Kevin Guevara

Dr. Fulmer

Social and Cultural Foundations of Education

5/13/16

Final Assignment: Part 1

As a heterosexual Latino who grew up in a predominately Italian working class

neighborhood in Boston, I thought the purpose of public schools in a democratic society was to

simply provide children with a general education. Reflecting on my experience in public schools

has made me aware of the little attention my schools placed on the intense struggles many

LGBT students and students of color had to endure on a regular basis. Latino and Italian culture

place a lot of emphasis on men to project hyper-masculine traits, so homophobia is a common

state of mind that plagues many members of my community. The word faggot was such a

common thing to hear and use on a regular basis (even teachers would use the word) that no one

really questioned the impact of that offensive term. Racism and prejudice views are also common

in my community which often lead to violent confrontations between different groups of people.

Sonia Neito (2004) argues that this these types of behaviors are common because members of

the dominant group in a society traditionally think of dominant culture as normal while they

view values of other subordinate groups as deviant or even wrong. (147) I completely agree

with this claim. These serious issues were never directly addressed during my entire experience

attending public schools, despite the fact that these problems were affecting many of the

students. After taking this course, Ive come to the realization that the purpose of public schools
in a democratic society should be to provide students an opportunity to explore their identity and

learn about other cultures in a safe environment.

Historically, many prominent people have argued that one purpose of public schools in a

democratic society is to encourage students to be productive members of society. When students

are taught what it means to be a productive member of their own community, then they can

contribute to constructing a better society. Joel Spring (2012) explains how as a result of the

school becoming a welfare agency, it became the symbol and hope for achieving the good

society. (30) This is what led to topics such as sex education to become a requirement for public

schools to teach their students. Society hoped that if students had a clear understanding of these

types of subjects then they would not make the same mistakes the generation before them made.

Unfortunately, many people seem to have lost hope in public schools being able to help produce

a better society. Many public schools in inner cities throughout this country, especially ones with

a high population of students of colors, are severly underfunded and have some of the worst

reputations (Kozol, 2009). These schools have not been able to successfully encourage students

to at least attempt to make difference in their own communities let alone society. Even Spring

admits There is little evidence that schools have reduced crime through moral and character

education. In fact, crime has increased as more students attend school for longer periods of

time. (50) Public schools are actually increasing the problems of society. We are still dealing

with the same issues that public schools wanted to at least reduce. These persistant issues include

racism, sexism, and homophobia. Many teachers, in my experience, choose not to address these

types of problems in great detail. This means that students are not even learning about the

prejudices and biases that are preventing society from improving. Even if there is not enough
evidence to support the claim that teaching students about these things will reduce them students

do at least have the right to know and discuss these problems in a safe environment. It also does

not help how it seems as if society has completely given up on certain schools and the students

attending those schools.

Public schools need to incorporate more material that is relevant to the lives of their

diverse students if their purpose is to encourage students to be productive members of society. I

have always felt that my school did not incorporate enough material that directly reflected the

struggles that I, and many other students of color, were facing on a regular basis. Im speaking

specifically in the context of English classes in which much of the curriculum at my high school

consisted of works by White writers such as William Faulkner, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Robert

Frost, and Shakespeare. It was difficult to develop an interest in these authors because many

students of color in my school felt like the issues these White authors addressed were not

important to them. Understanding Shakespeare in high school does not immediately help a

student get out of poverty, and the students were well aware of this. The only works by authors

of color I read in high school were Toni Morrisons Beloved, Sandra Cisneros House on Mango

Street, and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. We never read any works by authors

who identify as LGBT, or anything that directly addressed their unique struggles in society. It

surprises me that many of my peers in Ithaca College were not required to read any of those

novels, so I guess my high school actually assigned more works by authors of color than some

other high schools. I remember the students of color would participate much more frequently

when we read these works because those specific works reflected their history, culture, and

struggles. The film Precious Knowledge is solid visual proof that students of color seem to invest
much more of their effort into classes that incorporate discussions of their own history and

culture. This is because ethnic studies classes and literature by authors of color give students the

opportunity to explore and learn about their identity in a safe academic setting with their peers.

Based on my own experiences and observations, it seems when students of color have an

understanding of the many historical and social barriers that have been preventing them from

succeeding it motivates them to take an active part to make a difference. This motivation usually

takes on the form of pursuing a higher education.

As a heterosexual Latino, I feel like my public high school did not fulfill its purpose in a

democratic society. My high school did have a LGBT club, but many students were afraid to

attend it. My high school only assigned a handful of works by authors of color, so students were

not exposed to other peoples history or culture. We did not get the opportunity to explore our

identity or learn about our history in great detail. Students would graduate with the same

prejudice beliefs and biased attitudes they came in with. These students would clearly not go on

to become productive members of our community or society. Theyre continuing this vicious

cycle of learned intolerance and remain ignorant to the struggles of the non dominant group. I

strongly believe if my public school took the initiative to properly address these issues in classes,

then there would be less hate and violence in my community. I am aware, from the experience I

had in our class, that not every single student is going to walk away with a new attitude or a

change in perspective. Im also aware that many teachers in my high school were most likely not

prepared or trained to facilitate these types of discussions without creating a hostile environment.

However, making a change in society does not happen overnight. A change of this magnitude
requires small steps, but there is no turning back once those small steps have been taken by just a

few individuals.

Part 2

As a future educator, it would be completely irresponsible of me to hold on to the terrible

perspectives that my community and my Latino heritage has engrained on me. It would be

irresponsible for any future teacher to not acknowledge social injustices because nothing would

change in our diverse society. The problem is that many teachers, at least in my experience, seem

to be unaware of how they are actually exacerbating these serious issues and are unintentionally

creating uncomfortable learning environments for their students. Geneva Gay (2010) explains

how

Other discontinuities in behavioral norms and expectations are not isolated incidents or
rare occurrences in culturally pluralistic classrooms. They happen often and on many
different fronts, simply because teachers fail to recognize, understand, or appreciate the
pervasive influence of culture on their own and their students attitudes, values, and
behaviors. (24)

I also know that is not enough for educators to simply be aware of the many injustices

occurring in the world. Teachers need to take the initiative of being very conscious of how their

everyday behavior, which they see as normal, might be viewed as offensive to other students

who do not identify the same way as the teacher. I have become aware of some of the issues that

affect other students of color and students who identify themselves as LGBT, but I also

understand that being a culturally responsible teacher is a never ending learning process. I also

know that I have the rare opportunity to promote and facilitate discussions about these issues

because Im going to be an English teacher. English classes depend heavily on classroom

discussions of the assigned reading material. I would want to assign works of literature that
specifically addresses the many social injustices of our society. This would include works that

deal with racism, misogyny, poverty, homophobia, and other delicate topics. Many works that

explore these types of issues are frequently banned from being taught in schools across this

country because they are considered too inappropriate for students. I know I am going to get

many angry responses from parents and administrators for even suggesting that these types of

works should be taught in classrooms, but it is my responsibility as a future male educator of

color to at least encourage these works be taught. The most important thing I learned from this

course is that consciously remaining silent on these important issues only creates more problems

for our society. Silence never promotes understanding or acceptance.

The most important part of promoting these types of discussions in the classroom is for

the educator to become familiar with how all of their students choose to identify themselves, and

to get an idea of how these identites shape their perception of the world around them. I identify

as Latino and I grew up around Italians, but I can never claim to have a complete understanding

of what it really means to identify as Italian and how that impacts a student who identifies as

such. The same idea applies to educators for other students of color and students who identify as

LGBT. It is also important for me to keep in mind that as much as I experience racial

discrimination on a regular basis, Im still a heterosexual male at the end of the day. I have

certain privileges that a significant number of my future students will never have. Dr. Beverly

Daniel Tatum explores this concept in the chapter The Complexity of Identity. In the chapter,

Tatum (2003) states

Even as I focus on race and racism in my own writing and teaching, it is helpful to
remind myself and my students of the other distortions around difference that I (and they)
may be practicing It is an especially useful of generating empathy for our mutual learning
process. If I am impatient with a White woman for not recognizing her White privelage, it
 may be useful for me to remember how much of my life I spent oblivious to the fact of
the daily advantages I receive simply because I am heterosexual, or the ways in which I
may take my class privilege for granted. (22-23)

This passage really resonates with me mainly for the reason I previously stated about

being a heterosexual male. This also connects to the Geneva Gay passage I discussed earlier. I

have to be conscious of what I perceive as normal and acceptable behavior might be offensive

to some of the students in my classroom. This is how uncomfortable environments are created in

the classroom setting. It is very easy for me, as a Latino, to forget about the other signficant

advantages I do have in our society. I am aware (as Im sure you are as well) that I get easily

frustrated with White people when they do not recognize their privelage, especially when they

unintentionally come off as rude. Creating a safe classroom learning environment means that

every single student feels comfortable including the White students. I have to work on

developing a stronger sense of patience if I want to be a successful culturally responsible teacher.

I would imagine the most difficult part about incorporating discussions on social

injustices and diversity is figuring out a way to implement it in a classroom without creating an

environment full of overwhelmingly high tension among the students. Being uncomfortable in a

classroom is not necessarily a bad thing. If a person is uncomfortable that means they are being

exposed to something new and it is making them think critically. Some teachers can facilitate

these types of discussions better than others because being trained to facilitate these discussions

is something relatively new. Jennifer Bryan (2012), in the context of gender and sexuality,

explains how

In truth there are no purely objective measures to assess readiness for this topic, or any
other for that matter. As a result, our beliefs appropriateness and readiness are often
driven by history and culture, rather than by sound, reasearch-based understanding.
Historically, teachers have not been trained or encouraged to explicitly engage in with the
 gender and sexuality of their students. In the fall of 2010, when I asked a group of one
hundred and twenty preK-8 teacher at a progressive independent school in New York City
how many had received specific training in this area, six people raised their hands. At
many schools, fewer hands than that go up. (4)

As I have said earlier, silence only creates more problems in the classroom. These types

of issues need to be addressed to students. It is essential for English teachers to make sure their

students have a firm understanding of these topics when they choose to assign a work of

literature that addresses delicate issues. The best example I can think of is how quite a few White

educators have confessed to being uncomfortable teaching Mark Twains masterpiece The

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (still a controversial novel to this day). The mistake I have seen

most English educators make is that they do not explain how this novel is a satire of Southern

culture during the pre-Civil War era. It is important for the educator to establish some boundaries

for the sake of the students in that context such as asking their students if they are comfortable

with the language being read out loud. A work like this does have the potential to open the door

for great and insightful class discussions about how attitudes regarding race have not changed

much. There are many controversial novels I would like to one day incorporate into my

curriculum (Huckleberry Finn is actually one of them despite the fact that even I get

uncomfortable at times with the language) because novels that tackle various types of

discrimination are often the ones that effectively reflect our society as a whole. I have not taken

a pedagogy class yet, and I am not exactly sure what is the process of getting a new novel

incorporated into the curriculum. As a result, I can not specifically comment on how I would

overcome this unavoidable future obstacle. I know I would have to get the schools approval

first, and inform the students parents about the text my class would be reading and discussing.
From what my professors have told me, the most important thing to have during this obstacle are

other allies in the school (especially other teachers and the principal).

Class discussions are the best ways for me to continually adjust and critically inform my

cultural frame of reference in order to accommodate to the needs of all my students. My

experiences as a Latino growing up in working class neighborhood in Boston and attending

Ithaca College are limited to just that. I have no idea what kind of struggles a Middle Eastern

student who identifies as transgender would face in this country or their own country. I do know

there is a Middle Eastern student out there who could help me, and the rest of the class, get an

idea about the harships of that specific struggle. I also know there do exists novels that address

that specific situation. There are endless possibilities to the type of connections and responses

students make with literature that addresses social injustices. Ive also seen many students

change their bias perspectives on certain issues after they read a work that addressed the issue. It

is important for educators to allow students to have these discussions without the fear of being

judged or offended. The one thing I will always keep in mind during my career as an English

teacher is to never assume that I have heard or seen everything. I know there will always be a

student who will challenge that assumption, so it is best to always keep an open mind.
 References

Neito, S. (2004). Culture, Identity, and Learning. Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical

Context of Multicultural Education

Spring, J. (2012). The Social Goals of Schooling American Education

Geneva, G. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching Theory, Research, and Practice

Tatum, B. D. (2003) The Complexity of Identity Why Are The Black Kids Sitting Together in

the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race

Bryan J. (2012) Gender and Sexuality Diversity at Schools: What Educators Need to Know and

Then Some. From The Dress-Up Corner To The Senior Prom: Navigating Gender and

Sexuality Diversity in Prek-12 Schools

 Self Evaluation

Category Criteria Student Professor

(for Meets Expectationssee below for other Score Score
levels)
Would you like Dr. Fulmer to provide extensive in-text feedback on your assignment? YES
Answering Thoroughly addresses all aspects of Part I 2
the Question prompt.
(10%) Thoroughly addresses all aspects of Part II
prompt.
Presentation Provides a reflective examination of ones own 3
of Analysis experience and/or development of thinking in
(30%) relation to the course material.
Applies analytical frameworks/tools/concepts
from the course.
Use of Maximizes use of course material by 2
Course o making substantive connections, artfully
Content woven throughout the paper;
(30%) o richly supporting thesis/main idea with
relevant facts, examples, and details;
and
o providing nuanced analysis.
Outside sources, if/when used, are particularly
well chosen, relevant, credible, and augment
the thesis, but are not relied upon as the sole
source of information.
Form of A very well-developed assignment, consistently 1
Writing demonstrating a logical and clear plan of
(10%) organization.
Strong thesis, introduction and conclusion (or
equivalent).
Carefully crafted language/project.
Meticulous attention to detail (editing,
proofreading).
Incorporation Adheres to guidelines of the assignment (e.g. 2
of Required for paper ~8-10 pages long, double-spaced,
Conventions 1 margins, and standard font; must be typed;
(20%) self-evaluation included).
All referenced materials cited.
Correct APA format for all cited materials
used.
At least 5 appropriate class readings
incorporated into the paper.
TOTAL This is a holistic score that reflects what you earn 10
above. Greatest emphasis will be placed on the
Analysis and Application section, but it is worth
noting that a strong analysis is possible only when
the texts have been carefully read and explicated.
Overall
Comments
and Letter/
Percent
Grade