Blog Post #1

          Lisa Delpit begins this book by discussing a research project that she took part in with a young kindergarten teacher, Carolyn.  Carolyn had taught for 5 years at a school that was mostly white until the district had changed.  After that, there were many children from the housing projects that became part of this school.  Most of the students were black and very poor.  This was difficult for Carolyn and the other teachers because they were faced with a group of children who they were unfamiliar with. 

          For her research, Delpit observed a boy named Anthony.  She noticed that he got almost no positive feedback, and that he received a lot more negative feedback.  After Delpit interviewed Anthony, she spoke with Carolyn about her observations.  Whenever Delpit said something positive about Anthony, Carolyn said something negative.  Carolyn did not understand Anthony, and she did not take the time to get to know him and learn more about his culture. 

          As teachers, we are going to be faced with diversity in the classroom.  We need to be well-equipped to handle it well.  We have to do better than Carolyn and the other teachers at her school.  Just because someone is different and grew up in a different neighborhood, does not mean that person does not deserve an education. 

          I have seen a lot of diverse classrooms in my placements, and I have seen my cooperating teachers handle it well, and I have also seen them handle it badly.  I was in a tenth grade, racially-mixed classroom, and my cooperating teacher gave me an example of how not to deal with diversity in the classroom.  She would make comments about some of the students, and I could gather that she did not believe in them, and that they were not worth her time.  It really hurt me when I heard her say these things because I know that some of those students have had a rough life, but they deserve a chance in school, and my teacher was not giving it to them.  

          I was also in a racially-mixed third grade classroom, and my cooperating teacher was wonderful.  She got to know the students for who they were and did not judge them.  She did everything she could to respect each of her students’ beliefs and backgrounds so that they felt comfortable in the classroom.  She created a safe learning environment for all of her students, and this positively affected the way that the classroom operated. 

          When relating this to my Christian Worldview, I know that I am to treat everyone as God’s child because we are all made in the image of God.  No matter where a student is from, what they believe in, or how they were raised, I need to treat each and every student with respect and give everyone an equal chance at an education.  This is very important to me because I know that each student is different, but I still need to extend God’s love to them no matter what.  If I take the time to get to know each of my students, I will be less likely to make judgments and more likely to meet all of their needs.