On the first exam, her first answer read: “All students deserve the expectation of performing at the highest level possible for them.” Her is Searcy Kniffen. The assignment: Explain ways in which children are affected by prejudice and discrimination in the classroom. Searcy went on to explain that teachers having low expectations of children of color is one way in which prejudice is manifested in schools. Searcy’s insightful response prompted me to invite her to the NACCTEP conference as my co-presenter given my topic, White Teachers: Black/Brown Students. Searcy will be a white teacher, as are 90 percent of teachers in the country, whose interest is in serving children of color. I knew that Searcy, a bilingual education major who hails from one of the most prestigious high schools in Texas, would be a perfect complement to my presentation. After several Facebook connections, our partnership was cemented. We would be co-presenters in Baltimore!
Saturday, March 27 at 2:30 p.m. was show time. Just 12 hours before, Searcy and I had been putting the final touches on our presentation. After introductions, we began the hour-long session much as we had begun the semester in our class, creating an atmosphere of respect and open-mindedness, which would allow for meaningful connections. Searcy described the nature of our Introduction of Special Populations class as being one where questions come more frequently than answers and dialogue is the dominant teaching and learning strategy. We would model this pedagogical approach as we facilitated the session. Meaningful dialogue ensued as participants offered their thoughts on the gap in achievement between Caucasian children and children of color and ways that teacher educators can prepare future teachers to effectively serve students of color.
As stated in the session description, our main goal was for participants, ourselves included, to determine what knowledge, skills, and dispositions are necessary for teachers, particularly white teachers, to be successful when teaching students of color. As one such future teacher, Searcy posed this question to the participants, “What knowledge, skills, and dispositions will I need when I begin teaching?” The connection was immediate! The participants, all teacher educators, instantly became Searcy’s teachers as she captured their suggestions in her notes. With just a few minutes remaining, we ended the session with a unanimous conclusion that although knowledge and skills are important, cultivating dispositions such as acceptance of cultural differences and openness to experiences that are unique to their students’ cultures are paramount in developing culturally competent teachers.
Here are Searcy’s thoughts on the presentation:
“I was touched by the immediate sense of acceptance and encouragement from the diverse group of teacher educator attendees. Each had such profound insight and wisdom to willingly share with me. The genuine sincerity and helpfulness demonstrated by the audience members only fueled my desire to emulate such an accommodating and unbiased style of respect in my future diverse classrooms.”
As the conference theme suggests, connecting communities is a vital part of what we do as teacher educators. This experience co-presenting with one of my students confirmed the importance of these connections, these relationships. Our ultimate discovery was that all teachers need to learn how to make connections with their students, despite DIFFERENCES in CULTURE. Our role as teacher educators, then, is to provide experiences that will teach our students how to connect with their students. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to connect with Searcy in this way, but more importantly, I’m grateful that she has begun to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to form authentic connections with HER students. |
