Comments on: Culturally Responsive Teaching http://christycasey.edublogs.org/2008/02/28/culturally-responsive-teaching/ Just another Edublogs.org weblog Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:39:04 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: dawntaylor05 http://christycasey.edublogs.org/2008/02/28/culturally-responsive-teaching/comment-page-1/#comment-19 dawntaylor05 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:58:47 +0000 http://christycasey.edublogs.org/2008/02/28/culturally-responsive-teaching/#comment-19 Christy, I admit I was also "colorblind" when this school year started. Having worked with such a diverse population, color didn't appear to matter to me. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful or deny someone their heritage. I was just being a teacher who sees her students as individuals, who are made up of much more than just their skin color. Our students are so complex...they come to school with varying background knowledge and experiences, different home-lives, and families who have different expectations for school and learning (probably based upon their own school experiences!) My role, like you as a facilitator, is to provide all of my students with EVERY opportunity possible, particularly those not afforded to them in their homes. I liked Gorski's article from EdChange. The Seven Key Characteristics of a Multi-Cultural Education Curriculum do offer some practical suggestions, such as picking out literature to share with my class. These strategies make sense for everyone! This year has been a journey. I'm glad we are all in this together! Christy,

I admit I was also “colorblind” when this school year started. Having worked with such a diverse population, color didn’t appear to matter to me. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful or deny someone their heritage. I was just being a teacher who sees her students as individuals, who are made up of much more than just their skin color. Our students are so complex…they come to school with varying background knowledge and experiences, different home-lives, and families who have different expectations for school and learning (probably based upon their own school experiences!) My role, like you as a facilitator, is to provide all of my students with EVERY opportunity possible, particularly those not afforded to them in their homes. I liked Gorski’s article from EdChange. The Seven Key Characteristics of a Multi-Cultural Education Curriculum do offer some practical suggestions, such as picking out literature to share with my class. These strategies make sense for everyone! This year has been a journey. I’m glad we are all in this together!

]]> By: thinton http://christycasey.edublogs.org/2008/02/28/culturally-responsive-teaching/comment-page-1/#comment-18 thinton Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:17:12 +0000 http://christycasey.edublogs.org/2008/02/28/culturally-responsive-teaching/#comment-18 Christy, I am so moved by your honesty. I have been reading your WIKI comments, as well, and have learned so much. You mentioned being one of the teachers who "did not see color." As I read your post, there was a kinship to the way you described yourself and the love you felt for your students. I used to think that it was disrespectful to my students and their families to point out differences, whatever they might be. I tried very hard to make each child feel special, loved, and appreciated for who they were. Afterall, aren't we all souls just trying to make our way through life? At birth we had no choice in how we came into this world, of who our parents were, the circumstances underwhich we were conceived, nor of what our station in life was. I have always tried to be the 'helping hand' to make a positive difference in the lives of my students. I think in the past, I, and many others I know, have been afraid to even mention color because we don't want to be perceived as being judgmental. What if we didn't express ourselves well? Perhaps the words we used could be misinterpreted. Why risk someone misunderstanding our intentions? It is much less traumatic to 'stay safe' than risk hurting someone or gaining a label as someone who is not tolerant. As a result of this class and open and honest discussions such as yours, I am gaining knowledge and taking risks - undergoing a paradigm shift. Christy, I am so moved by your honesty. I have been reading your WIKI comments, as well, and have learned so much. You mentioned being one of the teachers who “did not see color.” As I read your post, there was a kinship to the way you described yourself and the love you felt for your students. I used to think that it was disrespectful to my students and their families to point out differences, whatever they might be. I tried very hard to make each child feel special, loved, and appreciated for who they were. Afterall, aren’t we all souls just trying to make our way through life? At birth we had no choice in how we came into this world, of who our parents were, the circumstances underwhich we were conceived, nor of what our station in life was. I have always tried to be the ‘helping hand’ to make a positive difference in the lives of my students. I think in the past, I, and many others I know, have been afraid to even mention color because we don’t want to be perceived as being judgmental. What if we didn’t express ourselves well? Perhaps the words we used could be misinterpreted. Why risk someone misunderstanding our intentions? It is much less traumatic to ’stay safe’ than risk hurting someone or gaining a label as someone who is not tolerant. As a result of this class and open and honest discussions such as yours, I am gaining knowledge and taking risks – undergoing a paradigm shift.

]]>