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Code Switching In Education

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While working with the HCZ school system I found Hartigan and Du Bois’s articles applicable; most of the staff members had the black middle class toolkit. They were able to code switch with the students as a means of communication in order to get the students to perform at higher standards. Staff was able to communicate effectively with students as they created lesson plans they were personally passionate about, and topics students could relate to. Students were consistently engaged and teachers were able to create lesson plans that they were passionate about and that the students would latch onto. HCZ staff used code-switching while working with the students in order to prepare them to advance to college in the future. HCZ has created a model …show more content…

School systems that create classes that actively discuss racial and ethnic identity and history serve as an empowering dynamic. The documentary Precious Knowledge presented a battle over Ethnic Studies classes that were offered at Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) in Arizona during 2009. Divisive issues were not the product of these discussions, but a reluctance of white Americans who held the social, political, and economic privilege. The Ethnic Studies classes that were offered at TUSD empowered the Mexican-American students in the community by allowing them to learn more about their history, who they were, and how they fit into the social structure in the U.S. society. The classes taught the students about the systematic structures within the United States, providing students with a holistic understanding of the racial and ethnic issues relating to their personal social-political position, as well as others in the sociopolitical system. Courses similar to these are critical for students from underrepresented backgrounds and whites to engage in at the high school level because they push both whites and marginalized groups to understand a new perspective from a young

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