Code Switching In Schools: Questions And Answers By Starr Carter

In the article, “Learning How to Code Switch: Humbling, but Necessary,” I learned that I can relate to Eric Deggans to my own experience. When growing up I had to code switch, an example when I was in elementary and I was in Bilingual classes from Kindergarten to Third Grade. Then when fourth Grade hit my school wanted to switch me to an English class not a Bilingual classes anymore. My mom that day had a lot of thought about it and she said it was fine that the school suggested that, so I switched. The change was different because I couldn’t speak Spanish in my 4th grade English class anymore and I had to code switch to just speaking English to the rest of my classmates. And when I saw my Last 3rd grade bilingual class moving to 4th grade

Throughout the novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, several topics across the novel contribute to the overall theme. From identity, conformity to bullying, the topics of Stargirl cover everything under the Mica sun. Conformity is touched after everyone in Mica Area High School is described as conformists, blending into one another. Identity is challenged by Stargirl as she breaks away from conformity. Bullying makes its debut after the kids at MAHS reject Stargirls quirky ways. Overall, the Stargirl novel puts a fresh take on the underlining theme most people aren’t true to themselves unless they are confident.

As a teacher, it is important to know and understand the racial and cultural identities of both yourself, and your students. Knowing about your students’ backgrounds is a great way to make the classroom a safe and welcoming environment. Not all educational settings emit a feeling of safety to its students, and that needs to be changed. In this paper, I will discuss how my racial and cultural identity may be the same and may differ from my students, as well as some ways in which the institution of education can be changed to be more racially and culturally inclusive.

Schools systematically subjugate minority and black students when a school’s enrollment contains a huge racial majority. If students have no exposure to persons of different ethnicities, cultures, races, and religions, then these students will experience culture shock when they confront “other” people. Even in our class, we talk about black and minority students as another group, one that differs from “us.” We think about the inequalities in school systems as problems we need to fix, not as problems that have influenced our thinking and affect us as prospective teachers. For example, a white graduate student with

On the very first day of the class, Introduction to the Black Experience, we learned that people are defined by their culture and geography. We are also defined by the gaze of others and our own gaze. This realization led me to contemplate what the “black experience” means to me. As a first generation Haitian-American woman at Wellesley College, it has become clearer to me how important the language and culture of parents has been in shaping my identity. I have also begun to think more critically about how my identity as a woman of color separates me from black brothers as well as my white peers at Wellesley.

One of Beverly Tatum’s most popular works, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, outlines racial identity development and shows us what it means to be Black in today’s society. Tatum uses reasonable examples of her experience both as a parent and as a college professor. She is able to get readers to think in ways that might not be comfortable but are necessary and compelling. Recognizing understanding and embracing

The feeling of being judged for the experiences an individual faces can be detrimental to the person 's personality by that these experiences result in you trying to become someone you are not so that you hide what society feels is your flaw, your race. Starr lives in two completely separate worlds, Garden Heights and the area surrounding Williamson High School. These two worlds hinders Starr’s ability to voice her opinions and thoughts about anything because in both of these areas there is this fear of overstepping boundaries. Overstepping boundaries in either area causes an individual to become threatened, for example, in Garden Heights, Starr silences herself whenever she is around gang members because she is frightened that the gang members will harm both her and her family for her opinions. Starr silences herself when she is at Williamson High School, especially since she is one out of the few African Americans that attends there, because her opinion is outnumbered by the majority of the population who are either ignorant about the issues that affects Starr’s race or cares less to even hear issues that occurs to others beside them.

Ernest endured the hatred from the students and despite threats and requests aimed at preventing him from graduating; he became the first African-American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School. Ernest’s accomplishment did in fact give the world one more example that African-American’s were just as intelligent as white people were. As Ernest reminisced about how far integration had come, he said that,” What we had accomplished had a huge impact on the progress of integration, but we are nowhere near the point we should be. I’ll continue to do everything I can to promote integration to this day.”

One night she is catching up with an old childhood friend and while stopped at a stop light, she experience death and police brutality as her unarmed friend is shot and killed. Starr has the now deal with this major thing that has happened in her life as she is the only witness in this situation. We see a cultural rebellion, young woman trying to find her voice, and the typical struggles of high school life within this beautifully intimate first person narrative. Through her perspective, we see how the media is presenting young black men and how the urban wars, that are happening right now, are affecting all those around.

He is pulled back to Oakland California where he is from and as he steps foot onto the downtown are he could feel the negativity that penetrates itself throughout the city. Majority of the kids loitering on the streets and corners are minorities (African American and Latinos) who have given up on themselves. There are more high school drop outs than graduates that make up the city population. Poverty, drugs, and stealing is rampant and violence is accepted as normal. However, “Prosperoman” is aware of what lies on the other side of the freeway and knows that if he could just reach one kid and help them see that life can be so different but does not know how. He was fortunate enough to see that children in affluent areas are provided many resources, tools and guidance to help them achieve higher education but he is amazed that those students attend public schools as well and is he inner city he is now aware that there is a better way of life which one can obtain. and the living conditions can add years of life to people. as he was fortunate enough to escape these living conditions and knows that that down the freeway in the outer city that most of the students are Caucasians and also

The girl’s inner characterization resembles a coming of age character. She develops because of the action and her traits as a child are presented in contrast with her traits as a teenager. This contrast is emphasized using the third-person narrator at the beginning of

Once the student is back in his room, he begins pondering his life's situation. He is sensitive to his current environment, and imagines Harlem and New York talking to him, as if they were friends. They are the two worlds he is a part of, and he tries to resolve the differences by acknowledging the similarities. He recognizes that his life has many things in common with other people; working, loving, reading, learning, eating, sleeping, etc. Only the objects of expression are different.

Just as family does, education plays a major role in the shaping and development of your identity throughout your childhood and adolescence, during primary and secondary school. Although completely unaware, the teachers, bullies and friends at school are influencing the decisions made and ultimately are part of the personality that defines who you are. Sandra Laing, although having a coloured appearance, was for a short time allowed to attend an all-white school; because at first, legally Sandra was white. However after many beatings, bullying and downright humiliation, Sandra was expelled from the school, because, as her parents were told, “Sandra does not belong here”. Little did they know this action turned out to define the way Sandra accepted white people into her difficult life. Point being that, no matter how insignificant situations, experiences or environments may seem; the interpretations, memories and influences can last a whole life long. This fact plays out not only in the school yard, but also later in life in work places and in relationships.

Once students and teachers are aware of cultural differences, they become aware of racism and can fight to eradiate it. Through their unbiased understanding of the differences between cultures and races, they are able to come to a point of acceptance of themselves and others. If you noticed in my previous paragraph, I mentioned the different types of diversity. Diversity emphasizes how different students and teachers are, but when explored in a classroom, can be used to reveal our similarities. Once students and teachers grasp the concept of diversity, displayed through everyday interactions with diverse groups of students and teachers, racism begins to disappear. In addition, positive sense of self can be developed once students and teachers have an understanding of their own uniqueness through experiences and understanding of diversity. Once teachers and students

The case study subjects were specifically chosen for their differing backgrounds. One subject was an African American female in her early 40’s that was educated in a segregated school system. The other, a young African American male in his mid-20’s, taught in the same urban school system in which he was educated. Clark indicated during the interview that African