Other People's Children Summary

953 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Different types of diversity in classrooms

Other People’s Children is a book about a public school educator who realized that minority children were being viewed as underachievers or unteachable. Lisa Delpit saw a problem and decided to do something about it. This book shares my beliefs and views about the educating of children of color. It contains a series of essays that take you through the educational journey of an educator. I like the fact that it was her personal journey (Delpit, 2006, p.73).This was her story. Ms. Delpit had to learn the lesson that most, if not all young African American teachers have to face. You think that your classroom will be the one that changes the system. You go in with zeal and enthusiasm only to meet with the reality of the situation, which is, you have to find a way to teach all of …show more content…

Some are white, but most are black. According to the black teachers, you either have to be willing to fight for change or succumb to the status quo. The diversity in the classroom can become overwhelming if you are not committed to making a difference. As I read this book I could hear the voices of many of those teachers saying some of the same things and dealing with some of the same issues. Delpit (2006, p.87), talked about how the Alaskan parents wanted their children to be able to live between two worlds. One world was their cultural reality, remembering who you are and your history. The other is the world of your profession and the interaction that comes with it. You should not have to make a choice. The classroom should prepare you for life without costing you your cultural identity. In the essay entitled The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children, Delpit examines methods used to teach minorities and low-income students. Some were successful and others were not. There has to be a willingness to change what does not work, embrace what does, and continue to seek even better

Show More
Related

  • E. D. Hirsch And Lisa Delpit's Theory Of Being Colorblints

    1695 Words  | 4 Pages

    Even though both Hirsch and Delpit want the best for culturally diverse students, they both have a different approach. Hirsch’s work has focused on the culture of literacy as Delpit’s work has

    Read More

  • The Dreamkeepers Book Summary

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author, Gloria Ladson-Billings, discusses in her book, "The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children," how African American students perform at lower academic levels in part due to teacher approaches and attitudes. She performed a study on eight teachers of different races and backgrounds and their approaches to teaching African American students. The purpose of the study was to identify what approaches or techniques have been most successful in helping African American students to achieve academic success. She also focuses on the idea of "culturally relevant teaching" and how it can positively impact students when teachers are aware and incorporate a student's culture and backgrounds into the classroom. Throughout the book, the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Keepin It Real: School Success Beyond Black And White

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    Minorities, African American and Latinos, in America are faced with challenges daily in white society. There are many obstacles minorities experience such as: being judged based on race, stereotyped, or worst being discriminated against by peers. Sadly, minorities can’t seem to escape to harsh realities society created. Citizens in the white society categorize humans by their race to socially construct the achievements and legitimate political goals. Minorities struggles with these goals due to the challenges they experience. The location of these challenges can occur in various places including on the job and/or at school. You may be under the impression that such challenges occurs within the adult minority groups. However, this applies to minority children as well. When the children are face with

    Read More

  • Courageous Conversations About Race by Glenn E. Singleton and Curtis Linton

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    Courageous Conversations About Race: Chapter 5. Authors Glenn E. Singleton and Curtis Linton in Chapter Five of Courageous Conversations About Race broach the topic of race, by asking the reader to evaluate his or her own consciousness of race. According to the authors, in order to address the achievement gaps between African American students and White students, educators should shift their energy towards focusing on the factors that they have direct control of inside the classroom rather than on the factors that influence this achievement disparity between races outside the classroom. The first step towards addressing the racial achievement gap begins with educators addressing their individual racial attitudes for, as the authors purport, “As we become personally aware of our own racialized existence, we can more deeply understand the racial experiences of others” (Singleton, Linton, 2006). In all honesty, I think Singleton and Linton hit the bull’s eye by suggesting that the first step towards initiating culturally relevant teaching is for the teacher to really examine his or her attitudes, values, and principles.

    Read More

  • White Teacher by Vivian Gussin Paley

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    The things that Mrs. Hawkins says to Mrs. Paley are things that really stuck out to me. I think that if Mrs. Paley had thought more about what Mrs. Hawkins said to her in the beginning of the book she would have made a few of her discoveries about teaching African American students earlier. I feel that this statement made a huge impact on the way that I think about teaching. I never thought about the positives of the differences before. I grew up in a mainly white area. We had a few black students in our school, but most of them where bused in from the city and didn't live in the area. I always wondered why they wouldn't just stay and go to schools that were closer to where they live. Mrs. Hawkins brings up a good point that integrating brings in positive, interesting and natural differences. I think that if I had gone to a school with only white children I wouldn't have been shown these differences in such a good light.

    Read More

  • Planning to End Ableism through Universal Design for Learning

    2133 Words  | 5 Pages

    While differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared towards the needs of diverse learners are currently highly prized skills for teachers, this has not always been the case. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curriculum are designed to meet the needs of a core group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, learners who were different, out of the mainstream, or did not fit into the mold to which teachers taught (were not part of the core) learned how or lost out on learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, as schools are mirrors reflecting mainstream societal norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006)—and, given that our society has not always valued diversity in people, be it due to disability, class, culture, or race—teachers in the past have largely focused their efforts where they could earn the largest return on their investment: the average student .

    Read More

  • English and Communication Studies: Jacqueline Jones Royster

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    Delpit, Lisa. “The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children.” Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflicts in the Classroom. New York: The New Press, 1995.

    Read More

  • Peggy McIntosh's White Privilege And Male Privilege

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The. Landsman, Julie G., and Chance W. Lewis. White Teachers / Diverse Classrooms: Creating Inclusive Schools, Building on Students' Diversity, and Providing True Educational Equity. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2011. Print. The.

    Read More

  • Lisa Delpit's Theory Of Social Reproduction

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    The problems currently arising are “not really in the debate over instructional methodology, but rather in communicating across cultures and in addressing the more fundamental issue of power, of whose voice gets to be heard in determining what is best for poor children and children of color” (Delpit 19). Administration must be able to respectfully gather information about a student in and out of school to help understand where they need the most structure and guidance and when to let them work independely. The current educational system in place has a mold that students need to fit, and for students of lower income familys, that mold is often expects less of them so naturally, the type of schooling provided for racial minorities is [they] one that prepares them for their respective place in the job market.” (Ogbu 83). Social reproducation is not a reality that society must accept and best try to break without a complete solution, but instead one that can be broken by a refocusing and recommittment to the students that often need the most guideance and resources for them to succeed and break social

    Read More

  • The Educational Achievement Gap between African American and Minority Students in Elementary Schools in America

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of the research is to discover why there is such a vast educational gap between minority and Caucasian students. Many American are unaware that such an educational gap actually exists among today’s students. This article informs us of alarming statics, such as of African American students representing a majority of the special education population, despite only making up roughly 40% of the student population. It also breaks down key events that contributed to the poor education that minority children are currently receiving. For example, in the past, it was illegal to educate African Americans and when it became legal to blacks were treated as second class students. They were segregated from their white counter parts and given hand-me-down textbooks. This article also discusses others factors that contributed to the poor education of minority students such as moral principles, socio-political, and economic stat. Despite the amount of time that has past, today’s schools are similar to the past. Minority children are still in second-rate learning environments while white students enjoy the comforts of first class school buildings and textbooks. In summary, the theme of this article was to bring attention to the educational gap among African-American, Latino, Asian, and other non-white students.

    Read More

  • Race and Social Class: Education and Criminal Justice System

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    America demands that all youth receive an education and that its educational system is free and open to all—regardless of class, race, ethnicity, age, and gender. However, the system is failing. There is still inequality in the educational system, and minorities’ experience with education is shaped by discrimination and limited access, while white people’s experience with education is shaped by privilege and access. The educational experience for minorities is still segregated and unequal. This is because the number of white children that are withdrawn from school by their parents is higher than the number of people of color enrolling. White parents are unconsciously practicing the idea of “blockbusting,” where minorities begin to fill up a school; whites transfer their children to a school that has a small or no minority population. They unconsciously feel like once their child is in a school full of minorities that school would not get the proper funding from the federal government. Bonilla-Silvia (2001) states that “[i]nner-city minority schools, in sharp contrast to white suburban schools, lack decent buildings, are over-crowded, [and] have outdated equipment…” (97). The “No Child Left Behind” Act, which holds schools accountable for the progress of their students, measures students’ performance on standardized tests. Most white children that are in suburban schools are given the opportunity to experience education in a beneficial way; they have more access to technology, better teachers, and a safe environment for learning. Hence, white students’ experience with the education system is a positive one that provides knowledge and a path to success. Also, if their standardized testing is low, the government would give the school...

    Read More

  • Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    Delpit believes effective multicultural education for teachers is essential. By teaching educators effective ways to communicate with poor students and students of color, teachers are prepared to address issues that arise due to culture conflicts. When teachers are able to appreciate the differences their students’ posses, stereotypes are able to be broken down in the classroom.

    Read More

  • Segregation As Depicted In The Film 'The Freedom Riders'

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    From that point on, Mrs. Gruwell was determined to put a stop to the reckless behavior, the hatred toward each other, and the lack of desire for a better life. She truly transformed a classroom of students, and not to mention multiple individuals work ethic to change the intense racist culture they are surrounded with. Gruwell’s main focus since she was an English teacher was to get across to the students that they had something to say and show the

    Read More

  • A Significant Issue in Education: Teacher BIAS

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2004) reported that Black students continue to trail White students with respect to educational access, achievement and attainment. Research on the effectiveness of teachers of Black students emphasizes that the teachers’ belief about the Black students’ potential greatly impacts their learning. Teachers tend to teach black students from a deficit perspective (King, 1994; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Mitchell, 1998). White teachers often aim at compensating for what they assume is missing from a Black student’s background (Foorman, Francis & Fletcher, 1998). The deficit model of instruction attempts to force students into the existing system of teaching and learning and doesn’t build on strengths of cultural characteristics or preferences in learning (Lewis, Hancock...

    Read More

  • Diversity in the Classroom

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... Several teachers do not know how to receive the support they need. Diversity in classrooms is both positive and negative. However, if teachers are provided with the right resources and keep an open mind, their students can become successful civil human beings.

    Read More

More about Other People's Children Summary

Open Document