Talking to Me

Wow. I'm guilty. Lisa Delpit is speaking to me. I can't say that I have knowingly silenced dialogues (I hope I haven't!) with colleagues of other races. But I have to admit that I have questioned the practices of one African-American teacher in my school, just as Delpit suggests that progressive, middle-class educators do. There is a teacher in my school who does yell at children. She shouts directions to children even when we are in the middle of singing. I once heard her tell a three-year-old that the she was "saying something stupid". She loves the students, and the students love her, but I think they are all afraid of her. She and I get along very well as friends/colleagues, but I've always secretly thought, because our educational philosophies are so different, that I would never want my own child to be in her class. I would probably continue to think like this if I hadn't read Lisa Delpit's article. It describes this exact situation: The white, progressive teacher who disagrees with the strong, authoritative tactics of a black teacher. Put in context, it's very clear to me why this teacher teaches the way she does. She wants the students to grow up learning how to deal with structure and authority. She was probably raised in a very structured and strict educational environment. I also know exactly what Delpit means when she describes the passive styles of many white teachers. I've observed teachers in my school who are literally teaching children to function in a passive-aggressive culture. They train them to read signals that are different from the words they speak. This article is so revealing. I'll be passing it on.