Blog 4 (Johnson)

No two people in the world are exactly the same. We’ve all had different life experiences and come from different backgrounds. This is what makes us who we are. Unfortunately, our society today has many stereotypes of people from different and diverse cultures. It is impossible to escape these narrow minded ideas wherever you go. Bias is a natural feeling based on our personal history. However, as an aspiring teacher it is crucial to realize that bias does not have to hinder your ability to be an effective teacher. If we can confront our biases rather than ignore them, we as teachers can use this knowledge to overcome these biases and to give every student, no matter what shape, size, or color fair and equal opportunity. However, this is easier said than done. It is difficult at times to escape the trap that is bias in today’s society. When a specific ethnic group is criticized and portrayed as less than another ethnic group on the nightly news, it becomes difficult to think otherwise. This is a challenge that all teachers must face in their classroom. This challenge can destroy a classroom or enhance it. If met head on, and a conscious effort is made to fight these biases we have, and to learn about children’s history and culture, we can start to appreciate and value every single child’s individualism and what they can bring to the classroom to create an effective learning environment.

The classroom I am tutoring in is a mix of Hispanic, Asian and African American. However, the teacher is a middle class white female. She told me that coming to this school was a culture shock for her and something she was not used to. She told me that talking to the children’s parents and finding out about each and every child made it easier to incorporate the values of different cultures and make a classroom based on acceptance and understanding. The children in this classroom are very friendly with each other and there seems to be no cliques or ethnic groups that stick together. Everyone talks and laughs and learns with each other as a classroom. This classroom is a small example of an ideal society; different ethnic groups working together and utilizing their talents and abilities to create a comfortable atmosphere.

After reading this prompt, I immediately thought of Allen Johnson and the articles we read in class. Johnson says that being bias is not the problem, its ignoring the fact that there is bias. Being ignorant to the truth cannot help yourself and cannot help your students. Johnson goes on to say that it is not our fault that the world is the way it is or that we feel a certain way about a certain race of people. However, it is our job to acknowledge that world is this way and to work on ways to fix this. As aspiring teachers, it is not our job to feel bad for our students, but to make the changes necessary to incorporate diversity and to teach acceptance and understanding.