for pursuing antiracist education or equity issues in general, whereas racial minority teachers pursuing the same issues were made to feel that they were unidimensional or somehow "obsessed" with race and racism.” (Klassen and Carr 1997) The results display that there is a divide in teaching ways between the two types of teachers. It is perceived that the white teachers teach focusing on the majority of students of; the minority teachers tend to focus more on the minority students.  An effective strategy is to integrate both lessons displayed by the teachers and implement activities that get students out of their comfort zone learning about other cultures. I think another beneficial strategy is to provide stimulating class discussions about race and events pertaining to race.  

Klassen, T. R., & Carr, P. R. (1997). Different perceptions of race in education: Racial minority and white teachers. Canadian Journal of Education, 22(1), 67. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215380055?accountid=159965

Breaking a Social Norm

My name is William Oliver and I am a sophomore at the University of North Georgia. This Blog is for my Exploring Socio-Diversity class that pertains to the education field. This week we were asked to break a social norm and observe how others reacted.

For my social norm I decided to say goodbye every time I answer the phone or answer the phone and remain silent. I chose to break this norm because it was simple yet held a surprising amount of connotation to a phone conversation. When answering the phone the appropriate thing to do is greet your guest on the other line. This is a norm of American culture that signifies mutual respect and common courtesy for others. When I answered the phone I received a large amount of reactions. When I answered with goodbye or nothing at all there was always a large amount of confusion and awkward wait time. The best reaction that I received was from my grandmother she called me and I answered with goodbye and she just simply hung up the phone, called back and said that’s rude and hung up the phone.  I did not see the amount of disrespect a simple word can do until I received some of the reactions. The hardest part was answering calls from people outside my immediate family.  If my coworkers or managers called it was extremely awkward to carry on a serious conversation.

I think this relates to culture because it is said that saying hello opens the line for communication. This little action put in perspective how people in American culture value respect and courtesy. People expect that courtesy should be given to everybody and that it is a required thing. In the American culture they want people to be civilized and partake in small and large etiquettes. I believe that if people do not show a meek courtesy of hello they are instantly judged and perceived as bad-mannered. Overall I found this very thought-provoking for such a small act.

Thank you for reading,

William Oliver