Some Scary Training for Teachers (Washington Post)
Provide some comments about whether and how the article you read relates to the Johnson text and/or your life/future life as an educator. Note: the comments at the end provide a variety of points of view ranging from agreement with the author to well-reasoned disagreement to knee-jerk reactions against the article. While I often try to steer clear of comments sections, skimming them can present a shorthand version of some of the most common ways of thinking about the topics at hand.
From our class discussion I sense that there are a variety of opinions about the politics suggested by Johnson's ideas. I hope that regardless of your initial reaction to Johnson's project that you will do some hard thinking about the ways in which Johnson, your own ways of thinking, and the needs of the children you serve/will serve might relate to each other.
Brittany Milteer
ReplyDeleteOdell Beckham Jr. or OBJ as many people refer to him as, is seen as an amazing receiver or as someone who is possibly gay. Why are people saying this? Looking at his stats and watching him play, yes it is clear he is a good player. However, he's deemed gay because of a few dancing videos. I think that is ridiculous! The article made valid points comparing a white athlete to a black athlete. It's true as a society we seem to cope or accept a white gay athlete more than a black gay athlete. Why is that? White privilege; whether we like to admit it or not has a lot to do with that. Athletes in general are seen as strong and tough, no matter the ethnicity or race. However, when it comes to race and ethnicity it is more acceptable for a white athlete to be gay while if a black athlete was it's a disgrace to society and his race/ethnicity. Being a future educator I think it's important to embrace diversity in the classroom, but it's imperative to teach acceptability and tolerance. No one is the same, if they were,the world would be boring. Our future students will not be the same.
"Why White Parents Won't Choose Black Schools" is an excellent article! It relates to everything Johnson has said on so many levels. And the level of truth that stems from this article is groundbreaking.
ReplyDeleteParents advertise for diversity, good education, and well-rounded neighborhoods, yet they flea from any opportunity that isn't the ideal scenario: they want diversity, just not too much. This statement hit me hard and I agree 100% with it. The author illustrates the fact that white people want to define diversity on their own terms and in such, they are comfortable. Like Johnson, the author states how we should push ourselves and dare to make ourselves uncomfortable. "Discomfort is an unavoidable part of any meaningful process of change," says Johnson, but not many seem to believe this or follow it. They think that if they expose themselves to a little bit of (comfortable) change, it's enough, but it's not. In fact, people will go out of their way to avoid these common privilege issues, such as creating a charter school when a fantastic elementary school with all the criteria they are looking for is right around the corner. It's saddening that we do this to ourselves and our children. We need to give our children and ourselves the chance to experience life as the minority or non-privileged, then we can truly understand the concept of diversity, as well as breaking the silence of white privilege.
Jordan Lee
ReplyDeleteIn the book, Johnson discusses small ways that we can do something to address privilege and oppression. One of the ways he suggests is to “openly choose and model alternative paths.” In the article Why White Parents Won’t Choose Black Schools, that is exactly what the white mother did. The article discusses how white people living in this neighborhood refuse to send their children to the neighborhood school, which contains primarily black students. They send their children to schools outside the neighborhood and are looking to create a charter school “that centers on diversity” as an alternative to the neighborhood school. This is quite ironic, considering that if they sent their children to the neighborhood school, it would in fact become a diverse school. This article highlights how privileged whites can be blind to oppression. They gossip about the neighborhood school and tell strangers not to enroll their children, without even looking in to the credentials of the school. The article states “The people moving into my neighborhood want their children to have a diverse upbringing, but not too diverse.” I think that this statement alone is so powerful. People like that idea of diversity but only if it is predominantly their race with other children still participating.
Reading the comments that went along with the article was also eye opening. Almost every comment read “there is nothing wrong with wanting your child to go to the best school,” and ironically white people made majority of the comments. Although I can’t disagree that there isn’t anything wrong with wanting your child at the best school, but what defines a good school? It seems from the article that the school is well established and has made significant strides. In reality, are we defining the school as best because of the predominant race residing in it or because it is truly giving our children the best educational experience?
Emily Meade
ReplyDeleteI read the article about Odell Beckman Jr. and think its absolutely ridiculous for people to question his sexuality because of a video of him dancing with a friend. His athletic, black masculinity stereo type suggests that his dancing shows that he is obviously not a straight man... how absurd is that? I think its sad that white men are given more leeway for expressing themselves. I thought it was a good comparison using Channing Tatum as an example. I've seen some "feminine" dancing from him and have never heard anyone question his sexuality. People are always looking for something to pick on celebrities about. Odell was having a good time with his friends, and regardless of his sexuality he is a great athlete who deserves to be where he is today. His personal life shouldn't effect his fan's views of him. As a future educator, this issue alarms me that we need to do more to level the playing field when it comes to diversity in the classroom. We have come a long way with black/white stereotypes, but definitely have more work to do. It should but a goal of today's educators to model acceptance of all races, sexualities, disabilities, ethnicities, etc.
Andrew Cramer
ReplyDeleteI chose the article “Why White Parents Wont' Choose Black Schools”. First, I must say I have never thought much about the “white privilege” before this class and reading the book “Privilege, Power, and Difference.” I see Johnson’s point that it is easier for me as a white male to ignore my “white male privilege” than it is for someone that is not a white male. I did not purposely ignore the privilege I was programed to ignore race privilege.
When I retired from the military I had spent 22 years in the Army. I was 20 years old when I joined so I had spent almost my entire adult life not thinking about who was privileged and why. As a matter of fact during the first briefing I received when I joined the Army I learned that I was no longer white I was now green. Many of my brothers in arms have different backgrounds and cultures. We celebrated our differences talked about where we grew up, but we had one mission and depended on each other equally. To this day I can count on them and trust them in any situation.
I grew up in the era when white children were bused into black schools to create diversity. When we moved from Germany to Georgia I was one of the very few white kids at my school. I never felt discriminated against or privileged. So I guess my parents sent me to a black school.
My son was reading below level and diagnosed with dyslexia in the 2nd grade. At that point we took him out of private school and placed him in public school because the services were better for his specific earning disability. After he finished elementary school we choose to send him to a middle school where he was one of six white kids that attended the black school. They had the Wilson reading program, which is a proven program for dyslexic children. I guess some white people will choose black schools for their kids after all.
Madison Kilgore
ReplyDeleteThe article “Why White Parents Won’t Choose Black Schools” is a perfect example to complement’s Johnson discussion on white privilege. The white parents are judging the quality of the school based on the neighborhood and the population of the school, not the teachers or method of instruction. White privilege comes in because these parents first assume that because the school is mostly a different race is a lower quality school with no actual evidence. And second they believe because they are white their kids deserve a better school in the first place. These parents aren’t telling the parents of the black students they need to move to a different school, why do they think it is okay if the black students go to a “lower quality school”?
Another interesting point of the article was on that the parents wanted diversity but on their terms. The author commented that “it is just way easier for white kids to talk about black history at a white school” and it is true. We are uncomfortable talking about these things and using words like “racism” and “sexism” but like Johnson pointed out we can’t stop talking about it and we can’t not use this language because if we don’t talk about it then we are ignoring the problems and making no progress towards a solution. The article really helped make Johnson’s points clearer and continue to challenge my thinking on the topic of privilege.
The article, “Why White Parents Won’t Choose Black Schools,” directly relates to the Johnson text in that both discuss “paths of least resistance.” In the article, a white mother who sends her daughter to a predominantly black school is criticized by other white parents and often whispered about. The white mother probably feels uncomfortable, as anyone would feel in that situation. With that said, the article asks, “But why are we choosing easier and comfortable?” The white parents who do not send their children to the predominantly black, neighborhood school are choosing easy and comfortable. They are choosing ‘easy and comfortable’ because they do not want their children to be a minority in the school, they do not want their children to learn in a classroom with other students who do not share similar life experiences. According to Johnson, “discomfort is an unavoidable part of any meaningful process of change.” The mother in the article is a prime example of someone looking to participate in the process of change. Although she becomes angry and frustrated, she focuses on listening to the “problems” of other white parents, something that Johnson advises everyone to do: “learn to listen.”
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi, it's Mary Krevonick. This is my blog post. :)
DeleteI knew there was going to be a lot of reactions (good ones too) to the "Why White Parents Won't Choose Black Schools" article, so I decided to read a different one for the heck of it. I read "Some scary training for teachers", which I thought was more relevant to what I have constantly been thinking about as I sit in Ethics. Basically the article talks about how certain education programs train their soon to be charter school teachers in NYC. They tell them these pre-service teachers that they need to be a badass and ninja-like. Since I want to move to NYC and know so many people there already... I have some background knowledge on what it is like to attend a charter school in NYC. IT IS SO TRUE that many charter schools do not allow their students to talk in the hallways (as mentioned in this article). In addition , it is very common to hear teachers aggressively yelling at their students during lessons or activities, because that is simply the culture of the school. I personally know NYC teachers who have left charter schools and move to teaching in public schools, who actually find it hard to NOT YELL at their students when their students don't understand a concept or act up behavior-wise. It kills me to hear all this information coming from NYC teachers. Why is it that people assume that if they are going to teach in inner-city schools that they have to be an aggressive teacher who is capable of yelling a lot????? SUCH A GREAT MISCONCEPTION. I think this article relates to Johnson in a less direct way. This article gets you to remember that when you are teaching, you are teaching human beings. We have to remember that not everyone is the same or what you think they are, so get rid of your assumptions. You don't need to be some scary teacher to teach students in the city, because surprise, ya'll... not every student from the city is a trouble-maker or needs someone to yell at them to do well in school. For us, because we are educators, that is common sense, but you would be surprised to how many people in the education field think otherwise!
ReplyDeleteI read the article, "Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Toxic Black Masculinity." It is honestly so absurd that because he has a video of him dancing with a male friend, people are labeling him as gay. This whole article is discussing black masculinity, which is built by society and reinforced by the community in which we all live in. It blows my mind that white men doing the same things can be labeled as "artistic" while black men are labeled as "gay." For example, the video of Channing Tatum dancing is way more feminine than the video of Odell Beckham, but he is not labeled as gay. My hope is that more men (black and white) will break away from the stereotypes and help to expand the boundaries of what masculinity looks like in our society. As a future teacher, I will create an accepting classroom environment that focuses on celebrating each unique individual. I will focus on diversity and multiculturalism. I will also encourage my students to push away from the stereotypes. In this case, I would encourage the boys in my classroom to have fun and not be so worried about looking masculine. People are free to express themselves how they want and they shouldn't have to be worried about what other people think...
ReplyDeleteStephanie Furnish
ReplyDeleteI chose to read “Why White Parents Won’t Choose Black Schools” and it directly relates to everything Johnson says in Privilege, Power, and Difference. The parents in these neighborhoods like the IDEA of diversity, however, that diversity has to be up to their standards. This article also directly relates to me as a teacher in Richmond and eastern Henrico, as well as my life in general. At my practicum school, Fairfield Middle, I spent an entire day there a few weeks ago. That whole day I only saw two white kids, and they were in an IB history class.
The author of the article talks about being uncomfortable, being the minority, and how it’s actually beneficial to their children. Just because a student is black does not mean their less-than, disruptive, or violent. I don’t want to go into too much detail because this will be touched on in the presentation tonight, but the fact that a school may have more black students doesn’t mean it’s automatically a bad school. And those parents at the pool who warned the author about sending her child there are ignorant, bigoted, and close-minded.
I choose to read "Why White Parent Won't Choose Black Schools", because I felt like it could relate to the readings and the book I read the Five Miles Away But a World Apart. My boyfriend and I are also looking for a house, and his mother is always going against places that I am looking at saying that it is not a "good" area. She is not comfortable talking about white privilege. She and the white neighbors fits Johnson's books in some many ways. I feel like she fits the stubborn and also the myth that "IT's always been that way and it will always be that way".
ReplyDeleteI did read people's reaction to the blog and was shocked and horrified by people's ignorance. Some thought there was some kind of curve on the school's test scores due to affirmative action. I just wish people would take time to research or educate themselves before they make decisions or ignorant comments. They are choosing what Johnson refers to the path of least resistance and the charter school is like when Johnson quotes "Power concedes nothing without demand. I try to make an effort as the author says that does not have to be earth-shaking. I let people know that I do not agree with their perspective, but I try to do respectfully. I explain I do not agree with their jokes or views. I try to explain the merits of schools I have been and ask them not to be so persuaded by popular opinion without any substantial proof. Take a step in a Richmond School. There are bad schools in RPS and there are great schools and I believe a lot of it depends on the community.
"Why White Parents Won't Choose Black Schools" relates to white privilege. The parents in the article would start a charter school before sending their children to a school where they would be the minority. Sending their children to the neighborhood school would seem wrong to many because they have always lived as a person in the privileged category and they and their white children have never had to be the minority.
ReplyDeleteI also believe the article could be holding back information. Do we know that the parents are making these decisions only based on the fact that most of the children that attend the school are black? The parents may have other reasons, such as test scores and lack of certain instruction in the school in which parents may be basing their decisions.
Corinne Tilley
ReplyDeleteI also read the Some Scary Training for Teachers article and found that it definitely relates to Johnson in a less direct way. Johnson discusses how institutional racism has lingered post-Civil War and, despite optimism from black writers and theorists, "playing by the rules" hasn't helped. I would argue that currently, most institutional racism and policies are not written or upheld with the explicit intent of keeping black people down. Such policies were absolutely created with that in mind, but the way they are upheld is more of a “this is just how it's always been” mindset rather than an intentionally racist one (though they are still very racist and need to be abolished).
This type of teacher training program seems to be straight up structured to keep black people down. As mentioned in the article, people can say “urban” and “inner city” and “troubled” all they want, but they mean “black” and “poor” and they know it. Anyone who has talked to me for more than five minutes knows that I already think that charter schools are destroying education in the US, but this is just too much. It's one thing to just HAPPEN to have a school full of primarily black students who are explicitly being told that they are not allowed to challenge authority in any way shape or form, express themselves in any way, or even build a community and network of friendships or they will be me with verbal abuse. It's another when you are straight up saying 'yeah these urban students need a different kind of teacher'. It's awfully close to “well, black people are just genetically different from us so clearly they should x,y,z” which is not a mindset we need to go back to (though I did recently read a disturbing report on UVA med students who straight up do not believe that black people feel pain).
I would also like to ask the question: Gee, you know who would probably love teaching at a school like this? A school where they have absolute authority over a room of young, vulerable children who know that they can't say no to you? Pedophiles. If that seems hyperbolic, consider this: black children are twice as likely to experience childhood sexual abuse and the reason for this is generally believed to be poverty.
"Why White Parents won't Choose Black Schools"
ReplyDeleteThis article is terrific. I have always said that if parents were not so quick to find alternative schools for their children that the public school system would improve because there would be a stronger PTA and more money circulating which means more resources. However, I also understand why a parent would be nervous about sending their child to a school that isn't known for being great. I even catch myself looking at which schools are in the area when I look for a house to buy. I catch myself thinking, oh I love this house but those schools are terrible. It is a bad mindset to have because I should not be scared of my kids going to a certain school.
Amanda Kern
ReplyDeleteI read the article "Why White Parents Won't Choose Black Schools." It was very interesting as the woman described how her neighbors loved the neighborhood she lived in but were willing to live in the neighborhood beside hers in a house with less square footage but a higher cost to avoid sending their kids to the black school. But yet they want to open a charter school with a focus on diversity, but not too much diversity to end up like the black school they wanted to avoid in the first place.
I can definitely understand a parents concerns about sending their child to a school that doesn't have a great reputation. That is one of the biggest reasons my parents gave me the gift of private school education. They wanted me to have the best education I could by having smaller class sizes and no SOL's to lead curriculum.
This was a very interesting article and I can definitely understand both sides of it.
So, I originally read "Why White Parents Won't Choose Black Schools" to read but then I noticed almost the entire class chose that article as well, possibly because it seemed very relevant to our discussions this semester about the segregation of RPS?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I decided to read the article about Odell Beckham, Jr. instead. I noticed another commenter posted that the pressure to maintain an appearance of hypermasculinity as a black football player stems from white privilege. I cannot speak on that with total confidence, but I can speak from my limited "outsider" experience that I would consider this to be more of a "heteronormativity" issue or as Johnson called it heterosexual privilege. I watched a short documentary on rap and how being gay was a taboo for the African-American culture. There is this pressure embedded in the culture of African-American society that being gay would mean giving up your manhood and disqualify you from having respect and status. Look at the TV show Empire, where the record executive of a famous Hip-Hop label, Lucius Lyon tries to force his son, Jamal, to stay in the closet or he will be disowned and never successful. This occurring after years of berating and trying to "straighten" and "toughen" up his "weak gay son." Johnson touches on this in his book by examining how although all men are subject to male privilege, within the male category there are other factors that determine the extent of that privilege, including heterosexuality. The equivalence of this with being lesser than has very harmful implications for heterosexual males.
As a teacher, this can apply when I have male students that are simply interested in doing things that are considered more "feminine" such as dancing like OBJ and this may not be accepted by their peers or their parents. What that means for me, is that I have to strive to create an accepting climate in my classroom without disrespecting the rights of the parents and I worry about this. I tend to lean very liberal in my social views, and believe that everyone, including children, should be able to express and explore their identities and interests as dictated by their unique individuality. I am not sure I could bring myself to stifle a student's development and exploration of themselves to please a less-lenient parent, but I would never think to overstep my boundaries. I think it will definitely depend on the student, parent, school, etc., but time will tell.
I read the article "Why White Parents Won't Choose Black Schools." The title of the article seems a little unfitting. The school that her daughter goes to does not seem to be a school with just black kids and white kids since there seems to be a spanish speaking population. Even with that slight criticism, the article is one that I think many should read. It reminded me about how Johnson says that we cannot work towards fixing a problem if we do not address the problem by name. The other parents seem to want to fix the problem of their school not having enough diversity for them, but they don't want to see that the reason that they do not already have a diverse school is because they refuse to go to the one in their neighborhood. There's one line in the article that basically says that the parents want diversity on their own terms. To want it on their own terms does not make it seem that they really want diversity in their schools. This article really pointed out a lot of the issues that many white parents do not like to discuss because they feel uncomfortable, as was illustrated in the comments section. Many white parents criticized the author for her observations. They feel uncomfortable to discuss the real issue at hand.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my early education, I was blind to my privilege and culture. Because of this I was arguably like much of white culture that doesn’t necessarily believe that they have a culture, they just “are.” This is one of the privileges of being within the dominant race/class/ethnicity. You do not necessarily always have to be aware or hyper-aware of your race. As I studied in the Counselor Education program, and took cultural awareness courses, I became much more aware of who I was and how the dominant system in our society works to my advantage. I did not choose to be a white, “straight”, able-bodied male. I was born that way. Because of this though I have had advantages. As the Johnson reading describes, privilege does not equate to an easy or happy life, but I have reaped benefits and had a chance to get ahead in many ways simply because of my appearance; while others are discriminated against because of their appearance. It is easy to first meet this realization in defense, I surely was. I like many others quoted that I have worked extremely hard to get where I am today and am not but so fortunate when I think about bills, towering debts, and struggles, but over time and growth, I have really worked to educate myself and understand diversity, racism, sexism, heteronorms, and other cultures’ experiences. I ask questions of others when I am in doubt or want to know more. I try to make small strides by “checking” friends and family who might joke or speak in a hateful manner towards others or a given group without even realizing it at times. I try to use who I am and the perspective and experience that I have to help make others aware of harsh and sad realities of our society that not everyone is exposed to.
ReplyDeleteWith that I hope to form a greater understanding of the students and populations that I serve. In the past year I have done that even more so than before. I have worked with a mostly minority population, and I have seen that I have to gain students’ trust. It is not given willingly as it would if every student I serve was like me. And that is more than ok as I hope to share that I want to get to know them and will not base my judgments of them on appearance or other stereotypes. I also want to pass on hope, self worth, and belief in one’s self.
The articles posted are very thought provoking. I do not think the school segregation issue will go away anytime soon as long as parents are basing decisions on giving their children the “best.” Early education and education in general is such a competitive game. Parents are looking more for what will give their students the edge educationally and not looking for diversity I think. If diverse experiences come from the most competitive or highest test scoring schools then sure, but I think it is easy to see that this is not the case. Other arguments include that parents do not what their children to be influenced poorly by their peers, when the reality I believe is that there will be aspects of positive and negative peer influences anywhere. Majority black is something majority white is just not comfortable with or exposed to in many cases.
“Why White Parents Chose Black Schools” gives readers a great glimpse of what many white parent think about diversity. Everyone agrees what children need to be exposed to it in order to get a well-rounded education, but not on the same terms. They want diversity, but not “too much”. This article reminded me of a lot of the points that Johnson made. I found connections between the article and Johnson’s discussion about white privilege. These parents went to great lengths not to send their children to the “bad” school, so much so that they even wanted to create their own charter school. Their assumptions of this school were made based off of the racial population, not the educational quality based on what the author stated. I think this article can relate to the school system in Richmond and the surrounding counties. When I tell people I hope to get a job in the city, the majority of the reactions are negative and many will even “warn” me about the racial populations I will be dealing with. Many people just assume there is a definite quality of education and living based on the majority racial population in that area. Just like anything else, don’t just assume.
ReplyDeleteI chose to read the article about Odell Beckham Jr. I was completely shocked to hear that he was labeled as 'gay' simply because he was dancing with a male friend. Because he is a black, male athlete, there are stereotypes about the ways in which he should be doing things. To me, that is ridiculous. If a man wants to dance with his male friend, he should be allowed to do so without being labeled 'gay', if a man wants to wear tighter pants, he should be allowed to do so without being labeled 'gay'. As a future educator, I think it is very important to break down stereotypes, embrace the diversity of the community, and teach acceptance.
ReplyDelete-Paige Michanco
I read the OBJ article and was shocked to see that people would judge someone just on one small part of their life such as their choice in dance moves in one moment. Girls play football or sports does that make them more manly? It wasn't just compared to boys and girls doing opposite things he was compared to Channing Tatum who dances very "sexually" but not once has anyone said oh he must be gay or thought of him as less of a man for the way he dances. I think that is crazy dance is a way to express one self but the way you dance isn't a refection necessarily of who you are.
ReplyDeleteI read the OBJ article and was shocked to see that people would judge someone just on one small part of their life such as their choice in dance moves in one moment. Girls play football or sports does that make them more manly? It wasn't just compared to boys and girls doing opposite things he was compared to Channing Tatum who dances very "sexually" but not once has anyone said oh he must be gay or thought of him as less of a man for the way he dances. I think that is crazy dance is a way to express one self but the way you dance isn't a refection necessarily of who you are.
ReplyDeleteAs a future teacher this worries me and how I will be perceived for my personal life choices in my professional life. Will I be criticized for liking to play sports and watching sports? Will I be criticized for a concert I attend? Why does it matter what I choose to do in my personal life?
The comments made in "Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Toxic Black Masculinity" were actually not surprising to me. We see this often and it is a bit sad. The author compared OBJs dancing to that of Channing Tatum. Both of which received different responses. I have no doubt that situations like this will continue to occur until everyone beings to recognize it. In my experiences in Italy and here at the Sabot school, I learned that dancing is a form of expression. Students are able to dance to express the things they have learned. The link I just made between OBJ and education is important. We are going to be teaching a variety of students, those that choose to engage in dancing and those that choose to write a paper. It is vital to remind our students that differences are what make our school community so special. We also need to remove the stereotypes from our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteJamie Whittaker
ReplyDeleteI read the article Why White Parents Won’t Choose Black Schools and I feel it goes well with what I have read in the Johnson text. The white parents want diversity but not too much that they won’t consider sending their children to the neighborhood school. On page 128 of Johnson’s text, he says “Since privilege is rooted primarily in systems—such as families, schools, and workplaces—change isn’t simply a matter of changing people. The solution has to include entire systems whose paths of least resistance shape how people feel, think, and behave as individuals, how they see themselves and one another.” Instead of a charter school that would be predominantly white, these parents should choose the neighborhood school. It will be diverse and it may make the parent’s uncomfortable, but they will make a change for the system and their children will benefit so much from it.
I briefly skimmed through the OBJ article because I read a similar article when Tatum did the lip-sync thing and dressed up as Beyonce' on that late night show and there was a video circulating of OBJ dancing with a friend who is a black male.
ReplyDeleteIt does not surprise me at all on how the two are compared, but it does bother and frustrate me to see how African American men are looked at when/if they act "feminine." A black male can never be "free" without having some type of label, whether it's gay, soft, etc. I can name on numerous occasions when my black male friends have been called gay, just because he's wearing a slimmer pair of pants, nicely groomed, or whatever the case may be. The society we live in is pretty great (Said so sarcastically)!
Christeena Claiborne