Talking Points AGAIN on Lisa Delpit's, The Silenced Dialogue: Power & Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children. I
have always known about discrimination against African Americans and
many other minorities, even though I too could be considered one as
being of Sicilian and Syrian descent. However, my skin is white and I
have also seen the White Male Christian Heterosexual Privilege up close
and personal, and have in some cases enjoyed and used it to my favor.
However, after 911, I could NOT get a job for two years, due to the fact
that my last name is the Arab equivalent in 28 countries of Smith is in
the US. But I am getting off target. Lisa Delpits article opened my
eyes to the fact that even after Minority Teachers get a job in a white
controlled school system that they are expected to follow the accepted
White Textbooks and manner of teaching. And not only African Americans,
but any minority where the white establishment calls the shots on what
is and what is NOT to be taught to their students. Wow. So we are NOT
REALLY A FREE SOCIETY? This blew me away. Maybe I am getting into the
Wrong Profession of Teaching if we can ONLY teach a single side of
History? When I was in High School, they talked about General George
Armstrong Custer, and how he civilized the West and how the Dakota Sioux
Indians slaughtered his men. The accepted story was all that I was
taught. Only much later did I learn how Custer and his men killed old
men, women, and children at the Wounded Knee. I spent an entire summer
reading and researching Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I guess that I
was misguided when I thought once that you complete your degree program
to teach and all of the testing and background tests that I would be
free to teach True History as we come across New Data and New Evidence.
For example we were taught about the largest of the dinosaurs that
roamed the earth? This year New Evidence in the form on two new
skeletons have been found, one was a new species of land mammal, and the
other is a water based mammal. Is not History supposed to be the same
way? If Lisa Delpit is correct, and I know these stories are true, that
the White power structure may hide the truth as it is discovered? I have
to think about future choices?
I have always known about discrimination against African Americans and many other minorities, even though I too could be considered one as being of Sicilian and Syrian descent. However, my skin is white and I have also seen the White Male Christian Heterosexual Privilege up close and personal, and have in some cases enjoyed and used it to my favor. However, after 911, I could NOT get a job for two years, due to the fact that my last name is the Arab equivalent in 28 countries of Smith is in the US. But I am getting off target. Lisa Delpits article opened my eyes to the fact that even after Minority Teachers get a job in a white controlled school system that they are expected to follow the accepted White Textbooks and manner of teaching. And not only African Americans, but any minority where the white establishment calls the shots on what is and what is NOT to be taught to their students. Wow. So we are NOT REALLY A FREE SOCIETY? This blew me away. Maybe I am getting into the Wrong Profession of Teaching if we can ONLY teach a single side of History? When I was in High School, they talked about General George Armstrong Custer, and how he civilized the West and how the Dakota Sioux Indians slaughtered his men. The accepted story was all that I was taught. Only much later did I learn how Custer and his men killed old men, women, and children at the Wounded Knee. I spent an entire summer reading and researching Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I guess that I was misguided when I thought once that you complete your degree program to teach and all of the testing and background tests that I would be free to teach True History as we come across New Data and New Evidence. For example we were taught about the largest of the dinosaurs that roamed the earth? This year New Evidence in the form on two new skeletons have been found, one was a new species of land mammal, and the other is a water based mammal. Is not History supposed to be the same way? If Lisa Delpit is correct, and I know these stories are true, that the White power structure may hide the truth as it is discovered? I have to think about future choices?