Thank You Zina! for sharing the wisdom of Gloria Ladson-Billings! When I first read 'The Dream Keepers' I felt so empowered to work with youth and I knew that teaching was truly a calling and not just a job.
After having read (skimmed) other reflections I am finding myself in line with those that are asking the 'how' questions. How do we transform our classroom to create reflective, anti-biased, anti-racist students? How do I - as one individual - change others ideas about what it means to teach? How do I continue to work towards meaningful societal change when there are so many factors against said work?
I was thinking just the other day about what actions I am currently involved in that allow me to practice the theory that I'm currently receiving via readings, discussions, videos, etc. I realized that it is nice to be able to take this opportunity to listen and gather and reflect on these ideas/ideals before entering the classroom. Having this opportunity to develop a sense of what I value and what I truly want my classroom to look like (and by classroom I mean world because I like to think of the world as a school of the living) is wonderful and I must remind myself to be patient, to ask questions, and to remain optimistic that I can make a difference in this society...of course, taking this class is only a small piece of the puzzle, but a very important one nonetheless - you can't finish the puzzle without all the pieces, right?
Anyway, I look forward to more conversations about Multicultural Education - perhaps Francine could hook us up with the insider's scoop on Sonia Nieto (What Up UMass-Amherst!?) - and even more so the chance to act on all of the amazing resources I am acquiring day-in and day-out with all of you in this program.
REMINDER: USA vs. Japan Women's World Cup Finals Sunday at 2:45PM
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