7/7 Class Reflection

In discussing Fanon and Freire I found myself tracing the roots of oppression and becoming extremely bogged down in noting the reality of where these roots have grown to today. Both Fanon and Freire discuss the visibility of oppression in times of war and colonization, but here we are in the year 2011 and too many of us are unable to see these once wildly visible lines of human suffering and cognitive starvation. How can I, as an educator, begin to dig up these roots in order to show them to my students in all their unblushing reality? The "cultural constellation" of the U.S. Public classroom itself is plagued with the nuances and subtleties of oppression and racism. Delpit forces us to re-position our educational perspectives and seek out ways to overcome the damaging effects of our ancestors and be continually plotting new ways to reach "other people's children." My discussion group last Thursday spoke of the sometimes harmful ways in which ignorant teachers attempt to create culturally inclusive environments. We decided that if you find yourself celebrating any type of "Day", things have gone horribly wrong. For example, "Cultures of The World Day" always fell around Christmas time at Burlington High School. This "gathering" in the cafeteria was not enlightening, it served to only further exotify these poor students and make them seem even more heavily pushed to the outskirts of the school's middle class, American culture. In celebrating these students "cultures", students left with an even more clouded sense of who these students were and what kinds of cultural celebrations they observed. We must find ways to empower our diverse students from within the classroom so that they avoid feeling the "guilt" and "inferiority" that Fanon describes. Throughout the course of this year I will be actively seeking ways in which to make my classroom a room of many people who can actively draw on one another's experiences and identities in hopes of answering the world's largest questions.