More than just a month

This week's readings and class discussion made me really analyze the idea of culture and identity in the school system. Schools tend to "celebrate" diversity during the designated month, yet seem to skim over it the rest of the year, or in the case of dozens of other cultures, never even address it all. My current school makes a big deal about Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, because those are the most represented "cultures" in my school. Other cultures? Not even discussed. We do not even have a "diversity" day, which after reading this week's assigned texts, might not even be as effective as we want. I want to teach in a system that values all students--where all students can find representation in the literature they read, the imagery they see, and the customs and traditions that are valued. It actually leads me to the following question that is discussed in this upcoming week's topic: Even though my school doesn't have a super diverse population, should we still be educating students on cultures not represented in our school? I believe we should, but it comes down to time, resources, and the education of the teachers themselves. 

As a language teacher, I have always leaned into Hispanic Heritage Month, because it always seemed like the one time my subject was "highlighted." But this idea calls into question what Gorski points out about Mezirow's Transformative Theory: that some of the theory's "most transformative aspects" can be "watered down" in actual application (Gorski (2016)). My school celebrates Hispanic heritage for a month--but what about the other months of the year? Do my Hispanic students feel represented and valued in every day classroom situations? In the literature they see? Of course I teach about various cultures throughout the year, but generally speaking that is something that stays inside the bubble of my own classroom environment. It really makes me ponder how much more we could be doing as a school to create a more inclusive environment for all of our students. 

This seemingly elusive inclusivity that we see in so many schools is yet another example of the whiteness that has been so thoroughly absorbed in the country. The systemic exclusion of races and cultures other than white in the US has seeped into the culture of schools, and therefore the students (and teachers!) in it. I often get the question, "Why does Hispanic culture get a whole month?" or "Why do we celebrate Black history and not White history?" from students and unfortunately, adults as well. The privilege these questions contain is something that the ones asking do not even recognize or understand. I have been guilty of these types of thoughts in my own past. They come from ignorance. Ignorance can only be reversed with education. I feel very strongly that in the early years, exposure and simple instruction can be transformative. Students can see themselves in the literature and texts we choose and form a positive academic identity. We can choose texts that help students challenge what is right or fair. With simple social stories we can empower students to feel capable of change. What we need is buy-in from the adults who hold the “power” (teachers, admin, etc.) and I think THAT is where the bigger issue comes into play. Those teachers who have asked me the aforementioned questions are key players in the lack of cultural progress, which leads me to the following question. 

At an early age, at least, transforming the minds, attitudes, and hearts of students might not be the hardest part. We read in the case study this week that “Roger” was able to change his mindset about white privilege (Eastman, Miles, & Yerrick (2019)), but for those who aren’t embarking on a doctoral study, is it too late? How can we transform the hearts and minds of the teachers?