Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Stories: Whose are told and whose remain in the margins?

                                      

  
Growing up in school I was exposed to various aspects of history surrounding one specific race, I was taught about white culture and was shared the stories of every single white figure that helped build what we know today as the U.S. Other races were marginalized through many of these lectures and only had a few stories that were shared. The only time that history on other cultures such African American, Hispanics, Asians, Europeans and Middle Eastern were touched was during my world history class. There wasn’t a lot that was taught from them regardless; the focus was always the same, what did they contribute to our country? Being a Mexican American my biggest hope was to learn about my culture and the historic figures that made a difference in this country and that had a big impact on my own. This was never the case, only a few figures were mentioned such as Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King amongst others. 

    To answer the question, while white history and their stories have been told and shared repeatedly, Other diverse cultures remain as margins with only a fraction of their history being taught and their stories being shared. I think that as educators we must be able to change our strategy within our classes when teaching history and sharing stories and eradicate marginalizing. As a future educator I want to be able to teach my students about every single historic figure regardless of their ethnic background or race. I want to see every single aspect of history to be taught with fairness and with equality. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

How do we talk about issues that matter?

    Having a discussion about topics that matter can be very compelling and a bit overwhelming at times, especially if they are sensitive topics. We normally see these come up during family gatherings as well as with friends but most importantly we see them in debates and in the classroom. Some discussions can become very heated to the point where people start using foul language which can result in arguments, being kicked out of a friendship group, giving family the silent treatment or if you are a student can get you in trouble. Being a college student, I have been exposed to many discussions were things get to the point where classmates begin talking over one another and disagreeing and taking things personal. I myself try to observe and as I do I begin to wonder why is it that when topics that matter get brought up it creates chaos, and I always come back to same reason. Two words: Open Mind. 
   As a future educator the one thing that I have learned is that if we want to talk about issues that matter, it is important to keep an open mind about other people’s opinions and never take things personal. We have to be able to understand everyone’s point of view by listening to them and their reasons and be respectful of one another. Only then will we be able to come together and find a solution that will help everyone be more connected with each other, that is where the change will begin.

What makes great teaching? - The Series Finale

      What makes great teaching? Throughout this whole course we have learned many different strategies that as future educators will help u...