Otherness

I don't know all the details about the Brown case in Ferguson and I'm not claiming to.  I do have to say the ruling has compelled me to write this post.  It does seem to me to have to do with fear of otherness.  I don't agree or disagree with the ruling, since I don't know all the facts, but that doesn't change how sad I am today for our country, for all the people of our country.  

Sameness is the opposite of otherness.  How boring would that be, if we were all the same.  This is one of the biggest reasons I decided to make teaching my profession.  I love to learn about others.  I chose Spanish as my undergraduate major, not because I loved the language or the literature, but because I loved learning about others.  Paolo Freire described teaching this way as well, rather than a banking model where, as the teacher, you only make "deposits" into your students. He also says this kind of teaching frees us from oppression.  This is what I hope my teaching is doing.  I learn from my students everyday.  It is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.  Everyday that I learn new things about my students and their cultures, I find we have more and more in common, even though there are differences.  I strive to teach cultural consciousness in my classes, even to young children.  Cultural consciousness is awareness of your culture and the ability to understand other cultures and the differences that exist between them.  With my elementary students, I choose to cover topics about their culture.  They really enjoy talking and learning about themselves.  One of the most important things I think I can teach as a teacher is to identify or make a connection with a text, to find similarities and differences with yourself. You must understand your culture and the biases that you hold, to begin to understand and accept others.  A lesson, it seems, that many adults have missed.  

Teaching
As many of you may already know, I am an ESOL teacher.  That stands for English to Speakers of Other Languages.  I feel my role in education is to teach children who speak a second language to be proud of their culture, their language, their traditions, while helping them with second language acquisition.  Their families struggle with being who they really are in America. Many of my students are told not to speak Spanish by their own parents.  When most students register at my school, they identify themselves as white.  When you ask a student their name at the beginning of the year to make sure you pronounce it as they do and they respond with an English pronunciation of the name, it is disheartening.  And after this, how can I blame them. They've been dehumanized because of their otherness.  They've been discriminated against because of who they are.  Something like this happens and contradicts everything I am teaching them.  This shows them they need to be afraid of showing who they really are.  It really depresses me.  

Mom
As a mom, I hope for a better future for my children, as I'm sure most parents do.  The same that my students' parents want for them.  I know they are only protecting them from being hurt.  The thought that my sons, who are being raised with as much critical consciousness as possible, may one day be hanging out with one of their friends and could be in danger simply because that child is of another color, is beyond frightening and disgusting.  I also have to consider that they too may be discriminated against because they are bilingual.  I send them to a Spanish immersion daycare for many reasons.  They also have Italian names...good thing the Italians aren't the immigrant group we are discriminating against currently.  I also don't know their sexual orientation yet.  I'm not sure if they will choose a religion.  I don't want fear in the lives of my children, especially fear surrounding otherness.  I don't want them to be treated badly because of who they are, because of their color, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability or ability, national identity, language, etc.  I want them to know who they are and to be proud of it.  I also don't want them to be afraid of someone who is different in any way than they are.  I want them to learn from them, find commonality.  I want this for all children.  

This ruling has brought to light one of the greatest social issues our nation sadly is still facing. Racism.  We need to stop ignoring/denying that it exists so that we can work on solving it.  We need to stop pretending that the solutions being presented address the true issues.  Unfortunately, racism, poverty, and segregation are still issues that our country faces.  I hope that my children's generation can eradicate hate!  Let's turn the narrative from "us & them", to "we"!  How about creating dialog with the other.  Learn from them.  Find similarities, commonality.  Agree to disagree, but have the conversation instead of making assumptions and perpetuating stereotypes.  I hope for peace and strength in unity!