Teaching at the Intersections by Monita K. Bell has some amazing talking points that can really give some insight to teaching students through an intersectional lens.
Talking Points
1. "Nicole isn’t just a black student; she’s also a girl from a low-income family who bears the responsibility of taking care of her two younger siblings." Now this is a very specific example of this particular student that was used in the reading. With that being said, this is all of our students. Each and every one of our students is a complex individual that is much more than we see at the surface. If this teacher had not taken the time to look deeper into this student, the teacher might have only been thinking of the color of the students skin or only about the fact that she is female presenting. Once we take a deeper look, it becomes easier to see the intersectionality of this student and all of our students.
2. “Every day kids enter our class, there’s an opportunity for them to be empowered or oppressed." This quote really stood out to me. Personally, I always try to think about the power that I have as the teacher in the classroom and at times, I like to take a step back from that and give my students as much autonomy as I can. I (and we as teachers) are responsible for the learning and tone within our classroom. As every day that we are not actively teaching through an intersectional lense and looking at each student as an individual is a day we are allowing oppression to make its way into our classrooms.
3. In the video titled "5 Tips to being Good Ally" by Chescaleigh tip number two is called "listen and do your homework" this really is a great tip that mostly sums up what it is to be a good ally. First and foremost, you must listen. You cannot speak for a group you are not a part of. There are times where it is just time to sit down and listen to those who are a part of the group. Then it is time to do our homework. Look things up, talk to people find as much information as you can in the subject you are trying to support. Spreading misinformation can be just as harmful as not speaking up at all. HERE is another video I used to show my first graders to teach them about being a good ally.
Connection: this made me think about the conversation we had in class about the documentary we watched. We had all started to talk about how difficult it must be to be a parent with a child with a disability then we made the connection that being a parent with a child with a disability and being a part whose native language wasn't English is a barrier on top on a barrier. The intersectionality of being a parent with a child who has a disability and being a parent who does not speak English is something that affects individual in a deeper, more intense way.
Hi Hannah! I appreciated your connections to the documentary Ir a La Escuela and the advocacy that our students need to be able to best succeed within our schools. I think it is important that we encourage family engagement but also that we do what we can as educators to advocate for what is right and equitable for each and every student.
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! The quote that you included, “Every day kids enter our class, there’s an opportunity for them to be empowered or oppressed" was my favorite quote from this week's readings and video. I agree with you that we must always think about the power that we hold being the classroom teacher. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah. We must get to know our students in order to teach them. It's just a no brainer. When Bell describes nicole's home life she let's the reader in on how important it is for educators to know the student's life experiences, so that she can be a supporter as well as an educator.
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