Having read Lisa Delpit's The Silenced Dialogue last semester I took this as an opportunity to reevaluate my original stance. Last semester, like many of my peers at the time, I was rather taken aback by her angry approach. While I understood her concerns and arguments, I believed them to be a tad one-sided. I still stand by my original thoughts. I see where she is coming from with the idea of a "culture of power," but I do not necessarily agree with the way she presents her ideas or the reasons that seem to motivate her. I realize however, that what she discusses can certainly happen in any society, no matter the racial/ethnic majority. She makes a point to claim that we should teach to the student. I agree that using a given student's background may increase the likelihood of that student's understanding of the concept or task. As a whole however, we cannot please every minority group in the country. Someone will always be left out in the cold. The two most common languages utilized in this country are English and Spanish. Would we teach every class to the Algerian, or Filipino standards? I think not. Black students and white students alike, no student is the same. Just as a white student may originate in Ireland or Russia (two very different places), a black student may have family originating in Haiti, or Ghana. To generalize is absurd regardless. Even in urban districts like Newark, we cannot hope to please every represented minority group. I agree with some of Delpit's points, in that we may teach to a white majority, but how can we nationalize if you seek to teach differently; with different standards based upon race or ethnicity? Ebonics may be what someone speaks outside of school, just as we often text with words like LOL, BRB, OR GR8, and often find ourselves shouting LOL out loud. We would not be allowed to write them on paper. Our standards are set by people of various groups, not simply whites, so how would we know if we teach to a certain race? If a student can't handle something due to personal restriction it's typically taken into account, but to say a black student can't learn from a white teacher and visa versa is inherently absurd. Everyone teaches in their own style, just as everyone has a different hobby or personality. Women and minorities fought for equal rights in education but stereotyping and discriminating would counter that. Delpit claims that our teaching towards the culture of power does just that. We as teachers must be understanding of others' cultures; specifically those of our colleagues, our students, and their families. We should never teach one student any differently than the next. We simply need to prepare teachers for these situations. As a future teacher of social studies, I find this to be a highly relevant topic. We spend so much time on US history, but not enough time on topics regarding South America, Africa, or Australia. I for one, know nothing of Australian history. I believe we should be well-rounded. In that respect I agreed that more content should be integrated. I do not believe we should base it off of color.
Delpit's Lessons for Teachers was much different. I found it to be rather useful. I intend to take the majority of her suggestions into account in my own practice. At some points she contradicted her other article, when she suggests to "ensure all children gain access to conventions/strategies essential to success in American society. The only way to ensure this is to standardize based on the population majority. For instance, in areas where Spanish is the predominant language, such as Miami, an option for bilingual instruction exists.
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