"You teach what you know; you teach what you've experienced; you teach who you are...My students know me. They know how I live, and there's no misunderstanding, no misinterpretations about that. I am a Black woman, and they need to understand that there are some differences between myself and them" (p. 79). This quote begins Milner's third chapter as it focuses on the educational practices of Dr. Johnson, the language arts teacher who made this statement in describing her classroom as it relates to diversity. Milner takes a look inside Johnson's classroom and how she deals with cultural conflict on a weekly basis. Johnson's theory of diversity in the classroom clearly states the importance of allowing students to self-reflect and find their place in the world around them. She states, "Avoiding discussion of race and diversity can make it difficult for teachers to provide optimal learning opportunities for all their students" (p. 81). This being said, Johnson relates to her students in talking openly about diversity and using multiple texts to expose her students to the role that diversity plays in the world around them. In support of her theory, Johnson strives to create a comfortable classroom environment in which cultural conflicts are seen as a learning opportunity rather than a problem. Her classroom embraces diversity in a way in which it is openly discussed so that students may learn about the world around them.
Chapter 4 begins with a quote from Mr. Jackson, an African American teacher whose experience is described by Milner. He states, "the reason I know what is happening in their world is that I live in their world" (p. 107). Mr. Jackson's theory on diversity in the classroom relates to how he can connect with his students to help each party gain an understanding of each other's culture. For example, Mr. Jackson will often play hip-hop music in his classroom while his students are working to connect to their culture and share some of his interest as well. He strives to create opportunities in his classroom to embrace diversity through building relationships with his students. Ms. Shaw, another teacher that Milner describes in Chapter 4, takes a different approach to diversity in the classroom. Ms. Shaw believes that it is important to empower her students to develop a critical eye towards some of the social realities that exist in their communities. In meeting this goal, Ms. Shaw focuses on the role that diversity has played in her own experiences to encourage students to reflect on their own experiences as well. She also places emphasis on avoiding materialism as it could lead to conflicts in the classroom environment. In placing importance on this subject, Ms. Shaw shows her students that there is a need for community focus in her classroom as well as in the students' lives outside of school so that they may effectively participate in embracing diversity.
In reading these scenarios presented by Milner, I was able to make several connections to my previous education experiences. In sixth grade, I had a teacher that developed relationships with each student in a successful effort to create a community atmosphere in the classroom. He got to know us individually in order to find our interests and encourage our learning in the classroom. Through is efforts, we got to know each other on a deeper level and were able to embrace the differences that existed between us. Although my classmates and my teacher were of the same race as myself, I still found that these efforts related to those of Mr. Jackson and Ms. Shaw because of the environment that they all created in the classroom. Diversity can be a tricky thing in the classroom, but by embracing it through new relationships and community, great successes can come as a result along with a newly developed understanding in how diversity exists in the world.
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