Diversity in Students and Teaching

Ibrahim’s article talked about becoming black, referring to it as a process. A part of this process is learning on the behalf of both the student and the teacher. Teachers need to learn how to associate different media types into their teaching. If the class is made up of African American students who enjoy rap music, then the teacher should create a rap about the 50 states or whatever else the students are learning. I like that Ibrahim made the point that rap music is more than bad lyrics. For some, it is a symbol of hope and a way to express feelings and problems. Different races do the same, but just in a different form. This learning is not just about gaining knowledge about classroom subjects but also about people’s identities. Over spring break, I volunteered at an after-school program in the Bronx. I worked with 6^th -8^th grade students. They each had at least one “major”. These majors were similar to college majors in that they would study a particular area to learn more about it. The school was 95% African American students. The school did not try to push majors such as business or politics, but offered majors such as African drumming, stepping, music, and dancing. The school took the students interests into consideration and helped them form identities based on what they had a passion for.

In Kubota and Lin’s writing, it is stated that race and racism shape aspects of teaching and learning. I completely agree with this and it reminds me of a previous discussion question that was posed in class. Should diversity be taught in elementary school? If it is, children will become more knowledgeable on the topic, but it will make them realize that people are different and they might begin to stereotype and see differences as a bad thing. I would argue that it should be taught. Students need to learn that diversity and differences are a good thing and that society thrives on them. The world would be a very different and boring place if everyone was the same. We would not be able to learn from each other. In addition to learning about diversity, it should be stressed to the students that they should celebrate it and find a way to teach others that it is something to celebrate, as well. As I am learning in my sociology class, human behavior occurs in a social context. With regards to white privilege, it thrives because society allows it to do so. This white privilege not only separates colored people against white but also colored people against colored people. They turn on their own race in favor of white scholarship.

Hard Times: Arab TESOL Students’ Experiences of Racialization and Others in the United Kingdom was a study conducted to see how Arab students feel in America in regards to racism and Othering. I was surprised to learn that not all of the participants felt discrimination based on race. That would be the quality that sticks out most in my mind when it comes to poor treatment towards Arabs. Another important finding was that TESOL communities need to make sure that they are not causing the Othering towards Arabs. Some students felt a shift from being seen as international students to feeling marginalized because of their culture and nationality. The community practices might not have been necessarily racist, but if students are perceiving them in such a way then something needs to change. TESOL educators cannot risk having international students feel like outsides. We need to go out of our way to accommodate their needs and make sure that they feel comfortable in America. If not us, then who?