When I first began the tutoring I didn’t know what to expect from the children. I knew that working in a title 1 school meant that I would be working inside a classroom where the majority would be at or below the poverty line. I also knew that most of the children I would be working with would be minority students. This is definitely not what I had experienced as a young student at their age. Thinking back to my experience as, I hadn’t really been immersed in a diverse classroom setting until I entered college, and even now many disagree that our college is a diverse setting. I attended a private grade school, and a private high school. I had never had any other children around me other than other white children. Since this was my social norm, I had never thought anything about it until I had entered high school, and there were maybe ten African American students in my school, and even fewer Hispanic students.
I was looking forward to what a diverse classroom would look like and how it would function. I had thought about how culturally rich and tolerant these students would become. I thought about the advantage they would have over a student in another school, who may be in the same situation I had been in growing up. What I found once I entered the classroom was the complete opposite of what anyone would call a diverse setting. The population of this classroom is primarily Hispanic students. I thought to myself that this is a worse setting than the experience I had described from my own account of being a young student. We have students who are all from lower earning class families, and we have them grouped together. They aren’t learning that there are other cultures, or other languages in the world to learn. This is segregation of the worst kind. Segregating children who are unaware of what is even going on. This kind of segregation is their social norm, just like it was my social norm. The difference is huge between the two. My social norm gave me an advantage over those who had less than myself, because I was taught that they just didn’t exist. I was taught that my life was important, and as god as my life was I should strive for better. I was never taught about those who felt like they couldn’t strive for better due to prejudices holding them back. Learning about prejudices didn’t happen until I was in high school, when I was gaining maturity, and understood important matters in a better way.
Allan Johnson discusses privilege, and how by being a particular race grants an individual undeserved rights. This is only obvious to those that have no privilege.. Many students are being taught from a young age their place in society. They are surrounded by those who are just like themselves. Worst of all they are unaware, as I was, that there are people different from themselves. These people that are different may either be suffering from injustices, or they may be the ones with all of the privilege. In either case the students are suffering. Those students who are considered “Privileged” are being robbed from cultural diversity they could possible learn from other students. Those who are considered to have a “lack of priviledge” may be unaware that they are in the position they are in until it feels too late for them. If a student’s classroom is a diverse setting from a very young age can possible lessen the opportunity of these students becoming adults who are unaware of the privilege that others have just because of their race.
I was looking forward to what a diverse classroom would look like and how it would function. I had thought about how culturally rich and tolerant these students would become. I thought about the advantage they would have over a student in another school, who may be in the same situation I had been in growing up. What I found once I entered the classroom was the complete opposite of what anyone would call a diverse setting. The population of this classroom is primarily Hispanic students. I thought to myself that this is a worse setting than the experience I had described from my own account of being a young student. We have students who are all from lower earning class families, and we have them grouped together. They aren’t learning that there are other cultures, or other languages in the world to learn. This is segregation of the worst kind. Segregating children who are unaware of what is even going on. This kind of segregation is their social norm, just like it was my social norm. The difference is huge between the two. My social norm gave me an advantage over those who had less than myself, because I was taught that they just didn’t exist. I was taught that my life was important, and as god as my life was I should strive for better. I was never taught about those who felt like they couldn’t strive for better due to prejudices holding them back. Learning about prejudices didn’t happen until I was in high school, when I was gaining maturity, and understood important matters in a better way.
Allan Johnson discusses privilege, and how by being a particular race grants an individual undeserved rights. This is only obvious to those that have no privilege.. Many students are being taught from a young age their place in society. They are surrounded by those who are just like themselves. Worst of all they are unaware, as I was, that there are people different from themselves. These people that are different may either be suffering from injustices, or they may be the ones with all of the privilege. In either case the students are suffering. Those students who are considered “Privileged” are being robbed from cultural diversity they could possible learn from other students. Those who are considered to have a “lack of priviledge” may be unaware that they are in the position they are in until it feels too late for them. If a student’s classroom is a diverse setting from a very young age can possible lessen the opportunity of these students becoming adults who are unaware of the privilege that others have just because of their race.
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the points you mske.I think that people of color are placed in a "hole" that society had dug out for them. After reading this blog, I think white people are also placed in this "hole." Each culture has something to offer to a different culture, but society is separating the two. How do we learn from each other? I did not the meaning of white priviledge until this year, but when I learned about it, I realized that it was around me all the time. I also understood my "lack of priviledge." Like the students in your classroom, I grew up attending Title I schools, where the majority of students were Hispanic or African American. My high school was deeply segregated like the school where you have your service learning experience.