Confused...
I was glad to have gotten to tell everyone about the experience I had at my faculty meeting on Monday. After the meeting, I was feeling as if what I do at the school where I work is pointless because the students are "privileged" in so many ways. What could I possibly do for these students that would really make a difference in their lives? And is there something bigger that I should be doing? I was beginning to think that by teaching in the school where I teach that I am taking the easy way out; that I am too fearful of the unknown to teach in an inner-city district, and letting that fear hold me back. However, as I continue to reflect and challenge my own thoughts, I wonder if I can do something worthwhile at my job by bringing in these social subjects into my music classroom. I would love to hear your thoughts.
posted by jodi m @ 8:36 PM
1 Comments:
I feel that in our classes, we often discuss teaching students who are not “privileged” and come from lower class homes. However, the large majority of students at Westminster and in our master’s classes are white and come from middle class homes. Therefore, it is a challenge for us to teach lower class children who are of other races. They do not have the same perception of the world as us. Their culture and lives are extremely different. It becomes more challenging for us to teach them.
However, I do not believe there is anything wrong with teaching in a middle class white “privileged” district. Every child deserves to learn music. Every child is entitled to a proper education, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or social class. It is our job as teachers to give our students the best education we can give them. In my curriculum class, we finished reading Gutstein’s Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics. The class in the book is made up of lower class Mexican students in an urban school district. The students in the book are taught math through the lens of social justice. However, students in a “privileged” white community can also be taught math and music through the lens of social justice. The projects will be different, but the content is just as important.
Post a Comment
<< Home