Dr. Rhina’s Critical Pedagogy

Okay, class. I’ve been composing this post in my head for several days now and it is long overdue. First, I want to say again, THANK YOU for putting yourselves out there with all of your posts on this HW assignment. I, once again, admire your courage and committment to learning and becoming even better at what you do so well already. I read each of your posts slowly and carefully so as not to miss what you were saying to everyone.

Two common theme that struck a cord was the idea of so many of you feeling either “silenced” or “stereotyped for being White.” These two struck a cord because they go completely against what this course and EdS program are about. I work very hard to stress the importance of giving your students their voices and also getting to know them as individuals. It is, likewise, very important to me to allow you to have a voice in the conversations and to see each of you as individuals. While I do believe that people share cultural values and norms, I do not believe that race is the only determinant of a person’s culture. For some it may be religion, for others social class, for others ethnicity, etc. What I want to clarify is that the generalizations are there to make the point that there are differences among people and those differences need to be learned and understood and used as a basis for teaching well. I truly do not make judgments about any of you based on the color of your skin or your religion or your gender. BUT, I do know that those things have influenced who you are in some way because those are important in US society. I do not claim to know HOW you have been influenced, but I do know that you’ve been influenced. I take all that and then begin to learn about you from all the activities we’ve done since the retreat at Pura Vida. I hope I’m being clear because this is important for you to consider when you teach your students.

Please, do not be silenced. You have a right to speak your mind and I hope that you will so that I may learn more and others may be empowered to speak up with you. Thank you again for engaging in the assignment. I’m enjoying reading your blogs.

Rhina

PS – It’s not uncommon for students of color to feel more empowered and for students who are White to feel silenced in courses that examine racial issues. Any idea why this is so and what teachers (such as myself) can do to teach such courses more effectively?

I’m thoroughly enjoying reading your blogs and comments to each other. This is exactly what I had in mind for this assignment…a place where you could talk with each about the things that matter in teaching. I am already sensing that you are beginning to understand that there is individual agency and collective agency. Both matter. But collective agency can move things forward faster. I wonder if there are ways for you to do that? I know that many of you have been thinking more about how important and influential your positions as teachers are. I trust that you will do something with that realization.

Hope you enjoyed your week off from GSU.

Rhina

Dear Class,

I’ve been reading over your blogs this week and am feeling humbled by how remarkable you are as teachers. I’m excited about what you have to say about what you do and what you believe in. Repeatedly, I see you making references to how you “believed in something so you did it” or how you “felt angered by something and wrote letters” or “thought about something and decide to…” I love that many of you are talking about how you have taken action or are at least working on challenging yourselves to stand up for what you believe in.

I got to thinking after class about what I asked you about whether or not it was okay to take care of those who are in your class and not worry about those next door. I’d like to add to that…what if your child were in that classroom next door? Would it then become more important and necessary to do something? Doesn’t every child deserve that? Shouldn’t a quality education be a civil right in the United States? We certainly have the resources to ensure that for each and every child. I really liked that Obama articulated what he wanted for his daughters was the same he wanted for every child. Another article on the cost of resistance really got my attention and might trigger some thought for you. Below is a link to the article. What do you think?

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/15_02/Fish152.shtml

Dear Class,

I’ve decided to use my blog as a way to share some thoughts about our discussions and things I think about at odd hours of the day and night related to the focus of this course. Being married to a man who does similar work, we spend a lot of time on such topics and I often think about posing certain discussions to you.

After last week’s discussion, I got to thinking some more about what came up with the Empowering v. Dis-Empowering experiences you discussed. I got to wondering why teachers put up with such treatment from administrators and others who appear to be in power? Why is it that teachers don’t realize what they are actually capable of doing in their classrooms, schools, districts, and even nationally? What makes it possible for these other people to continue to treat teachers as if they are less intelligent than others with an education? The scary thing is that over time, teachers begin to give in to the expectations and begin to see themselves as less intelligent and powerful and capable than “the powers that be.”I wonder how many of you think this has happened to you – now or in the past?

I do want to add that my son, David, began preschool at Inman Park last week and all of a sudden what I teach has become a reality for me in a whole new way. I feel a sense of urgency in preparing teachers to teach and to have high expectations and to avoid stereotyping students – just in case David shows up in their classroom. I am aware of so many amazing things about him and I hope that his teachers will get to know and appreciate at least a few of them. I tend to believe that most parents are just as in love with their children. I hope teachers see that. And for those children who are not loved quite as dearly, I sincerely hope their teachers will make the extra effort because those kids need it even more.

I am enjoying class with you all and look forward to the rest of the semester with you.

Sincerely,

RFW