This week's readings on building safe and multicultural community have really got me thinking. They have me thinking about what it means to build a safe community. They have me thinking about how the school that I work at is not really a safe community, at least not entirely. And they have me thinking about my favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you have not read this masterpiece of American literature, then some of this post may not make sense. I also recommend you read it, or at the very least see the movie, it has Gregory Peck and is a very good and faithful adaptation of the great American novel.
The Greene Article discusses the need for imagination in order to build a safe community, imagination to think as others and to be outside of ourselves. This reminds me of when Atticus tells his daughter, that you never really know a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you step into his skin and walk around it. The thing is, this is not always easy, and is often very difficult, which is why many people do not do it, the benefits do not outweigh the costs for them. But teachers cannot afford to make it a choice, it is a matter of duty for those in the profession. Trying to understand a person does not always lead to agreeing with them, but what is not needed is a universal consensus, what is needed is a universal respect, and this is what builds a safe community.
The article by Sapon-Shevin discusses building a safe community for learning by embracing both student's differences and similarities alike with clear rules and structures in place. I really liked the idea of the teacher facilitating safe community building through rules and activities created by the teacher, as well the establishment of clear rules and expectations. This really spoke to me, since that's what America is all about. Our similarities and differences are both celebrated through a strong Republican government. America is not a democracy, which rules by the omnipotent will of the majority, there are clear rules in place that prevent that from being the case, and that allow real freedom and diversity to thrive. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch fights for these ideals in the court, which he claims are "the nations great leveler." He charges the men on the jury to do their duty to what's right, to make the town of Maycomb a safe place for all people to not only celebrate their differences, but to celebrate being American together. American schools likewise can also function as a great leveler, if teachers will do their duty to make them a safe place for everyone. The very ethos of American civilization is expressed by Thomas Jefferson who claimed that, "all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If it is God that made all students equal in dignity, and equal in worth, who am I to put my prejudices above the almighty?
No comments:
Post a Comment