1. Do you believe the way in which language is enforced and taught in classrooms is inherently racist? Why or why not?
2. How do you feel about the statements made by Inoue in regard to white teachers in the classroom, especially those teaching works authored by people of color? With this invisible barrier up in between many teachers and their students, how could those teachers best ensure that classroom is still a safe space? Historically speaking, the classroom has not been a safe place for people of color. Would you argue that this still remains true even though it may be to a lesser extent?
Hey Raquel,
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1 is a tricky one to answer, seeing as every teacher is different. Broadly speaking however, I think it's quite obvious that standardized "white" American English dominates in classrooms for racist reasons. That is not to say that the teachers themselves are necessarily racist for stressing the importance of learning standardized American English. They are simply teaching the most historically predominant American dialect. I don't see this as much different than learning Latin in order to engage in the written works of the past. Where this would cross over into racism would be if a teacher began to make claims of one dialect's superiority over another, and if that teacher graded or belittled students on the basis of their dialect.
Yes, Raquel. The classroom is still not a safe space for POC. I remember a workshop, a white student used the word "ya'arbunee" for a humor piece. As the only POC in that classroom, I explained to her that "ya"arbunee" is a word Palestinians use to bury their dead after every Israeli attack and shouldn't be used for jokes. The entire class turned to defend this student and her use of the word. I let them be!
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