My quote: “If status characteristics are allowed to operate unchecked, the interaction of the children will only reinforce the prejudices they entered school with.” (Cohen, page 37) I find this quote very interesting to me because it is important that stereotypes and prejudices are either discussed and are discounted or discounted by the way the classroom community works together. I think this is important because students do enter school with some sort of prejudice from where they live or what they hear from parents and others. Children are going to be getting their own sense about people and their environment and it is important that as teachers, we encourage an anti-bias curriculum and do not put certain children in a spot to become a stereotype by accident. I think teachers often do not think about what they are saying to children who are having a hard time and what that does to other children in the classroom. You are a mentor to children and when we put stereotypes on children or make children look like they are the class clown or the “smart” one of the group, children recognize these things.
I think this will be important in my classroom because there are many children who are very different academically, socially, culturally among other differences. It is important to make sure when you are doing group work along with your everyday teaching that you be careful about the emphasis you put on certain students for the way you do things, especially when you start to pair people together in group work. I do not want students to start a hierarchy in the classroom and out of the classroom. That starts when teachers do not watch how they talk to students as well as preventing stereotypes and prejudices from occurring around them. A lot of observation should take place as well as establishing norms within the classroom.
I really liked this quote as well! I find it very important for us teachers to realize just how important our position as a role model really is. As you said, when teachers put stereotypes on children or make children look like they are a specific child of the group, they can recognize these things almost immediately. If we can stop this right from the start, the students can grow up having an open-mind and keep those stereotypes behind them. In all classrooms you are always going to find students who are different academically, socially, and culturally. Because of this, and being the lead role model in the classroom is it most definitely important to emphasize the importance of each individual member of the classroom community and how they all bring something positive to the classroom. The meaning behind this quote makes me want to make a banner of it and hang it in my own classroom! Great choice of quotes Kristen!
ReplyDeleteKristen,
ReplyDeleteThis quote really resonated with me and made me think about a recent conversation I had with my mentor teacher. The student population at Maple is culturally diverse with students of differing languages, religious backgrounds, and beliefs. Specifically, we have a large Chaldean population (who practice Catholicism) and a large Jewish population. My mentor teacher said that in previous years around the holiday season, students would verbally fight with one another and insult one another’s beliefs. It became so bad that the students began to segregate themselves based on their religions. On the playground and in the cafeteria, Chaldean and Jewish students isolated themselves from one another. After she began speaking with individual parents about their children, it became clear to her that they were learning the prejudice and intolerance at home. This is why it’s so important for us as teachers to be positive, broadminded role models in our students’ lives. I think you put it perfectly when you said, “It is important that as teachers, we encourage an anti-bias curriculum and do not put certain children in a spot to become a stereotype by accident.” I could not agree more! Thanks for your post!