Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

 In Lisa Delpit's writing "The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children" she asserts that in the classroom there is a culture of power. The dominant culture in society sets the tone and the rules in the classroom. While children who come from that dominant culture are likely to be unaware of this power and privilege they hold, those with the least power are most aware of it. Kids will either be aware of the expected language, or behavior, or clothing standards, or they won't. Those who "know the rules" aren't aware it is anything special, it is just the rules they are used to at home. Those who don't know the rules of the dominant culture may flounder, wonder why they are getting in trouble, and push against new expectations.

There had been a liberal push in a variety of places to "accept" the differences out of respect for the minority culture, but the reality that a lot of minority parents felt, was that this did not set the students up for success in the real world. Allowing children to come barefoot to school (common in rural New Zealand) is not teaching them that certain places require shoes. Teaching black students through "Dialect Readers" isn't teaching students the formal language expected in work situations. A parent objected to the dialect readers by telling researchers "Don't teach us what we know. Teach us how to be successful". This parent knows there is a code out there. The code is implicitly understood by the dominant culture, and must be taught to everyone else if there is to be a chance at success and equality. 

Pretending that people aren't judged by what they wear, how they speak or how they write is fundamentally setting children up for failure. Lisa Delpit writes "Success in institutions - schools, workplaces and so on - is predicated upon acquisition of the culture of those in power". 

I experienced blundering through cultural faux pas when I first moved to Japan. Some things I learned by observation (be quiet and respectful on the train), other times I knew something was off but I couldn't pin it down. Luckily I had a kind teaching colleague who wasn't afraid of offending me and told me the truth. I had worn a sleeveless shirt to work (it was still collared and a business shirt) and showing my shoulders was slightly shocking to the rest of the teaching staff and students. I had a guide to help me learn, and I was an eager learner because I was conscious of being in another culture's territory. I imagine it is much harder to stomach guidance and correction when it is in the country you have been raised in. However, "pretending that gatekeeping points don't exist is to ensure that many students will not pass through them". p. 39

The attempts to modify expectations in the classroom are often at odds with the reality students experience when they leave the classroom.  The author heard from many non-white educators who said "they listen, but they don't hear"...and "they only want to go on research they've and other white people have written" with regards to policies that don't explicitly teach what is expected in the successful work culture at large. Cultural differences must be explicitly taught. When answering the phone at a business you don't say "what's up?". When attending an interview, you wear formal clothes. When writing as a part of your job, you don't write "LOL". Your searchable social media should be free from bad language and inappropriate images. Unkind and bigoted opinions should be kept inside, even if you feel they are true. These are general standards in the workforce (and polite society!) that are different to informal experiences outside the working environment.

By not giving students the keys to success, they may find themselves knocking on doors and wondering why nobody ever lets them in. This video is made up of many people's ideas of what "American Culture" is, which goes to show you how difficult it would be to "learn" it without explicit instruction. Even American's don't have one common explanation. Interestingly, the white male said "Freedom. I'm free to do pretty much anything I want". (0:34 and 5:13) No person of color said the same thing. 

This reading urges teachers to acknowledge the power structures that exist in the classroom and in the world outside it. We must teach all students to navigate these spoken and unspoken rules in society if we are to help them be the best they can be. A cultural norm may not be the norm for all students so , as Delpit writes "students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American Life".p45 

During my previous study of Color Insight when I realized the sheer number of white females in the teaching workforce, I wonder if we are equipped to teach these students to navigate these Cultural Gatekeeping standards? Many of us will "know the rules" because we grew up with them. These are not necessarily rules to us, just basic expectations. How many students from different cultural backgrounds get in trouble for not "following the rules" when they haven't been taught them explicitly? Have we been assuming knowledge instead of teaching expectations? Have we been frustrated by the 'rudeness' of a lack of eye contact, when it is simply a feature of that students culture, and they must be taught it instead? Have we given ambiguous directions "It would be great if you finished this reading tonight" and been frustrated when students took it as an optional assignment? 

Understanding how to teach expectations in a non-judgmental way might be our easiest path to success.

Understanding that cultural expectations are not the same for everyone might be our biggest challenge.