The article I read
titled, “Strong is the Silence: Challenging Interlocking Systems of
Privilege and Oppression in Mathematics Teacher Education” states that
“it is time to consider math
teacher educators’ (MTE) knowledge and practice—their preparation and their
research agendas, frameworks, approaches, and strategies for action toward
equity in relation to the interlocking systems of privilege and oppression
within which they (we) operate.”
The authors propose that MTEs should do this by 1.) looking at diverse schools and relatively homogeneous
teaching populations, 2.) focusing also on mathematics teacher educators to
create systems of equitable work, and 3.) understanding oppression and
privilege as interlocking systems.
This article mentioned
how schools in the United States are 90% White and that 43% of K-12 students
are of color. It said that White
teachers state that they claim a color-blindness approach. This bit of information made me really
question myself. If I were to
answer honestly, I would claim that I too take the color-blindness
approach. But what is the
alternative to this? Is it to say
that we see color or that we acknowledge that we have a diverse classroom? As a white female, I do not know the
alternative route to take in terms of a color-blindness approach or
noncolor-blindness approach.
The article also
stated “it is well-documented that teachers hold lower expectations for
students of color and those from poor families than they do for White middle
class students”. I do not believe
that I am a teacher that has lower expectations for students of color and from
poor families, but is this too something that I am unaware of doing? I felt like the article was trying to
say that White teachers are unaware of doing this, and yet it happens. So am I one of the teachers who fall
into this category? And how do you
fix the problem of holding lower expectations for different groups of students
if you are unaware of doing it?
I appreciate your insight as a teacher and have to say I'm a little surprised by this. The last quote particularly strikes me. If teacher's are holding lower expectations for teachers of color, doesn't that contradict the statement of teacher's claiming color-blindness? I think there is a point to be made about teacher's worrying about a student's situation at home versus a student's ability. I would hope that it isn't the case that teacher's worrying student's ability simply because they are of color. Perhaps there is a worry about the situation at home? It is concerning that there isn't a way to address the issue of holding lower expectations if you are unaware of holding them.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if the paper you read talked about this in light of standardized testing, but it brings a new dimension into the conversation; In our K-12 system, do we value a set amount of knowledge that allows us to compare and contrast knowledge without regard to individual situations and learning styles?
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