Political or Personal Discourse: A White Teacher Talks About Race
Is it asking too
much to include them all? Is it too much to ask our schools to encompass the
mixture of all these kids’ lives, in what they read, in whom they see? And my
frustration, even my anger, is to realize, every day, in different contexts,
that we are not even close to including them. (Landsman, 2005)
Writing has a purpose. The author
has a reason to write, whether it is to inform, entertain, or persuade his or
her audience. Julie Landsman has the background and experience within the
education field and working with at-risk students. She has seen first-hand the
struggles and triumphs these kids, their families, and their communities cope
with. This has given her inspiration and a strong purpose for writing her book,
A White Teacher Talks about Race.
Author’s
Purpose
A lot of debates encompass
education, and these discourses are extremely complex since educational
concerns are personal and political. In the U.S., we claim that we are country
of equals and that all deserve an education. If all humans have a natural right
to education, then education should include the perspectives of the individuals
within our society. Julie Landsman uses the following questions to instill her
thesis in the minds of her readers: “Is it asking too much to include them all?
Is it too much to ask our schools to encompass the mixture of all these kids’
lives, in what they read, in whom they see?” (Landsman, 2005). Landsman has
taken a positional stance that educators, administrators, politicians, and the
general public need to support an inclusive atmosphere for white, black, brown,
or yellow, dark or light.
Support
Landsman supports her argument that
classrooms need to be inclusive for all racial backgrounds, rather than
claiming to be “color-blind.” This is not the answer the education system
needs. As an individual, Landsman “cannot deny their perception of the world.
Rather, I have to start with an understanding of this perception, go on from it
and plan with them how they will study, make it in college, stay on the job”
(Landsman, 2005). Students come into classrooms with their personal
experiences, and these experiences have been affected by their racial
backgrounds. So how can a teacher hope to engage students by ignoring a trait
that helps define their lives? With a lot of difficulty, but many teachers
claim it is difficult to reach out to their cultural backgrounds. The path is
difficult no matter which fork you take, so now the decision rests with which
path leads to results.
If students cannot connect to a
teacher or the curriculum, they can make the conscious decision to “not learn.”
These students find ways to discredit their teacher or the material being
taught. In his book, H. Kohl explains that “Not-learning tends to take place
when someone has to deal with unavoidable challenges to her or his personal and
family loyalties, integrity, and identity” (1994). When the students cannot
relate their lives to what is being taught to them, they will continue to focus
on the larger, higher order problems of their lives, such as homelessness,
divorcing parents, or their parents’ financial situation. What does this have
to do with race? Statistics show that blacks and other minority groups are more
likely to experience rates of poverty and have lower health (Levin, 2005). A
teacher cannot ignore that the relationship between hardships and race exist,
so to ignore a student’s racial background is to ignore his or her challenges. When
a teacher does not acknowledge the struggles individual students face, they
cannot teach to their needs, providing an inadequate education.
The road to providing an adequate
and relevant education is extremely difficult. A white teacher claiming to have
the same experiences as a black or Asian teenager is not legitimate. Landsman
explains her way of dealing with the situation: “I can make explicit what I
know about jobs and how to keep them, about finding homes, getting into
college. I also feel a responsibility to make sure I do this without asking them to give up anything of
their own culture, their own language” (Landsman, 2005). Do not deny a
student their experiences, especially when related to their racial or cultural
background. Those experiences are very real and play a role in their lives.
They are not the definition of their race, but their race is a small part of
who they are.
Evaluation
of Arguments, Opinions, & Issues
Landsman’s claim against
“color-blindness” is valid: “Whites are considered the norm, so are asked to
speak only for themselves as individuals.
We assume we do wrong as individuals.
Meanwhile, blacks are often expected to speak for and represent all blacks”
(Landsman, 2005). Not only is blame placed differently according to racial
lines, but it moves into academic areas. The “white man’s” history becomes the
correct history, because that is the view of the dominant culture. This
emphasizes a racial ideology that takes away from individuals and whole
communities. To fully understand history and other cultures, we need to embrace
their histories and incorporate them into our classrooms, otherwise we demean
our students.
Once students see themselves
belittled in the eyes of their teachers, they give up on learning. Kohl
explains, “Other causes of failure I searched for were mismatches between the
students’ language and the language of the schools or between the students’
experiences and the kind of experience presupposed by their teachers or the
reading of texts” (Kohl, 1994). Teachers need to communicate on a mutual level
with students. This is done by earning a student’s respect and engaging him or
her within the curriculum. Lessons should relate with the challenges within a
student’s life or personal interests. This engages students and earns their
respect by knowing the teacher has taken a genuine interest in their lives.
Personal
Response
As I read Julie Landsman’s book, my
expectations of the importance and roles of teaching were reaffirmed. One
reason I went into English education is because I know I can engage students
with literature and writing due to my enthusiasm, hard-work, love of
challenges, and want of knowing each student’s passion. I have always believed
that anyone can love reading as long as they find a book of relevance and
interest. My plan has always been to get to know each student’s background and
interests. Landsman’s work has reinforced the idea that greater levels of
learning can take place when teachers try to see each student as an individual.
Sheila is
Sheila. She does not represent ‘teenage mothers’ or ‘African-American’
teenagers. Just as Sarah is herself: a model, a novel reader, a homeless young
woman; so Sheila is herself: a whiz at computers, a good writer, a mother of
one daughter. This is how I struggle to see them, to see every part of them. It
takes patience with ourselves to get rid of the impulses we were brought up to
feel. I believe it can be done. (Landsman, 2005)
The inspiration I have
taken from A White Teacher Talks about
Race, I Won’t Learn from You, and
The Social Costs of Inadequate Education
will continue with me each time I walk into a classroom of individuals:
Sheila’s, Tyrone’s, Sarah’s, and Alan’s.
Works Cited
Kohl,
H. (1994). I won't learn from you and other thoughts on creative
maladjustment. New York, NY: The New Press.
Landsman,
J. (2005). A white teacher talks about race. Lanham, MD: First Rowman
& Littlefield Education.
Levin,
H. M. (2005, October). H.M. Levin (Chair). The social costs of inadequate
education. Paper presented at Teachers college symposium on educational
equity.
