Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j6T1puG13010; Thu, 28 Jul 2005 21:51:56 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 21:51:56 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <00ad01c593e0$31fa45d0$27069b04@air.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Mary Ann Corley" <macorley1@earthlink.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1516] Seeking anti-racist themes X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 2218 Lines: 54 Dear List subscribers: The following letter to the editor of the Hartford Courant concerns the topic of racism in education. The letter is in response to a series of articles that the newspaper has run on the topic. The articles emphasized that teacher competence and high expectations for all students are more important that the teacher's racial identity. In response, the author of the following letter discusses the critical need for teachers and administrators who are anti-racist. So, my question to you: Do you have tips and techniques for actively integrating anti-racist themes into your adult education classrooms? If so, would you share them with this list? Thanks, -Mary Ann Corley NIFL-Povracelit List Moderator *********************** Hartford Courant. July 28, 2005 - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Does Race Matter In Teaching? Congratulations to Michael C. Williams and The Courant for addressing the challenging subject of racism in education. The various articles, editorials and opinions all seem to acknowledge that competence and high expectations are more significant than racial identity when it comes to being an effective teacher. I agree, but something is still missing. Mr. Williams has identified structural racism as the source of the achievement gap. If this is true, and I believe it is, competence and high expectations are not enough. In the presence of structural racism, one must be anti-racist, which means not only cultivating cross-cultural sensitivity, but being accountable for the reality of racism in our society. The teacher who fully grasps the daily, crushing weight of racism in the lives of students of color and their families, and who can subvert racist social paradigms in the classroom, is a more effective teacher to students of color than one who is merely competent. Let us not forget that white students need anti-racist teachers, administrators and school districts as well. When we teach white students to recognize the complex and often socially advantageous impact of racism in their lives, they are able to function more authentically in an increasingly diverse United States. The Rev. Joshua Mason Pawelek Unitarian Universalist Society East Manchester
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