In the article there is a part where the author writes a list of all the privileges that she and other whites have everyday that many other non-white people do not have. In the list she writes, "I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group". This line reminded me of the other day in class when we were discussing how we know Christianity is valued in our school system and Dr. Bogad spoke about being the only Jewish student in her third grade class. Sometimes it is almost as if there is one individual who is unlike the rest of the class they are asked to speak for the whole group that they belong to. This observation reminded me of the movie Freedom Writers and the scene in which there was a black student in an AP English class and the teacher asked what she thought the black community thought of the book they were reading. I could never understand why a teacher would call out on someone in that way especially when they really expect an answer from the student as if that student would be able to speak for everyone in their group. I wonder what other people's views on the question of whether it is acceptable for a teacher to ask a question like that or if it is a little bit rude?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQUJ2k93oZA
Hey Cathy, thanks for commenting on my blog. Hold your head up, you are clearly observant and compassionate. In your essay you connected experiences from different things in your life and from what you read which shows you are engaged in life. I can totally understand your discomfort over new things and places. I always say to myself there are people who do this everyday, certainly I can too. If you're not sure, ask questions. People generally want to help. And only you know you're nervous. Breath, you will do just fine. We have a great class and you can find your support there.
ReplyDeleteCathy! I loved how you related this piece to Freedom Writers. It was such a great movie and is very comparable with this piece! It's terrible that a teacher would point out someone for not being like the other students, but I wonder if they do it on purpose or involuntarily. I'm sure they don't mean to specifically point out one individual, but I wonder what comes to their mind when they do.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you brought up a very interesting point with history class. I've never realized that they rush certain topics and not others. I'm not sure if it's because of their book or if, like you said, they're uncomfortable with the topic. That's a really good point and it stumped my mind. You did a great job explaining this piece!
Hi Cathy! You did a really nice job with this post! I love how you connected the article with the movie; I haven't seen it, but based on the trailer it seems like it connects very well with the topic of race and white privilege. I agree with your statement about history classes in schools being one-sided (I wrote about something similar in my post too). I think that learning history from a strictly white perspective definitely influences how we think about our nation and the history of racism. Nice job! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Cathy! I really liked your post! I love how you connected this article to the Freedom Writers, it's such a good movie, and it fits really well. I always question when I watch that movie why a teacher would do that to one of their students, even if it wasn't intentional. I also really liked your views on history class and i completely agree with you! Nice job!
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