Race and Ethnicity in the classroom

I did my group differences project on race and ethnicity. Luke and I both choose to read two articles each. The first article I read was “Modifying Children's Racial Attitudes” by Frances Aboud. Aboud made it clear that children are not unbiased at a young age as many often assume they are, he on the other hand made the assumption that children are very biased and need to be taught how to be unbiased before they reach age 5 where it becomes less likely to be taught.

Aboud uses an intervention strategy to see if children can be taught how to be accepting of other races. I think this strategy is great and would like to see the results of its implications on a wider scale. I agree with aboud that children are not culturally and racial unbiased. I have worked in daycares for years and children will be biased based on gender, age, money, race, etc. even as early as 2 and 3 years old.

I also completely agree with aboud’s view on being racially colorblind. Racial colorblindness has often been thought of getting rid of racial biased, but it has done the opposite. Children pick up on social cues very easily, they see mommy wearing pink and getting her nails done with her girl friends and daddy wears jeans and works on cars with his guy friends. Although no one told that child that girls wear pink, they have picked up on it by seeing that daddy doesn’t wear pink. The same process applies for other biased, including racial biased. Although a parent may not say that a “black” man is bad, he may imply it by not speaking to him, or sneering his nose up unconsciously. When children see these bias behaviors occurring but are not taught why or how not to do them, they assume they are the “right” way and follow in those footsteps. INSTEAD, parents and teachers should explain differences such as sex, ey color, skin color, and then explain that just because these differences ageist doesn’t mean that one person is better than the other.

The other article I read was titled “Teaching for Social Justice, Diversity, and Citizenship in a Global World” By James A. Banks.  Banks argues that teachers need to worry less about academic matters and basic skills and more about the global world. Students need to learn social justice, diversity, and citizenship.

“I am very concerned about a conception of literacy that defines it only as basic skills and ignores citizenship participation in national and global contexts. Although it is essential that students acquire basic skills in literacy, basic skills are necessary but not sufficient in our diverse and troubled world. Literate citizens in a diverse and democratic society should be reflective, moral, and active citizens in an interconnected global world. They shut the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to change the world to make it more just and democratic. The world’s greatest problems do not result from people being unable to read and write. They result from people in the world from different cultures, Races, religions, and nations been unable to get along and to work together to solve the worlds in tractable problems such as global warming, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Poverty, Racism, Sexism, and war.”

The old thought that assimilation was needed is no longer correct, instead multicultural citizenship is necessary. Banks States that multicultural citizenship “recognizes and legitimates the rights and needs for citizens to maintain both their culture communities and national civic communities”. I agree with banks very much, we as a society have put way to much effort on common core and achievement scores and have forget that we need to put emphasis on our culture as well as the other cultures that make up our culture.