Throughout this course, my perspective on the world has been
enlightened and changed. Below, I will share a little bit about the lessons that
had the biggest impact on me and my future role as a teacher. This is my
portfolio summary; I hope you enjoy.
Don’t Get Caught Up in a Single Story
Near the beginning of the semester,
we watched a TED talk about the danger of a single story. It discussed how people
sometimes take the limited information they have about one culture and apply it
to all the people in that culture. I didn’t realize how much I limited groups
of people in this way until we began to delve into different minorities and
their stereotypes. Through our class discussions and cultural experiences, I
gradually began to see people in a new light, viewing them as unique
individuals rather than part of a group. Now, I seek to develop this skill
further in my life as it will be vital in my classroom. My students will have a
wide spectrum of identities and my classroom must be a place where they feel safe
and valued for their distinct personalities and abilities. Race, ethnicity, immigration
status, class, religion, ability, gender, and sexual orientation are aspects of
identity, but they do not completely define an individual. No one is a single
story.
Recognize Privilege, Then Use It for Good
I never realized the extent of my privilege
as a white, middle class American. It was difficult to come to recognize my
privilege as it required me to let go of the notion that I am completely
responsible for my own success. Before, I believed firmly in the American Dream
and in meritocracy. Our discussion on white privilege in lesson 4 helped me to
realize the level of racism that still exists in this country and the
advantages that being white affords. I was very disrupted because I was not
sure what to do about it. Then I saw a video on Facebook called Cracking the
Codes: Joy DeGruy, A Trip to the Grocery Store. In it, a woman who looks white
stands up for her black friend, pointing out the racism happening so that
something would be done about it. This was a great example of using one’s white
privilege for good and gave me hope in using the power I have to benefit the
people around me, especially my future students.
I Will Never Be a Judge in Israel
This was a phrase used by my
professor in one of our lessons that really stood out to me. Several weeks
earlier, I had attended a USGA meeting that made me ponder a lot of things. I
experienced many disruptions while there, including the fact that there are
many paths for LDS, LGBTQ people, and that it is not my place to judge any of
them. For a while, I struggled to understand LGBTQ people’s place in God’s
plan. Then Dr. Draper told the story about her bishop questioning her about
whether she believed her queer son was sinning and she responded, “I will never
be a judge in Israel.” The choices and lifestyles that other people make and
live will never be something we need to worry about. We tend to want to
classify people and we ask personal questions in order to do so. Sometimes, you don’t need to know.
Ultimately, our only job in terms of other people is to love them. This will be
especially important in the classroom. I cannot let my moral judgments cloud
my view of my students. My job is to love them and to help them succeed by creating
a safe, non-judgmental space to learn in.
Social Justice Is for Me
When this course began, the term “social
justice” heavily disrupted me. Years of negative political jargon filled my
mind and I rejected what I thought social justice entailed. Over the course of
the semester, I slowly learned what social justice truly means and began to
break down the walls that prevented me from fully accepting the term into my
own ideology. I learned that certain minorities suffer disadvantages created
and maintained by the culture of power and that an equity-based classroom
system can help those minorities have the tools necessary to succeed. I learned
that no one wants to be pitied and that in order to move past this level on the
Biddle scale, I need to get to know people of different discourses so that I can
expand my own. Before, I felt like I would never be able to reach nurturance,
the highest level on the Biddle scale. While reading Oddly Normal, there was
one section near the end that stood out to me. Joseph’s dad was talking about
the unique attributes that Joseph has because of his identity and what he’s
been through. There was a line that said something like “maybe we should start
looking at what they offer to the world.” In reading this clear example of
nurturance, I found myself thinking “I think I can get there.” Because of this
class, I now have the base understanding needed to become an advocate and an
ally for minorities in my community and especially in my classroom. I can
strive to see my students for what they offer to the world and show them what I
learn. I can share what I’ve learned about my students with the administration
and encourage them to enact change. Indeed, social justice is for me.
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