7/19 Class Reflection

Like most of my peers, I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Narcisse as a guest speaker. I always admire people who can so thoughtfully and articulately "tell you how it is" (from their point of view, of course!). One point that stuck out to me is how he said he "doesn't save students, instead [he] teaches students how to save themselves." Although I would never say I want to "save a child," I do want to have a transforming effect on students so they view the world differently and want to become a change agent in it. I believe the heart of Dr. Narcisse's statement is empowering students and guiding them through that transformation. Another statement that stuck out to me was his breakdown of the two educational movements in the U.S. right now: 1) cultural reform 2) educational reform. I had never heard of the term "cultural reform," and was very intrigued by this idea. It sounds very much like putting the sociopolitical context of multicultural education into education--what most of our readings are advocating for.