Rita Kohli's Breaking the Cycle of Racism in the Classroom: Critical Race Reflections from Future Teachers of Color
“Every day, Youth of Color are subjected to indignities, including low expectations, stereotypes, inadequate resources, and a curriculum that privileges White cultural values” (Kohli, 2008, p.186). The author’s account of education for Youth of Color by way of “White cultural values” seemed most alarming, yet accurate, when reflecting on this scholarly article. In my opinion, although Canada tends to embrace multiculturalist approach in social policy, including education, our approach tends to be very susceptible to normativity. In this context, normativity can be understood as the execution of policy in relation to the expectations, norms, and standards of historically advantaged or dominant societal groups. Examples of normativity can be especially found in social identifiers, such as “visible minority”–one is a minority in relation to the dominant group, most often White Anglo-Saxons. This reality offers a paradoxical paradigm: Canada is becoming increasingly diverse, but the limited accommodation given in social policy and service delivery continues to favour the historically dominant groups. Educators must be cognizant of this juxtaposition.
In her conclusion, the author emphasizes the immense value that cultural diversity has in empowering and educating students (Kohli, 2008). If educators continue with a normative approach in their classrooms, Youth of Color will continue to have an“us” versus
“them” mentality; where White or privileged educators are not in tune with the realities facing students of colour. As educators, we need to foster a culture of inclusiveness in our classrooms that accommodates the cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity of
our students and staff.
C.D.
Kohli, R. (2008). Breaking the cycle of racism in the classroom: Critical race reflections from future teachers of colour. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(4), Fall, 177-188.
In her conclusion, the author emphasizes the immense value that cultural diversity has in empowering and educating students (Kohli, 2008). If educators continue with a normative approach in their classrooms, Youth of Color will continue to have an“us” versus
“them” mentality; where White or privileged educators are not in tune with the realities facing students of colour. As educators, we need to foster a culture of inclusiveness in our classrooms that accommodates the cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity of
our students and staff.
C.D.
Kohli, R. (2008). Breaking the cycle of racism in the classroom: Critical race reflections from future teachers of colour. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(4), Fall, 177-188.