“But my teacher motioned me to put my hand down. As I lowered my head, my spirit followed. I experienced then and on many other occasions what Freire calls “banking” education…Had she allowed me to respond, the teacher could have recognized knowledge production as a shared endeavor and given me the opportunity to avoid the stings of rejection.”
I found myself deeply connected to the experiences Prieto wrote about in her article The Stings of Social Hierarchies. While I myself am not the daughter of immigrants, I am Mexican-American and taught in a school where many of my students were migrant workers or immigrants. As I read Prieto’s honest account of the impact schools had had in forming her identity, I could not help to think of my students and their shared experiences. I found the article particularly important because it shows the huge impact schools have in identity formation for immigrant students.
As I read the part I chose for my MVP this week my heart sunk knowing that schools often have a negative impact in how immigrant students view themselves. I think it is so important that teachers keep in mind that there is no one “right” culture. Students enter the classroom with vast abilities and backgrounds. When students, like Prieto, are left to feel like bilingualism is not valued and speaking Spanish is considered a deficit, we are doing something wrong. When we place so much value on academic achievement struggling students can easily feel as if they themselves have no value.
The testing culture of schools can also be problematic in the same regard. I once worked in a school where there was a huge emphasis on state test scores and little regard for students talents otherwise. As test season approached, you could easily see the moral of students who had failed the first round of tests dropping. In an effort to remind my students that they were more than a test score, I wrote each of them a letter describing one non academic thing I was proud of them for. I told them I was proud of their artistic talents, their athletic abilities, their warm personalities, etc. The formula is one that I have seen posted about by teachers all over, but is so important in helping students accept their multitude of identities.
Rudy, thank you for this post! I think the quote you picked is such an important one and shows that short instances such as the student being told to put her hand down can have dramatic effects on a student’s identity and self worth development. I love that you wrote each of your students a letter during test season to remind them that they “are more than just a test score,” but that they mattered and that you saw them for all the wonderful things they bring into this world. I think this quote also speaks to the importance of teachers really knowing their students in order to recognize and foster opportunities to share different perspectives, and avoid sending the message that there is a “right” culture.
Rudy, I really appreciate your perspective of thinking of students as “whole entities” rather than deficient beings. This is applicable to both urban and non-urban students in that we as teacher should work to validate who they are and help them navigate school and life without losing their unique identities. In this respect, like you stated, there is no one “right” culture.