Calling All Dream Keepers

Prudence Carter- Keepin' it Real: School Success Beyond Black and White

This was an interesting read by Carter which summarizes her experiences and qualitative data found in a study conducted in Yonkers over a 10 month period.  The article was opened with a quote by Mark Gould which I found to go along with much of what Delpit writes.  Interestingly enough, she instantly describes the "culture of power" phrased by Delpit herself.  I believe Carter's overall stance on the culture of power is that "they" control curriculum, how a person should present self and how the overall society is presented.  She also described practices represented in different cultures.   One area of study that has always been interesting to me is how certain cultures regard one gesture as respectful while another culture may regard something as disrespectful.    The following quote discusses a trip to South Africa and the result of a lack of cultural awareness:

 Quote#1:
 "Several White teachers of Anglo and Afrikaans backgrounds described their initial displeasure with many of their Black students of Xhosa, Zulu, and other ethnic backgrounds who refused to look at them while being disciplined.  Unbeknown to the teachers, the students' cultures taught them that no eye contact was a sign of deference to elders ."(pg.48)

This made me mad because while the students were acting in a way they were use to and what they considered submissive, they were getting in deeper trouble by the teachers.   It was odd to me that these teachers didn't do more research or inquiry as to the practices implemented with the meaning of them and the forms of reprimand the students are use to.  The fact that the South African teacher knew eye contact was a symbol in the culture of power and often stood for confidence was meaningful because it spoke for her own understanding of different cultures .  I think the notion that these students did not make eye contact speaks volumes about what is within a culture and why. I think this is an example of a conflict that was avoidable.   

The in depth look at cultural capital in different forms was meaningful to me as I start to put these different pieces of the puzzle together.  Embodied capital are the "schemes of appreciation for music, art or an elite sport. "  Objectified capital are "inhered in things such as books, artwork, and music collections."  Lastly, institutionalized capital "helps one attain professional success by attaining credentials and higher degrees." With Bourdieu in mind, it is with these capitals that will bring a student to a higher success in the world.  There will be some kind of social and economic kick back.  My question as a teacher is how can students from a Black or Latino background or low socio-economic status  gain access to these in a meaningful way that will add to the experiences in the classroom? I know the answer starts with the teacher and student collaboration in the classroom but how can we implement these things so that all students will have a chance to access these capitals.  There must first be consistency of what is being taught from district to district.  The curriculum will have to mirror all students and not just those that fall into the culture of power. 

One of the students in the study said something very interesting.  Moesha challenged the notion of language.   I think she is trying to say that language differentiates people.  She considers "Black English"useful at certain times but claims that Standard English shows intelligence.  I think she, at a young age, know that it symbolizes what she needs to succeed.  She is considered a cultural straddler because she acts one way with her friends but then acts differently at school and work.  She has gained a cultural capital of knowing how to act in certain situations.  She has adopted this dual linguistic capital that will help her in both social and professional situations.  She knows when to "code switch" and does successfully.  Below is a quote from Moesha discussing this:

Quote#2:
"See I know people who can act ignorant as anything, but they are also smart, and can also talk in an intelligent way. It's just that when you talk with your friends, you talk in a certain way, or when you're at work or wherever at, you have to act intelligent". (pg.61)

The above quote goes against what Adrienne, another student, claims.  Adrienne believes that Black English is silly and not useful.  She is often called "white girl" from her black peers and feels isolated from them.  I felt bad reading how her peers make fun of her but am not naive to think it wouldn't happen.  I know that if she took part in  Black English and other things valued by these Black peers this would not happen.  I think she is taking a risk but is doing so in order to gain access to cultural capital represented in the culture of power. 

Quote #3:
"Not only are these underpaid civil servants expected to produce literate populations but they are also asked to serve as entertainers, psychologists, surrogate parents, and confidants..." (pg.  73)

I am going to put myself out there and say that entertaining my students is a fun aspect to teaching.  I think it depends on the individual teacher and what their philosophy of teaching is.  The students get enjoyment out of seeing their teacher in this light and often consider them "real".  The word entertain can mean so many things but that is how I view it.  There is also the idea that many teachers don't mind at all listening to their students "growing pains".  I had an open door policy for all my students and if something was bothering them they could always come see me.  I felt honored that they would trust me in such a way.  But like I wrote earlier in the paragraph, all teachers may not like doing such a thing depending on their own teaching
philosophy.  While I don't think it is my place to "parent" a child, it sure is my place to tell a child when they are acting disrespectful and like a parent try to help that child with his or her actions and find out the underlying meaning or reasons for such actions.  I think it is the parent's responsibility to care for the child in the home but the teacher can play a role in that.  The same goes for a parent involvement in the classroom.  I feel like many of the strategies for parent involvement in the classroom are superficial.  This is a concept I have been interested in since I started teaching five years ago.  Below is a useful article discussing  parent/teacher collaborations. 

http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/working_with_parents.htm