Stretching Our Thinking

I watched the TED talk that talks about the idea that some people only hear one story their whole lives and that is all they will know because that is all they hear. It was interesting to hear about her experiences with her roommate having only one assumption about people from Africa and thinking one way about those people. I think this is an important lesson for students to understand as well because we want our students to be bigger thinkers than the speakers' roommate. We want our students to not think of groups of people based on their stereotypes but rather based on who that person is. We don't want them to become just the single thing they are described as in these stories. The middle school students that I work with can be very impressionable and we must be careful as the adults they see day in and day out how we prevent these "single stories".

I watched the Ted talk of the woman talking about the dangers of feeding people a single story over and over again and showing a type of person as only one way, and how that is what they become in the eyes and minds of the people who are reading or learning about this type of person. It was a fantastic speech and certainly eye opening. Because as the woman talked about what she read as a young child over and over again, I thought about myself as a white American. And what my views of other cultures were based on the literature I read. What a dangerous dangerous thing. And the way she talked about the media coverage of Mexicans for example. I so worry about these young impressionable minds getting caught up in this type of media and being sheltered from books that show a variety of ethnicities. 

As I read Dugan's article, the overall resonating theme was that achieving equity is a district/community-wide effort without a one-size-fits-all solution. I reflected on examples of traps or tropes I have witnessed in the various school districts I have worked for. I have seen examples of the "spray-and-pray equity" in which a district hires a trainer to help be the equity fix. Or the "navel-gazing equity" trap in which teachers participate in equity training, but leave the learning in the workshop.

Outside of the examples I have seen, the examples I haven't seen also struck me. One example is the "tokenizing equity" in which a position of "culture" is created. It made me think of the diversity statistics in New Hartford, according to a report in US News our district is comprised of about 85% white students and 15%  identifying as Asian, Latino, or Black. I wonder if the diversity of our staff mirrors this 85:15 ratio with the ideology of "mirrors" for students? 

Beware of Equity Traps and Tropes

After reading this article, what stood out most to me, was how the journey of working on equity was not a one and done workshop.  Working on equity involves much self reflections and ongoing learning.  It is more of a personal trek that may not have a set ending.  We must not look for tools that will help "fix" it.  Also, the article stated that, "Instead of making changes to the groups that have been affected, adjustments need to be made to the approaches that got them there to begin with."  The deepest and best work will be in examining our paths, and not with trying to quickly leap from acknowledging a problem to finding a solution.

     I chose option 3, “The Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  It was one of the best TED talks I’ve heard in a long time.  What resonated with me the most was when she recalled her childhood and how her only thought of the houseboy’s story was that he was poor.  It was a pure example of how, as Adichie states, "the consequences of a single story robs people of dignity."  It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.  It also made me think of all the media coverage, especially now with elections right around the corner.  It emphasized that a single story can create stereotypes. As Adichie states, “Not that these stories are untrue, but they are incomplete."   

As I listened to her speak this is what stood out to me.
A single story shows people as one thing over and over and that is how we see them. Single story creates stereotypes that are not untrue but incomplete and emphasize how we are different not how we are similar. 
Isn't this how we see some of our students? We hear stories from past teachers about them and that is all we hear so then we make the assumption, that, that particular child must always act that way. This is just a single story of them and yes maybe they acted that way the year before but what is to say that is how they will act this year with us. We all have more than a single story that defines us and we need to remember this. Just because of a person's gender, race, social and economic status, we can't make assumptions about them because of these things. We can make the assumption at first but then we need to get to know that person to find out all the stories that make them who they are!

I watched Danger of a Single Story and found myself reflecting on how I have viewed other countries and cultures on limited information. I think many people form biases from limited and/or misleading information leading to few opinions based on their experiences. As a parent, it is important to expose kids to various viewpoints to avoid one-sided views of people and cultures. Listening to Adichie made me realize how easily biases can form from limited information. By seeking out new experiences and stories, we can go beyond a “single story” mindset and encourage empathy and connection. This deeper understanding can help us come together rather than allowing misunderstandings drive us apart.

“The Danger of a Single Story,” made me really think.  As teachers, we often hear single stories about students.  For example, when a teacher shares a tough experience with a particular child.  It’s very easy to form opinions about that child without really knowing them.  I think of when other teachers look at your roster before the first day of school and tell you something about each one of the kids on your list before you’ve even met them.  It’s very important for each of us to form our own opinions based on our own research and personal experience with that student instead of relying on what other people say and/or basing our opinion of someone on a single story we’ve heard. 

The Danger of a Single Story really made me think about all of the stories that I had read throughout my own education and how they truly created this stereotype of different cultures. She pointed out that even though there may have been truth to the stories we have been told, it doesn't portray the entire story. These incomplete stories have led to the inequities among humanity that we are facing right now. 
This video also has made me much more aware as I teach about different cultures and traditions. It has made me teach more authentically about different cultures to be sure that the stories that my students hear, are portraying the whole story rather than creating a stereotype.