What Is The Conflict Of Identity In Gregory Michie's Holler If You Hear Me?

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.

James Baldwin was an African American author who grew up in Harlem. In his “Talk to Teachers”, he discusses how society connects to education. He shows that society shapes a child’s education by conditioning and telling them how to view their place in life. According to Baldwin, society shows that there are unfair rules and regulations in a country that is supposed to believe and practice freedom. When the child grows up, they will realize that they do not have equal opportunities as other children and will then question their own identities. To fix these contradictions, Baldwin believes education should “create the ability to look at the world for himself.” He also believed that a child should “examine everything in order to achieve change and a sense of their own identity.”

“Start Where You Are But Don’t Stay There” by Richard Milner is a book about dealing with diversity in the classroom in today’s day and age. It holds a focus on allowing all students to be successful academically and throughout their lives. Milner talks about several different case studies in which teachers must help students who are struggling. It goes through scenarios with Mr. Hall, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Shaw, who are all struggling with diversity in different ways. This book holds an importance in expressing ideas and concerns of equality in schools, and I believe it would be beneficial for all aspiring educators to read it.

There were many diverse aspects to this book. Most of this book is a recall from either the main character, or one of his students. This book is intended to open people’s eyes to see that in order to change the world we must first change ourselves. Being able to go through this story and see the mistakes, and the good decisions, teachers in Michie’s life have made, has taught me that the best way to teach is through love, justice, cultural empathy and imagination. Some of the points brought up in this book include the positive and negative sides of physical contact with a student, classification/stereotyping, race, gangs, police brutality/lack of justice, and children not being able to escape peer pressure.

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

In the short story “The Chrysanthemums” the author creates a dilemma in identity by displaying different personal conflicts involving the main character. The main character, Elisa Allen, seems to be discontent with her place in life. However, she seems to be aware that she is doing what is expected of her and is almost afraid to change her way of life. More than Likely, this is due to the influence her husband has over her. There are three main characters in this story, Elisa, Henry and a lone traveler that rides up to Elisa asking for directions. Elisa seems to be more interested in the wandering man she encounters than her husband. The traveling man seems to find Elisa more interesting and attractive than her husband. The traveler sees the

Jimmy Santiago Baca is a prime example of the impact that can be extracted from a strong and caring passion towards an education. Baca was passionate in learning how to read when he was in prison, and he eventually achieved that goal. With his passion fueling his career, Baca would go on to become a poet, writer, and education activists for diverse classrooms. Baca is fueled by improving the conditions of those who feel like they have hit rock bottom like he once was. Several books were written from Baca’s backstory in hopes that people would learn from his mistakes and lessons learned within his lifetime. One of the subject areas that Baca has spent a good amount of his life promoting and discussing is the importance of education. Baca wrote a collection of stories that showed his experiences where people attempted to keep him down, but Baca’s drive to continue to expand and learn prevented him from staying down. This collection of stories is called “Stories from the Edge,” and Baca decided to add something extra with this book. He decided to go into a classroom with diverse students and he shared his stories from the book in greater detail. There were open discussions with the students about how his stories related to the students lives. After the student group left, Baca met with the teachers that aided with the student interaction, and they discussed the teaching methods that fuel the students motivation to learn. Jimmy Baca clearly is passionate in aiding individuals

In James Baldwin’s article “A Talk to Teachers” he utilizes paradox, tone, and anecdote to persuade the audience that an educational system where students are taught the true meaning of American history and identity must be established in order to create a society where people of all races contribute their ideals to society.

“I won’t learn from you” is a classic and powerful group of essays written by Herbert Kohl. The first three chapters “I won’t learn from you”, “The tattooed man”, and “Excellence, Equality, and Equity” all explore ideas that students are more in charge of their learning than most individuals believe. With these theories, students and teachers can help improve each other in every way. Kohl writes a variety of humorous stories, lessons on teaching, and inspirations to be a teacher to any child, regardless of their race, gender, religion or abilities. He addresses serious issues in the public school system, such as reforming to the demands of the school district, adapting the curriculum, and the many pressures as an educator. Kohl helps the

Living in a structured society that allows us to be self-centered and self-absorbed has also allowed us to forget about virtually everything else. Even the most compassionate person has been guilty of even the slightest egotism. However, from the time that we have been able to walk and form mostly full sentences to the time that we have enough mental capacity to form concrete opinions about the world around us, we, or at least, our parents and teachers, have advocated for an unlimited education not only for ourselves but also for our community. When we think of education, we tend to frequently refer back to subjects such as English, math, and science; on the other hand, whether it is a public or private education, we are also learning about ourselves. As we get older and advance to higher levels of schooling, the traditional form of teaching begins to fade, and teachers would rather apply such simple subjects to ourselves and our world, and they ask students, young or old, to ease out of that mindset that they are the “absolute center of the universe” and consider our history as well as our present situation. This concept of self-centeredness and perception is the central theme of David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon commencement address, in which he expands even further on the effectiveness of education through the use of logos and several anecdotal analogies. In his speech, informally titled “This is Water,” Wallace clarifies that its true meaning pertains more to universal

Growing up as the only white kid in my elementary school classes didn’t feel ostracizing, but was my first lesson in diversity and cultural respect. Despite my the economically, socially, and racially diverse surroundings, I came from a conservative home, and was often isolated from a diversified mindset. Still, the diminutive self-awareness I was fostering began to grow, under heavy influence from a sixth grade teacher. Ms. Ray talked about subjects that I was unaware adults could discuss, presenting the option

Something that I connected with was in the Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, was the idea of multiple identities based upon their social location. I liked how the author explained what was social location and the use of the overlapping circles that are specific features of our identity (race,gender,class) and a persons social location is where all those circles meet. I connect this to the classroom by thinking about how each student comes from a different life, experiences, culture, and backgrounds and as a teacher you need to realize and accept each student for who they are and do not try to change them or make them into someone they are not. Each student brings their own set of tools and knowledge to the classroom that enrich your

Identity is a socially and historically constructed concept. An individual learns about their own identity through interactions with family, peers, organizations, media, and educational institutions. Education and identity are two closely related topics. On average, most Americans will spend a fourth of their life in educational institutions. During this time period students are growing and maturing, but most importantly they are discovering themselves. Students realize their qualities, determine their morals, and establish their beliefs during this time of instruction. Undoubtedly, education forms and challenges a person’s identity throughout the years.

This essay is a reflective essay on my learning development from a young age through to my current position as a University Student. I will be relating my learning development back to two theories of human development, Vygotstsky’s socio-cultural theory and Marcia’s version of Erikson’s theory of identity development. I will identify and discuss the challenge I have faced with my identity and how this has impacted on my development.

Education is one of the most important factors in every person’s life regardless of where they’re from, their race, or their culture. Becoming educated not only makes life easier for us but also can help people become more successful in all things. However with so many people of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States it is difficult to create an education system that attends to each student’s individual culture. Ones own culture influences their actions and lifestyle, therefore this can create conflict if it is different from their schools cultural teaching style. Multicultural and multilingual classrooms have become the norm in many educational and professional settings throughout the U.S. because of changing immigration patterns caused by globalization (Institute for Educational Leadership, p. 2). For teachers today, it is essential to understand the role of culture and have the ability to interact interculturally in the classroom to create an effective learning environment. Analyzing cultural issues or differences can help teachers to understand some of the unconscious processes that shape individuals’ actions and interactions, as well as their language use and communication. “Teachers who understand cultural diversity…are more likely to be successful in their multicultural classrooms” (Samovar, Pg.2).