Courageous Conversations About Race By Glen E. Singleton

What I learned As a Caucasian middle classed women in a town predominantly composed of individuals similar to me, I have fortunate enough to have faced very little discrimination in daily aspects of my life, including education. For this reason, I find myself at a disadvantage in terms of teaching to an increasingly diverse population. As a case in point, Glen E. Singleton, author of Courageous Conversations about Race, stated, “I don’t know what I don’t know” whilst discussing the matter of race. Put simply, I understand that I cannot possibly know everything about another culture; and I may lack the understanding, or misconstrue certain aspects from which I do know. However, this class and readings and videos such as, Bell Hook’s Engaged Pedagogy, The Windows and Mirrors of your Child’s Bookshelf by Grace Lin, Geneva Gay’s Culturally Responsive Teaching, changed the way I thought about teaching, opened up my mind to new teaching techniques and have allowed me to constantly reflect on myself …show more content…
For instance, the author states, “…To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin”(Hook). When students and teachers are comfortable discussing uncomfortable current events, challenging information, and differences, everyone in the room will progress. While I understood environment was important, it was not until I took this class and read this paper that I understood just how important it was. I will be sure to emphasize a students well being over course material in the future. This also relates to our classroom discussion of multicultural education, or the idea of incorporating different backgrounds into the classroom, and how to treat others. By including a student’s background, it gives the scholar a sense of respect and empowers them as the engaged pedagogy