The first thing I would NOT do, as a teacher, is tell students that they are members of a different race. All humans share 99.9% of DNA. The .01% of differences result from adaptation or mutations occurring in ancestorial groupings. The concept of "race" was used to label populations as being "less than", and therefore justifying the oppression of those populations. And, of course, making money.
Having said that, it would be silly to say that people of color or certain ethnic origins or religious or gender affiliations have not been subjected to discrimination or truly awful and cruel policies and campaigns. Slavery and the Holocaust being examples of such horrific tactics. The lack of educational opportunities, however, is less obvious.
As educators of all, we should be conscious of what we are teaching and how we are teaching. For example, parents who have had access to higher education are more conscious of expectations by certain grades levels. I, as a parent, knew what math and reading skills my kids should have had by the time they reached a certain grade level. If my child hadn't acquired those skills, I would be on top of it asking why. Another parent, who may not have had the opportunities I had, may have a harder time picking up on that. As educators, we need to keep an "equal access" frame of mind.
If a practice doesn't fly in an affluent district, it shouldn't be acceptable in a less wealthy district. Would a wealthy district accept classrooms playing movies during class time? Would wealthy districts accept class material consistently below reading or math levels or lack of remediation for both skills? Would a wealthier district use programming that was proven to be ineffective? Would a wealthier district allow daily disruptions and physical and emotional threats to students continue?
It's almost impossible to fill in all the gaps once a student reaches high school, however, we can work to improve outcomes. But we have to monitor a child, with RELIABLE instruments from the time a student enters our District. and allocate our resources so that we can maximize results.
Being sure that all our students, regardless of religion, gender affiliation, ancestorial origins or economic status have an equal opportunity to achieve, should be number one on our list.
And, of course, by not alienating students, even inadvertently, helps to keep students' ears and eyes on the long-term goal of equal access and opportunity.
We want our students to believe in themselves and know that they can succeed in life.
Having said that, it would be silly to say that people of color or certain ethnic origins or religious or gender affiliations have not been subjected to discrimination or truly awful and cruel policies and campaigns. Slavery and the Holocaust being examples of such horrific tactics. The lack of educational opportunities, however, is less obvious.
As educators of all, we should be conscious of what we are teaching and how we are teaching. For example, parents who have had access to higher education are more conscious of expectations by certain grades levels. I, as a parent, knew what math and reading skills my kids should have had by the time they reached a certain grade level. If my child hadn't acquired those skills, I would be on top of it asking why. Another parent, who may not have had the opportunities I had, may have a harder time picking up on that. As educators, we need to keep an "equal access" frame of mind.
If a practice doesn't fly in an affluent district, it shouldn't be acceptable in a less wealthy district. Would a wealthy district accept classrooms playing movies during class time? Would wealthy districts accept class material consistently below reading or math levels or lack of remediation for both skills? Would a wealthier district use programming that was proven to be ineffective? Would a wealthier district allow daily disruptions and physical and emotional threats to students continue?
It's almost impossible to fill in all the gaps once a student reaches high school, however, we can work to improve outcomes. But we have to monitor a child, with RELIABLE instruments from the time a student enters our District. and allocate our resources so that we can maximize results.
Being sure that all our students, regardless of religion, gender affiliation, ancestorial origins or economic status have an equal opportunity to achieve, should be number one on our list.
And, of course, by not alienating students, even inadvertently, helps to keep students' ears and eyes on the long-term goal of equal access and opportunity.
We want our students to believe in themselves and know that they can succeed in life.