Keep On Mixing

Keep On Mixing

Author: Teaching Tolerance Staff

Source: Teaching Tolerance

Published: November 3, 2016

Keep On Mixing Article

Key Points:

• Briefly discusses the National Mix it Up Lunch Day that previously happened on October 25. On this day, students are encouraged to sit with other students they do not usually sit with during lunch and learn something new about them or their history, ethnicity, race, or culture. The idea is to address pervasive social divisions and help others learn more about what varieties and types of people exist in our own communities.
• The goal of the article was for schools and teachers to continue mixing it up in the classroom all year. Students should constantly be mixing it up and learning about

We Should Teach "Banned" Topics...

• Title: Ban? No, Teach the Topics.
• Source: Teaching Tolerance Website and Blog/Hoyt J Phillips III/9-26-16
• URL: Here's the Link to the blog post.
• Key Points: Mr. Phillips noted two key themes from the list of 10 most challenged books of 2015- Gender/Sexuality themes, and Religious themes. He understands why they are challenged, but believes that it is critical to have students "engage" with texts like these because it can "serve as mirrors of their own experiences and as windows into those of others." In honor of Banned Books Week, he encourages educators to use a book that deals with controversial themes in their curriculum.
• Relevance: I believe that in the society we are living in now, it is more critical than ever for us as teachers to find ways to challenge our students to develop empathy and a perspective of "the other". Banned Books Week is a reminder that there will always be people who want to shelter our youth from the hard issues we face in the real world. However, if they are not taught about struggles and life experiences different than their own, are we really creating consious members of their communities committed to making it better than when they encountered it?

Spanish Immersion

I've had the privilege of working these past two weeks in a 3rd grade Spanish immersion classroom. I wanted to share this video with all of you as I think it embodies cultural identity. The video was recorded during their practice this morning but they also presented it at the talent show in the afternoon. The teacher, Isidro Interian, wrote this song about his own life and his journey to the United States from Mexico and the challenges he faced and his experience with overcoming racial stereotypes. It isn't the full song as my phone failed me towards the end but I've included the lyrics to the first part and also the speech that they spoke at the end (not recorded). This performance really touched my heart as many of these students are facing similar challenges in their lives. One of the lines is about others not wanting him (Mr. Interian/hispanics) to be here (America) but that he won't give up because he has students who he is here to inspire. I think that really encompasses the heart of this song and that despite your background or race you can rise above those social barriers that others may place on you. I also love how the song is a blend between English and Spanish and how it flows together to create a cultural artifact for both identities.

LYRICS:

Embracing Differences

I'd like to share two articles I found that are both related to the idea of embracing cultural differences. They both have excellent ideas for integrating a variety of subjects and tools into a balanced lesson of identity and culture.

First Article:

Celebrating Skin Tone: The Science and Poetry of Skin Color
Rethinking Schools Vol. 29 No. 3
Spring 2015
By Katharin Johnson

Latino children's language skills are lagging by age 2, study says

By Emma Brown 

Washington Post link here  

Publish on April 2nd, 2015

This article follows a recent study by the University of California at Berkley that shows how prekindergarten could be too late of a start when thinking about closing the gap between Latino and white students academically. The research is directed at parents and educators and calls for more efforts to be done when preparing toddlers for schooling. The researchers visited the children's homes twice: once at nine months old and again in toddler hood. The findings were that 80% of Mexican-American toddlers grew more slowly than white toddlers and averaged about 3-4 months behind their white peers. 

My Teacher is a Lesbian

“‘My Teacher is a Lesbian’ Coming Out at School” by Jody Sokolower

Rethinking Schools Volume 24, Number 2 (Winter 2010-2011) pg. 30-33.

Topic: A middle school teacher in the Bay area struggles with how/when it is appropriate to come out to her students and the politics of it all.

Summary: A lesbian teacher in the Bay area shares her story about how she has chosen to come out to her middle school students over the years of teaching. She shares stories about questions students have asked, backlash she has received from administration (and surprisingly – lack of backlash from parents), and the “unexpected benefits” of the entire process.

Intended audience: Teachers (Straight and LGBTQ), Administrators

Key Points:

• Coming out is difficult/controversial even in the Bay area.
• Being honest with your students can create a more dynamic classroom community where other issues can be discussed openly and respectfully.
• This is something that will be encountered no matter what district/school you are teaching in and it is important for schools to be a safe place for students and teachers. That being said, students and teachers should not share more than they are comfortable sharing.

Relevance: I thought this article was a good lead up to the conference we are going to tomorrow and it is relevant to me personally as well as to our upcoming cultural identity assignment for Learning Communities. I really liked the section about the “Identity Poster” to further explore the idea of my own cultural identity.