When teachers begin to understand their own privilege they can revisit what they do and how they do things both inside and outside the classroom (Lampert et al. 2015) as pre-service teachers we are given the opportunity to explore this before heading off into the work force. As teachers reflect the notion of privilege they also begin to learn and realise how privilege operates (Lampert et al 2015). By having an understanding of how privilege operates teachers will hopefully be able to prevent and re-issue how they nominate and think about circumstances involving themselves and their students. Privilege is not something than a teacher can completely stop in a classroom (Lampert et al. 2015) privilege is deep rooted in society. It is important
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The best way to look at racism, sexism, or any other form of discrimination is to look at what one is gaining from that discrimination (McIntosh 2012). It is reflecting on what advantages you have had because of your skin colour, or background, (McIntosh 2012). By reflecting teachers are given the opportunity to also explore and learn new cultural communication styles by looking beyond themselves and rather at their students (Lampert et al. 2015). Reflection is extremely important for white teachers as whites are carefully taught not to recognise white privilege (McIntosh 2012) but also because without meaning to teachers can threaten other cultural identities of their students (Powell & Powell 2010). Research suggests that in general teachers are not well prepared to teach students who have different cultural values, and beliefs that differ from their own (Santoro 2009). It is important for teachers to also to understand that their white privilege will and can be implicit in unequal power relationships between teachers and students (Lampert et al. 2015)
As future teachers it is important that we are taught not only to recognise our privilege, but also to change how we react, teach, and behave because of it. I think this something that should be taught earlier in the course, as we have used and taken our privilege into classrooms (many of us) not knowing of how it can deeply affect students. Now as pre-service teachers we can take our learnt knowledge, further it, and apply and readjust our way of thinking in our next/final placement and the future of our
The best way to look at racism, sexism, or any other form of discrimination is to look at what one is gaining from that discrimination (McIntosh 2012). It is reflecting on what advantages you have had because of your skin colour, or background, (McIntosh 2012). By reflecting teachers are given the opportunity to also explore and learn new cultural communication styles by looking beyond themselves and rather at their students (Lampert et al. 2015). Reflection is extremely important for white teachers as whites are carefully taught not to recognise white privilege (McIntosh 2012) but also because without meaning to teachers can threaten other cultural identities of their students (Powell & Powell 2010). Research suggests that in general teachers are not well prepared to teach students who have different cultural values, and beliefs that differ from their own (Santoro 2009). It is important for teachers to also to understand that their white privilege will and can be implicit in unequal power relationships between teachers and students (Lampert et al. 2015)
As future teachers it is important that we are taught not only to recognise our privilege, but also to change how we react, teach, and behave because of it. I think this something that should be taught earlier in the course, as we have used and taken our privilege into classrooms (many of us) not knowing of how it can deeply affect students. Now as pre-service teachers we can take our learnt knowledge, further it, and apply and readjust our way of thinking in our next/final placement and the future of our