From childhood, we have been socialized tobelieve that schools are the great equalizers inAmericansociety
This is one of my core beliefs as an educator; learning that this is not the case is why I am glad I chose this article to examine. I am also eager to learn about other contradictions/myths in the education world as I continue my courses in this master's program.
-Whitney Cwieka
In all social systems, somepositions are accorded greater status than oth-ers.Withthisstatusdifferentiationcomesdiffer-ential access to power. Because differences inaccess to power profoundly influence one’sexperience in the world, prospective teachersneed to comprehend how American society isstratified, for example, along racial/ethnic,social class, and gender lines.
This discussion could lead into a complex discussion about privilege. With the observation of all of our intersectionalities, we could understand how some groups are privileged and oppressed. For example, white men have similar privileges as white women and white women and women of color have similar oppressions comparatively.
-Whitney Cwieka
Theyneed to explore the various social and culturalgroups to which they belong, including thoseidentified with race, ethnicity, social class, lan-guage,andgender.Theyalsoneedtoinspectthenature and extent of their attachments to thosegroups and how membership in them hasshaped their personal and family histories.
This section reminds me of a lesson I learned in a teaching class in college. We examined our own identities through mapping and how they affect and interact with our other identities. Through this lesson, we were able to visualize how our personal beliefs and perceptions of the world were influenced by our backgrounds. I believe this could be a valuable lesson in my classroom, as an objective approach to self-reflection.
-Whitney Cwieka