Chapter 6
Ways of Being White: A Practitioner’s Approach to Multicultural Growth
Creative Connector
“My friends and colleagues from other racial groups often tease me about “acting white”, particularly when I become overly concerned with details and time constraints.” p. 101
I never really looked at being “overly concerned with details and time constraints” a thing that only white people do. I think that this right here is an assumption. All though I do tend to act this way myself I know plenty of others who do also. It is more part of being a human being. I think that it is a trait that all people can have. I do not think that race matters what so ever and in all cultures there are people who are overly concerned with details and time constraints. If anything it has to do with becoming older, the older I got the more I was concerned with detail and time.
“ Four assumptions guided our work:
1. Growth in multicultural awareness is possible.
2. Growth in multicultural awareness is desirable.
3. Multicultural growth can be observed and assessed.
4. Multicultural growth can be stimulated and promoted.” p. 102
I like this quote of assumptions because I believe that they are all true. I think that as a society we are truly becoming more multiculturally aware! I know that even since I have been in this class my multicultural awareness has grown. Through these blogs the entire classes growth can be “observed”. These readings and readings from our other classes “stimulate and promote” our multicultural growth.
“Transformationist identity is, in itself, an ongoing process of change and growth.” p. 112
I feel that life itself is “an ongoing process of change and growth”. We are constantly being stimulated through daily life. There are many chances to change and grow in all situations. If one looks at the word transformationist it is saying that it is a person who is “transforming” they are changing. Their values, hobbies, ethics, religious views, etc. can even change. The one thing that we cannot change is our race and culture. We are born into it, but we can view others and except them the same ways that we except people that are part of our own race and culture.
Essence Extractor
I feel that this chapter is Gary Howard’s way of having someone assess where they are in their own identity development.
Interesting comments. On your second quote… you discussed becoming more aware, and I agree with you. I am also taking Social FOundations, dealing with many of the same topics we are discussing and I to have seen a sort of awakening in myself.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wanted to touch on was your comment of society becoming more aware. I was having a thought about the "white guilt" idea. I started to think about the fact that there HAS been growth socially or the idea of white guilt would never have come to existence. 50 years ago there was barely a whisper of the words white guilt.
Noelle, I agree with you and Howard fully in that life itself is "an ongoing process of change and growth." If you look at our day to day lives we are always reflecting on how to be better. When we are teaching we look at what works and what didn't and then revise that lesson.
ReplyDeleteI found an interesting article about teachers in the transformationist identity from a website called "Teaching Tolerance." Some of the information is pretty overwhelming. Did you know that 90 percent of k-12 teachers are white?
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-18-fall-2000/white-teachers-crossroads
My other inclusion class has also made me more aware, but not really in the race aspect but more in teaching to the needs of all students. We have learned about many relevant topics such as differentiated instruction, mental and physical disabilities etc. Even my third class that is actually a Literacy class has helped me to become aware, and it also touches on the idea that we are constantly growing and learning. We have researched the dimensions of literacy and literacy in depth, I never really understood all that literacy actually encompassed, so many aspects of our everyday lives. The required text is very interesting. http://books.google.com/books?id=SFkHkjIpBTMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=dimensions+of+literacy&source=bl&ots=kE1ilGKtqt&sig=uE1jyOypJgxro0uoHmebGbjQwLE&hl=en&ei=zPLATN6jHcb_lgehreHHCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false
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