So You Don’t See Color? Part 2

By

Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D

Sen. Bill Bradley is credited with saying, “If you have never had a serious conversation about race with someone of a different race, then, you’re the problem.” Because of the increasing number of students of color in America's school system and the high number of White teachers, communicating across culture or across ethnicity is an important and very vital skill, all teachers but especially White teachers must possess. If communicating across culture or across ethnicity doesn't become a tool White teachers can effectively use, then students of color have very little chance of attaining academic success.

So where do we go from here? What can be done to help White teachers? The first thing we can do is make sure teachers have access to tools and information which can lead them to a better understanding of their communication style as it relates to teaching students of color. The purpose of "Effective Classroom Multicultural Communication: A Guide for Teachers & Future Teachers” is to be a easy to read tool. Its purpose is to provide quick and doable solutions to miscommunication issues happening in classrooms across America.

“Effective Classroom Multicultural Communication: A Guide for Teachers & Future Teachers” is a resource book, much like a cookbook. In a cookbook there are recipes to many dishes. A cook doesn't need to read the entire cookbook to get the recipe for a particular dish. In this reference book a teacher can look up an area and read about it. They can then come back later and read another area. At some point most teachers will finish the entire book. They will do the activities. They will become more culturally aware. They will communicate more effectively with students of color and probably students in general.

Each of the chapters of “Effective Classroom Multicultural Communication: A Guide for Teachers & Future Teachers” will review what the experts say about important areas discussed. My research, findings and opinions will be added to each of the chapters. An exercise or vignette prevalent to the content of each chapter will be at the end of each of the ten chapters. These will be exercises that can be conducted in teacher in-services or can be used as observation tools, as one teacher observes another.

Teaching confronts us with an enormous responsibility to help young people learn to navigate the often treacherous waters of racial identity development and intergroup relationships (Howard, 1999, p. 68). Teachers, especially White teachers, need to know they can help students of color better survive the hardships of racism and the pressures of society through education.

It takes the highest level of caring in order for teachers to truly reach students, especially students of color and students is a caring of commitment. Nel Noddings suggest, “caring is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling that makes people kind and likable. Caring implies a continuous search for competence. We want to do our very best for the objects of our care. To have as our educational goal the production of caring, competent, loving, lovable people is not anti-intellectual; it demonstrates respect for the full range of human talents. Not all human beings are good at or interested in math, science, or literature. But all can be helped to lead lives of deep concern for others, for the natural world and its creatures, and for the preservation of the human-made world. All can be led to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to make positive contributions, regardless of their occupation” (1995). "Few educators will admit to being uncaring. Caring is the hallmark of the teaching profession. Nevertheless, there are ways to care by being culturally responsive that have clearly not been implemented by in some schools", (Hondo, Gardiner and Sapien, 2008, p. 125). In the teaching profession caring should imply caring about and for every student. The amount of effective caring a teacher has is directly related to the amount of work a teacher will do to reach every student in the classroom.

While I believe in the profession of teaching, I don't believe all teachers see themselves as professionals. In the video "Michael Jordan's Playground" former all-pro NBA Basketball player Clyde Drexler refers to Michael Jordan as the Pro's pro. The video had several professional players talking about Michael Jordan as someone they enjoy watching. I thought to myself these are the best basketball players in the world and they're saying Jordan is on another level. How many of us in the teaching profession see ourselves as professionals? I read up on Jordan just to see what made him so special. He took every aspect of playing basketball and worked on them one by one. At first all people thought he could do was dunk the basketball. He decided to improve his shooting. He developed a baseline, fade-away jumper. Then he became a good passer. Then he improved his defensive game. Then he improved his three-point shooting. Rarely are we allowed to see all those aspect of basketball all wrapped up in one player. By choice some professional basketball players choose to not do what Jordan did. Many are satisfied they too have made it to the level of professional basketball player.

It's time we in the education community admit, there are some teachers who are satisfied with making it to the level of teacher. Some are not willing to work on their communication skills, so they have the capacity to reach students from diverse cultures. Some are not willing to reflect on their own lives to see if there is something preventing them from reaching students who don't look like or act like them. When teachers aren't able to communicate with students of color or students from diverse backgrounds, it's like trying to become a professional basketball player who can only dribble the ball, but can't make a basket. A professional, whether it's a basketball player or a teacher must employ their entire array of skills to win games or to effectively "reach and teach" all students. If they are not willing to do so, they hurt the team they play for or the students they're trying to teach. In my opinion, if teachers are not willing to do whatever it takes to "reach and teach" all students they should find another profession.

Teachers who are constantly improving their teaching methods and communication skills are being ignored. There are many teachers doing great things in our public school systems. There are many teachers who understand, they must be able to reach students to teach students. These are the teachers who learn, whether innately or through their own educational plan, how to effectively communicate with all students. These are the teachers students migrate toward. Please believe when I say, no one is saying the entire teaching profession is inept. The problem is the number of teachers that do not have the skills to "reach and teach" students of color has become significant and is causing very negative results.

To those teachers who are doing a great job at reaching and teaching all students, like I said at the beginning of this Introduction, I think teaching is one of the most important professions in our society. It is also an endeavor of sacrifice and nobility. That is why it has to be just and true. I respect those teachers who are truly professionals. Sadly, just like in the world outside of education, those few who are not following the rules; those, few who are not carrying their portion of the load, appear to get the most attention. Also, just like in the world outside of education, the ineffectiveness of the few, affect the many, and something must be done to stop the negative results. We, as a society can no longer afford to not talk about these few from fear of upsetting the many, while continuing to ignore the victims.