diversitytraining2017: August 2017

Monday, August 28, 2017

Culture refers to the TOTAL WAY OF LIFE of a people; it consists of a people's beliefs...institutions...practices...products. Culture is the man-made part of the environment. (material & non-material)

Culture is "the glasses" through which you interpret your experiences in the world and then respond to them.

Language & Culture:
emotions and culture

Prescriptive versus Vernacular language: language and culture are dynamic systems which are intrinsically connected. Culture is infused into language, and language is a powerful medium for the expression of culture. For This reason, when someone criticisms the way you speak, they are criticizing more than just your linguistic abilities.

Standard versus Non-Standard
Vernacular
"slang"

Non-Verbal Communication

Interactive distance (proxemics)
touching
orientation
gaze
gestures (kinesics)

Paralinguistics (rules for communicating)

directness/indirectness
formality/informality
loudness (pitch, tone, voice quality)
speed
length of utterance (lengthly, brief)
turn taking
how silence is used
politeness rules

Sources of Cultural Conflict

Creating a "culturally Competent Practice" as Educators

"Tolerance" versus "Competence"

Cultural competence is the capacity to work effectively with people from a variety of ethnic, cultural, political, economic and religious backgrounds.
It is being aware and respectful of the values, beliefs, traditions, customs, and parenting styles of the families of the children in our classrooms.
It is understanding that culture is not heterogenous. That there are often a wide range of differences within a group.
It is being aware of how our own culture influences how WE VIEW OTHERS

ASSUMPTIONS:

All people have personal aspirations and goals. How these may be expressed, and how important these are varies from culture to culture

All parents/cultures want their children to be healthy and happy

Happiness is defined by one's proper integration into family, society and culture

Cultural beliefs and values (WORLDVIEW) are difficult, if not impossible to change (COGNITIVE/ESSENTIAL change). One may learn how to behave and think in a new way, without changing their fundamental perspective (functional change/ACCULTURATION)

Individualism Versus Collectivism:

INDIVIDUALISM

child is an indivudual
Independence is valued
praise creates positive self-esteem
cognitive skill development is important
oral self-expression is valued
personal property is recognized
individuality must be nurtured and respected
competition and personal initiative are valued
children deserve to be respected by adults

COLLECTIVISM

child is part of a social group
interdependence is valued
criticism (creates normative behavior)
social skill development is important
listening to authority is valued
sharing is mandatory (not generous)
group identity is nurtured and respected
cooperation is valued
adults deserve respect from children

CULTURAL COMPETENCY involves the development of skills:

improving your ability to control and change your own (stereotypic) beliefs and assumptions
to think flexibly
to seek out sources of information to educate yourself about those who are different from you
to recognize that your own thinking is not the only way
SELF-AWARENESS is the first step in this process
first question is always WHY (rather than judging 'WHAT')

The Importance of Cultural Differences

Factors which influence the importance or noninterference of cultural differences:

Not ALL differences are based on CULTURAL differences

Culture is a complex system made up of INDIVIDUALS whose behaviors and beliefs vary around norms

Immigrants are more likely to express and be impacted by cultural differences

Immigrants' CHILDREN are most likely to be impacted by cultural differences since they act as buffers and go betweens between parents and the new culture

This is true in school
power relationships upturned become a source of stress
children may be embarrassed by their parents/internalize

The more stigmatized a culture, the more it will impact a child's behavior and the more we are likely to judge a child in terms of STEREOTYPIC IDEAS about the impact of their culture

Members of stigmatized groups are likely to judge "their own kind" more harshly in contexts like school.
why???

Failure to acknowledge cultural differences limits our ability to interact with children and families

Defining The Problems:

Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

tension
ostracism
bullying
violence

Lack of Achievement in Some Minority Students

standardized testing
gifted and talented programs
behavioral issues
non-parity in grading
failure rates

Tensions Between School and Minority/Immigrant Community

Lack of Parental Involvement or Negative Parental Involvement

Tensions Between Parents & Teachers

Expectations of "Minority" Teachers

Behavioral Problems in Children

*How would you define the challenges or issues in your school environment?

*What do you anticipate will be the challenges?

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Talking to kids about Charlottesville

Talking to Young People about

Charlottesville and White Supremacy

Resources for Educators and Parents

Compiled by Border Crossers

For Educators

Seven Ways that Teachers can Respond to the Evils of Charlottesville, Starting Now, by Xian Franzinger Barrett/AlterNet
The Charlottesville Syllabus, UVA Graduate Coalition
The First Thing Teachers should do when School Starts is Talk about Hatred in America. Here’s Help. By Valerie Strauss
ShareMyLesson.com Curriculum and Resources for Discussing Charlottesville in the classroom, American Federation of Teachers
Resources for Educators to Use in the Wake of Charlottesville, Anya Kamenetz/ NPR
There is No Apolitical Classroom: Resources for Teaching in these Times, National Council of Teachers of English
Charlottesville Syllabus: Readings on the History of Hate in America, Catherine Halley
If You Think Racism is Too Political For Your Classroom, Think About What Your Silence Says, Sonja Cherry-Paul
Responding to Hate and Bias in School from Teaching Tolerance

For Families

How to Talk to your Kids about the Violence in Charlottesville, by Sonali Kohli, LA Times
The Dos and Dont’s of Talking to Kids of Color about White Supremacy, Hilary Beard, Colorlines
What Charlottesville Means for Our Black Family, by Lori Taliaferro Riddick
White Supremacists Still Exist. Here’s What White Parents Can Do About It, Caroline Bologna

Children’s Book Lists

How to Talk to your Kids about Charlottesville, Maria Russo, NYTimes
Children’s Books: A Resource for Talking About Race with Young Children, Raising Race Conscious Children
Knowing Our History to Build a Brighter Future: Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equality, by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
40+ Children’s Books about Human Rights & Social Justice by Monisha Bajaj

Taking Action/ Organizing

things you can do, re: Charlottesville (ongoing google doc)
Responding to Charlottesville (ongoing google doc)
Charlottesville Organizers Ask you to Take These 8 Actions, Solidarity CVille
Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide, Southern Poverty Law Center
Speak Up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry from the Southern Poverty Law Center
So You Want to Fight White Supremacy, The Establishment
Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Will Likely Increase. Here’s How Not To Be A Bystander by Kelly Walters

Video tutorial from Buzzfeed

How to Intervene in a Racist Attack by Akshat Rathi

On White Accountability

How White People Must Respond to The Disgusting, Pathetic #UniteTheRight Rally in Charlottesville, by Jamie Utt
What we Need White Allies to Do about the White Supremacists in Virginia, Lara Witt
I Am Charlottesville, Jenna Chandler-Ward, Teaching While White Blog
70+ Race Resources for White People, Leslie Verner
Towards the ‘Other America,’ Anti Racist Resources for White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter, by Chris Crass (e-book)
Ten Things Every White Teacher Should Know When Talking About Race, Angela Watson
White People: Stop Weaponizing Our Emotions to Avoid Your Racism, Shannon Barber

Self-Care Resources

4 Self-Care Tips for People of Color after Charlottesville, Lara Witt
4 Self-Care Resources for Days When the World is Terrible by Miriam Zoila Perez
Self-Care for People of Color After Psychological Trauma, Just Jasmine
Resisting White Supremacy Can’t Happen Without Self-Care, Ebonye Gussine Wilkins
Here's what those of us still grieving the election of Donald Trump don't need to hear right now by Kimberly Foster
11 Ways Black People Can Practice Self-Care in the Wake of Trump’s Win by Zeba Blay

SOCIAL MEMORY: two events, one story

Do Black Lives Matter? Do Blue Lives Matter? Do Both Lives Matter?

That depends on your social memory.

What are the "stories" into which these same events are woven?

What can the anthropological perspective tell us about why they are different?

STANDING ROCK SIOUX & The PIPELINE

Another example of social memory!

Focus of Diversity Education for Children

IDENTITY: who are we? How are we similar and different from each other

COMMUNITY: What does it mean to be part of a shared community (school)?

CHANGE: How can we work together to create positive change in our community?

MYTHS ABOUT RACE

Myth#1: "Children don’t see race.”
Research shows us that children do, in fact, see race. They are never “colorblind.” One study revealed that infants recognize racial differences between three and six months of age.

Dr. Phyllis Katz’s research (as cited in “See Baby Discriminate”) shows that by three years white children exhibit an overwhelming preference for same 'race' friends. By age five, 68% of children sort decks of cards of people’s faces by race over any other indicator. The infamous doll test originally performed by Kenneth and Mamie Clark and repeated most recently by CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 shows that pre-k and kindergarten-aged children express racial biases that remain with them through adulthood. To be clear, the purpose of this research is not to figure out if your child is a racist or not. The intention is to debunk the colorblind myth and frame an approach to interrupting these troubling patterns.

Instead of saying "we are all the same!", try making a connection with their observations by saying." race is one of the beautiful things that makes us different, but the color of our skin does not mean that someone is good or is bad, or nice or mean.

Myth #2: "Talking about race creates racist thinking"

Our country has a race problem that permeates our culture, that plagues our institutions and affects individuals. We know that children absorb these messages without our help.Not talking about race actually allows stereotypes and generalizations to go unchecked.

Instead of saying. "race isn't something we talk about". Try getting more information by saying, "That's a good comment. What makes you say that? This is something I am interested in talking about with you."

Myth #3: Exposure to diversity is enough"

Dr. Birgitte Vittrup performed a study with 100 families in Texas that found that mere exposure to peers of other races or reading multicultural books is not enough to counter the development of bias in children; they must be accompanied by conversations about race. These conversations about race should reflect an honest acknowledgement of systemic inequalities but seek to engage the child in enacting solutions.

Instead of saying, "we are all equal." try saying, "we are all equal here, but sometimes in the world people are treated differently based on the color of their skin. What are things we can do to make sure that does not happen in our home/school"?

Myth #4: " My child said something racist, therefore I must be a bad parent"

Racism is a powerful system that affects individuals and institutions. Children are steeped in this culture from birth, and it should come as no surprise when they ask a question or make a comment about race that gives us pause. One should lose the guilt, and seize the opportunity to have a deeper conversation that examines the source of the comment. This guilt may also prevent parents from seeking out support of peers who can bring expertise and insight to the situation.

Instead of saying, "My child said something so horrible I cant even repeat it," try saying, "I think my child is beginning to notice inequalities in society. She said, ____. Has your child/other children ever said anything like this? What did/do you do about it"?

Myth #5: " I don't have all the answers, so why talk about it?"

It's ok to say that you don't know what you don't know, but this is no reason, NOT to talk about race. It's fine to ask for more time to think before answering questions. Its ok to take conversations slowly and not be afraid to discover our own biases. Children are not colorblind and an explicit conversation about race is healthy and necessary for children.

Instead of saying nothing and avoiding the conversation, try saying, "That is something adults haven't even figured out. Let's learn about it together."

Resources: Race, Racism and racialized violence

Resources for Talking about Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids

This document was compiled by Border Crossers. It is not meant to be exhaustive and will be continually updated as we are made aware of more resources.

Interviews/Advice from Experts: