Teach Out Proposal

CHOOSE A TEXT:
There have been many texts so far that have inspired me. For this topic, I would like to discuss Johnson - Privilege, Power, and Difference and The Silenced Dialogue by Delpit. We can’t fix problems like privilege if we refuse to talk about or admit they exist. People don’t get along well, and it’s partially because we are afraid of things that feel different or are unfamiliar. When people hear words like racism or privilege, they feel uncomfortable. They try to ignore or avoid them instead of trying to understand. People that hold the power (including many white educators) often don’t realize that they hold it and how it shows through in their classroom. Also even though we will hear out those marginalized students, educators, and colleagues, we are not actively listening. 


WHO DO YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH?
I would like to share these texts with my coworkers and other friends who are educators. I am interested to hear their thoughts and opinions in school that I am familiar with and those maybe outside my district/ type of school and be able to compare.


WHAT FORMAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU?
The format I would like to use is pamphlet mixed with individual interviews. I think I can present the information very straight forward in a pamphlet and add in a QR code where people can share their thoughts/ feedback. From there, I think it would be interesting to choose 2-3 to interview about their opinions/ thoughts.

Sex and Gender Based Systems

 Talking Points 

1. I found the PPSD policies hard to read. Everything they said and outlined for students deserve a safe and inclusive learning environment was great, but does it actually come to fruition? It states that all educators will have to participate in professional development on these topics, but do they? The policies seem broad compared to the reality which is much more complex. These written rules cannot account for every individual student situation, family dynamic, etc.

2. Both the PPSD and RIDE documents spoke about communicating different things to the families. These policies are trying to balance family involvement with protecting students who may not feel safe sharing their identity at home. Both documents are trying to support student well-being, but they emphasize different priorities; privacy versus collaborative communication. To me, it almost felt like they were keeping secrets  from families, even though it may be with good intentions.

3. I feel as though the queering our schools article really focused on building more inclusive communities and not just school environments. A lot of policies focus on bullying but as one labeled behavior when in reality we should be looking at the overall systematic issues such as sexism and homophobia. As educators, it is important to create supportive environments for all students and staff. We can do this by encouraging empathy and open dialogue towards these matters. 

Argument Statement

The PPSD policy argues that all students deserve a safe and inclusive learning environment free from discrimination based on gender identity or expression. 

The guidance from RIDE argues that schools must create safe, supportive, and nondiscriminatory environments for all students. It encourages schools to protect student privacy and comply with anti-discrimination laws. 

The queering our schools article argues that schools need to move beyond basic anti-bullying policies and actively challenge the assumptions that oppress LGBTQ+ students. It also emphasizes how educators should strive to build inclusive communities, openly discuss gender and sexuality, and intertwine LGBTQ+ histories and experiences into their curriculum. 

Making Connections

My school does not have a policy regarding gender identity, transgender, or gender expansive students. I work in a parochial school and in the Catholic Church, they teach that God created individuals as either male or female, emphasizing a biological, and spiritual unity that cannot be changed. The church opposes "gender ideology" and medical transition, but tries to emphasize treating transgender people with respect but I don't know how commonly that is practiced. A few years ago Target came out with a pride month campaign that included bathing suits. I remember one of my co workers, who makes her devotion to her faith very known, said she stopped shopping at Target because of it. I do not agree with her and thought it was a good thing they were celebrating pride, but she very much believes your sex assigned at birth is the only thing you can follow. She is a teaching aid and I think she makes great connections with the students but I wonder what types of things would be said to the students if they were questioning anything about gender. 

When I was student teaching, I taught a health elective class in a high school. My cooperating teacher had asked them what they wanted to learn about and one of the first units we did was talking about LGBTQ+ community and all of the terms and things that go with that. That was the first time I myself had really learned things like that. These terms and stories like this were never spoken about in my house or at school, being raised Catholic at home, being educated in and still teaching in a Catholic school. I still don’t feel comfortable speaking about these things because I feel like I still don’t fully understand but I’m interested to see all of your thoughts and experiences with this topic.

This topic also brought to mind the movie "She's the Man" with Amanda Bynes. She goes undercover and dresses as her brother for weeks just to prove that she is good enough to play against men. This quote from the movie is one of my favorites. You can watch the short clip HERE.

My way or the highway

 Talking Points 

1. On page 24, Delpit describes the culture of power and its five aspects. Number five states, “Those with power are frequently least aware of – or least willing to acknowledge – its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.” This power feels “normal” to those that have it. In schools, policies seem “fair”, but not seen as how it has been shaped by the dominant and more powerful views. These norms are not universal. Delpit argues that when those in power are conscious of it, thats when change happens. 

2. 
   Delpit said “What the school personnel fail to understand is that if the parents were members of the culture of power and lived by its rules and codes, then they would transmit those codes to their children.” This really resonated with me. It made me think of when we talked in class about language barriers. It is the dominant culture of power that schools “standard” is English. When students speak Spanish it is found to be informal and more a problem to “fix”. Parents who are Spanish-speakers may not understand these more unspoken rules found in classrooms of grammar and classroom participation that these schools expect. This also means they may not be able to help prepare their kids to meet these expectations. When students can’t meet these expectations, it can be seen as more of a shortcoming not a difference. 
   

3. “The teacher cannot be the only expert in the classroom. To deny students their own expert knowledge is to disempower them.” (Delpit, p. 32-33) By denying the students their own experiences we are silencing them. They can start to think all that they know does not matter and only “academic” knowledge is real. When the teacher is the “only expert”, it gives the notion that what they are teaching is the only “truth” but knowledge is not one dimensional. 

Argument Statement

The author, Lisa Delpit, argues that people that hold the power (including many white educators) often don’t realize that they hold it and how it shows through in their classroom. Also even though we will hear out those marginalized students, educators, and colleagues, we are not actively listening. We dismiss their experience and insights. 

Making Connections

On page 37, Delpit mentioned a quote from Foster’s dissertation. It talks about a teacher that was mean and pushed him to learn and dive deeper into the books they read. He was proud of the teacher’s “meanness”. It made me think of an instance a few weeks ago with the third grade teacher. She was telling me that her class labeled myself and one of the other specials teachers, the most strict teachers they have. She said one of the students described it as “they only get mad when you aren’t doing what you’re supposed to and they actually make us do our work”. When I heard that, I was filled with a sense of pride. They know that I hold them to certain expectations and they will be learning. The students know I hold them all to a standard. Not a standard of who can throw the ball the farthest or run the fastest but they all are capable of trying their best and treating themselves and others with love and respect. I do still think I have these good intentions towards the students and this standard, but I still have bias towards the students. I tend to favor the students that behave in a way that I have put forth is “the right way” in my position of power and that’s sometimes a hard pill to swallow.