Monday, October 6, 2008
Racial/Ethnic Groups
I think in order to expand my knowledge on racial and ethnic groups I need to submerge myself in their life. I have always lived in a primarily white neighborhood, so it is hard for me to know what it is like to be part of an ethnic community. I do not think studying about ethnic and racial groups can give me a complete understanding of what it is like to live in that community. In order to truly understand what these children are going through or what their life is like one must go to their neighborhoods. For me, observing an Abbott school in a low income area made me realize how bias I was. Truthfully, the school was very nice. The teacher was very qualified and engaged with the children the whole time I was there. The building itself was in very good condition and was very clean. However, the town itself was not. Perth Amboy was clearly a low income area. Yet, this did not mean that the children were not getting the education they deserved. I think this is a common misconception in low income areas. One assumes that if the area is not nice, the education is less than adequate. My bias was completely exposed today. It was clear that those children were getting a very good education.
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4 comments:
Thank you for being honest. Many people think that Abbott means poor conditions in schools, the funding that these school receive provides children with quality school environments. I was glad to hear that the visit matched the building appearance. Schools throughout jersey really provide that eye opener because a great town does not mean high expectations in classrooms.
I agree. My family grew up in Perth Amboy when the city had its own little sections of town for the Hungarians, Polish, etc., but the majority was white-non Hispanic until the 70's I believe. When the cultural landscape began to change and the whites became the minority, people's attitudes and views changed about the district. I used to go to Perth Amboy often as a child and teen and enjoyed the friends and people I knew there. When I found out it became an Abbott district, I "wondered" how bad it must have gotten. Well, observing at a school there showed me it was probably even better than it had been before. Clean classrooms, passionate teachers and eager kids. Not what some people expect when they hear Abbott because of the nomenclature in the media and grapevine.
I grew up and was raised in Hudson County. I now live in a neighborhood with many many white people. When I had heard we had to do an observation in an Abbott District I said gee I don't have a problem doing this because I was raised in an Urban area. I then thought but it has been years since I've lived there and the Hudson County area has changed so much. Well, was I taken by surprise when I did my observation in West New York. I was very impressed with the school! The school was very nice and I really enjoyed observing in the Abbott District because of the diverstiy. The surbuban district I observed had a large population of white people. I felt out of place in that school. Could not figure out why? Before seeing WNY I was convinced that I would work in a white suburban neighborhood but after seeing West New York I think I will end up looking for a job in an Urban district because this where I feel more comfortable. While observing the white district I sat behind the room saying "where is the diversity/culture in this class"? I said, "these kids are all white". What in the world would this teacher do if she had to teach multi culture students.
I agree with you! All too often people think that they are educating themselves about another culture just by reading about it. Reading is the first step to understanding, but becoming part of a child's community is most important. It allows people to get a first hand experience on the ins and outs of a child's daily experiences.
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