How often do you use generalizations? From Chimamanda Adichie's The Danger of a Single Story: "I recently spoke at a university where a student told me that it was such a shame that Nigerian men were physical abusers like the father character in my novel. I told him that I had just read a novel called "American Psycho" -- and that it was such a shame that young Americans were serial murderers." I love playing this TED Talk for my students to remind them that one person's experience is not everyone's experience. It's a good reminder for me too. There's an assumption that ELLs are unlikely to have an English speaking parent at home. Assuming an insurmountable language barrier may deter a teacher form calling home. Checking and challenging this bias is important for all students to have teacher-parent connections.
How much cross-cultural literature, TV, and movies do you consume? As an English teacher, I'm not only trying to broaden by understanding of human experiences through stories, I want to bring that knowledge to my students as well. I think it's important to read things that don't always align to one's own viewpoints as well. When we seek to understand the views of others, we give ourselves a chance to develop empathy for their situations.
How much cross-cultural literature, TV, and movies do you consume? As an English teacher, I'm not only trying to broaden by understanding of human experiences through stories, I want to bring that knowledge to my students as well. I think it's important to read things that don't always align to one's own viewpoints as well. When we seek to understand the views of others, we give ourselves a chance to develop empathy for their situations.