Blog Post 1

Yeah, creative post title... I know! Well, let's dive right into it:

I have always been alert to the racism, sexism, classism, etc. that underlies every facet of life. Mainly because I was raised by very progressive minded multiethnic parents who understood the importance of alerting me to the stereotypes and generalizations I would constantly be barraged with as a economically disenfranchised minority female. As a very young child I was confronted by these realities on an almost daily basis; you see, my stepfather was a 6'4 inch African American male. My mother and I, generally, cannot pass for African American, and as a result stereotypes and generalizations colored all of our social interactions. For example, when my stepfather and I were out people would "discretely" quiz me on our relationship "So you're out with your..." "Are you in any trouble..." and (dropping all pretense), "Do you know this man?" Occasionally, we were subject to overt racism. For example, I might make a new friend in school, and lose that new friend the first time my stepfather came to pick me up from a play-date. Bear in mind that I was raised on military bases overseas and in the United States, and in a bygone era to boot.

Spurred by the harsh realities that our unorthodox upbringing exposed us to our family had an amazing open-dialogue concerning racism, sexism, and classism in society. In hindsight I am truly amazed at the quality and depth of discussions we were carrying on as a family. For example, I remember receiving a Kid Sister doll when I was six years old. A doll who was billed as an African American doll (for a change), and holding a discussion about the texture of the doll's hair. I also distinctly remember driving through an urban area and counting the number of liquor store and cigarette advertisements. Then, comparing that number with the number in a suburban area. I remember seeing Sambo images, and discussing the implications of this kind of political posturing. Further, I remember having a frank and open discussion of the "N Word," Africans as chattel, and slavery in America.

All of this is to say that I know that texts are not neutral, I've always known it, and I believe that it is imperative that educators take an active and challenging approach to reading. It is of the utmost important that teachers empower their students to question and critically analyze texts; so, students develop an awareness of the relationships between texts, language, power, social groups, and societal practices.

Through this class I hope to learn how to encourage real curriculum in my classroom. I have had some success, and I am eager to experience more. This past year my students read A Chair for My Mother, and we talked about how fires can affect individuals, families, and even communities; at which point, one of my students made the connection I was hoping for, and he mentioned the fire that destroyed our local library. Thereafter, all of my students discussed how they had experienced the fire, and as our discussion progressed the students became motivated to help rebuild the library. In this manner, the HULA HOOPS FOR HOPES fundraiser was born. The students piloted, advertised, and sponsored this fundraiser. The proceeds were donated to the Georgetown Library Fund.