If Johnson and Delpit have articulated the problems of power
and privilege, Oredola has proffered the solutions—at least viable ones for
youths striving to be heard and affect change.
In her article “A World Where Youth Hold the Power,” she
addresses the issue of youths, especially youths in underprivileged districts,
being excluded from the “arenas of influence” and demonstrates in four areas
how they can move towards inclusion:
1.) by promoting a new definition of “youth”
2.) by expecting youth and adults to grow together
3.) by regularly engaging in the practice of disagreement
4.) by focusing on learning and speaking truth even when it’s
difficult or uncomfortable (49)
The Youth in Action (YIA) organization has striven to
challenge the status quo of young people being relegated to the level of second-class
citizens: as a kid, “it’s like you’re not even a person yet” (49). So often do
we, as educators/adults/old people, dismiss the experience of adolescents and
teenagers as being “phases.” We reflect back on our time in high school, see
how “far” we’ve come since then, and chalk up our blunders to immaturity. Then
we transfer that thinking to our students without considering the validity or
relevance of their opinions, beliefs, or lifestyles. Often times adults and
educators get hung up on the way they learned things as being the right way and
get defensive and/or dismissive when the new generation thinks the “new” way.
Our students and our children pick up on this and conclude that we just don’t
feel that their experience is real, valid, or important. We need to grow and
adapt as educators-- grow alongside our students-- otherwise we lose them and
take one more step towards being that crotchety old coot admonishing the
whippersnappers for their baggy pants and ridiculous haircuts.
To avoid falling into that stereotype, we educators need to
separate ourselves from stereotyping students. The suggestions from YIA for
doing so, including the “Plus Delta Hot Seat” activity, involve placing equal
amounts of accountability on students as on teachers (50). If we can’t grow
through our support systems and feedback, how can we expect our students to?
This blog was a real eye opener. The way you connected with the text and put it into terms of educators/adults/old people and our experiences made the article that much more real and personal. I agree that students/youth pick up on our defensiveness of how things should be learned. I think its important, as you stated, to grow alongside our students. Both parties need to grow, but students need to be given that fair chance.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you pointed out, "So often do we, as educators/adults/old people, dismiss the experience of adolescents and teenagers as being “phases.” This made me think that I am probably guilty of his myself. We certainly do not want our students to think that we do not value their voice or experiences.
I totally agree with "growing alongside our students" because it is essential to build connections with our students in order for them to be successful. We need to understand as educators and adults that what we did 15 or 20 years ago may not be relevant now. For example, as a math teacher, my 6th graders are always showing me new methods to solve different problems that I had no idea existed. I could say "I want you to do it the way I showed you, I say use whatever works best for you," which is what should be the expectation for all teachers.
ReplyDeleteAs an English teacher in a position where I'm required to teach math, I have my kids teach me new ways to solve problems too! Having to rely on my pre-common core understanding of math, there are frequently times when my students have a "better way." I have had them come up and teach mini-lessons on their way, but I will work to more often embrace the idea of "Use whatever works for you."
DeleteThanks, Chris - this helped me realize I want to be careful with my language. To talk about "growing up" suggests a real division between youth and adults, and a sense of finality to growth that happens upon adulthood. I try to model the opposite and want to be sure my language reflects the fact that we're all "growing," all the time.
ReplyDelete