Journal Entry 4
1. Read: “Understanding Unconscious Bias and
Unintentional Racism”
2. Read: “The Silenced Dialogue”
3. Read: “One Teacher’s Story”
4. Highlight quotes from the above readings and write two
questions for discussion.
5. Journal Writing 4:
Respond to the following prompt:
What are your biases and how do you mitigate your
behavior when working with students
“Understanding Unconscious Bias and Unintentional Racism”
Page 37: “Such unconscious bias affect all of our
relationships, whether they are fleeting relationships in airports or longer
term relationships between teachers and students, teacher and parents, teachers
and other educators. Understanding our
own biases is a first toward improving the interactions that we have with all people
and is essential if we hope to build deep community without our schools.”
Page 40: “In this study, “black’s” impressions of whites were
related mainly to whites’ unconscious attitudes…the uncomfortable and
discriminatory behavior associated with aversive racism is very obvious to
blacks, even while whites either don’t recognize it or consider it hidden”
Question One: Could this be mis-readings, assumptions as
well?
Page 41: “It is important to note that the well-intentioned
are still racist- Because aversive racists may not be aware of their
unconscious negative attitudes and only discriminate against black when they
can justify their behavior on the basis of intentional wrongdoing when
confronted with evidence of their biases.
Indeed, they do not discriminate intentionally.
Question Two: Then what hope it there? I find this outright frustrating. If this is the case, then no one can move
forward. If everyone, even the well
intentioned are automatically labeled as
racists, why bother?
“The Silenced Dialogue”
Page 25: There are codes or rules for participating in power;
that is a “culture of power” The codes or rules I’m speaking of relate to
linguistic forms, communitive strategies, and presentation of self; that is,
ways of talking, ways of writing, ways of dressing, and ways of interacting”
“One Teacher’s Story”
Page 71: “A year ago, I knew very little about American Indian
history […] That’s because I, like most other Americans, am a product of a
system of education that simply does not include Indians. “
Page 72: “I hadn’t even realized this student was American
Indian, and he had never mentioned it until this moment: the moment when he saw
himself in my classroom for the first time. “
Page 74: “Our dismal history.
It lurks silently in that dark, wide chasm between American “ideals” and
the American way of life. It is in this
chasm that blind patriotism is spawned.
We proclaim our ideals loudly to the world- equality, justice for all-
these truths that we hold to be self-evident.
Yet we turn out heads and look away from the inequities inherent in our
way of life.”
3. How can Physical
Education incorporate American Indian history and culture?
Journal Writing 4: Respond to the following prompt: What are
your biases and how do you mitigate your behavior when working with students
I don’t know if it is my bias that holds me back from moving
forward in this issue or my ignorance. I
want to treat all my students will equity rather than equality. To give them the tools they need to succeed,
not the tools in power culture has decided is proper for success. I don’t like to stereotype people, but treat
them as an individual, each with a different background. Lumping groups of students together and
assuming something is not professional in any means, nor does it benefit the
student. I problem lies with not always
knowing what do to. Mostly with culture
backgrounds. Students are going to be
coming to me with a huge variety of cultures and histories. I want those aspects to be recognized,
celebrated, or taken into account when I plan my lessons. Unfortunately I am ignorant in so many of
these different types of lives. How can
I represent any of these different aspects of my student’s individual
backgrounds when I don’t know about them.
I am not taking about just strictly the individual; I am talking about
the culture. How Holidays are celebrated
and why. How genders are treated at
home. How food, electricity, family,
history, and social interactions vary from culture to culture. I have a lot to learn that is for sure. I try to learn from any person who is willing
to share this aspect of themselves and their culture. But the process sometimes feels slow when I
do not have the ability to amerce myself in the culture like I have had the privilege
of in the past. As a result, I listen to
my students whenever I can. Ask them to
tell me stories about anything, it is amazing the connections to cultures
students reveal when they tell stories or tell you about themselves. I love it, and I am always looking forward to
my next chance.
Continued conversation of this subject on Grouply.com at:
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