Opportunity Over Oppression
Precious Knowledge is a documentary about the steps one school district took to inspire and teach students about their heritage, and the opposition they faced. It follows the teachers and students of the Mexican American/Raza Studies class at Tucson Magnet High School in Arizona. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of Tucson, Arizona, is 42.6% hispanic, compared to 18% nationally. Given these statistics, it is clear why an Ethnic Studies program would be desirable in this district. Teachers and students recognized a need for these students to see themselves in their texts and curricula, and this was not happening.
The three students of focus in the documentary were Crystal, Pricila, and Gilbert. Each student expressed a desire to learn that clashed with the culture of their school. They felt pushed out, like education wasn’t for them even though they recognized the value of it. One teacher in the documentary stated that although the kids like to learn, they hate school, and this contributes to the 50% dropout rate among Mexican American students. As Dr. Adrienne Goss discusses in her paper “A Revolutionary Idea”, students need to learn their history in order to understand where they come from. These classes allowed students to find their place in a society that consistently puts them down.
Developed in 1997, the Ethnic Studies program, later renamed the Mexican American Studies program, centered around a pedagogy of social justice. Their text was Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. Students in these classes improved their academics immensely, in keeping with the success of immersion schools as outlined in our readings by Neason and Lomawaima et. al. When asked about school in the documentary, Gilbert said, “When it matters to you, it goes better”. This is the kind of attitude that policy makers need, but usually don’t have. As I watched this documentary I wondered why so many people in charge seem to want young non-white students to remain uneducated. Of course, it boils down to fear. As we have talked about during many classes, white people are afraid of anyone else being in charge. We’re afraid that we will be held responsible for the atrocities committed against indigenous people all over this nation. We’re afraid of young people learning the truth and realizing that the United States is not truly the land of the free, at least when you aren’t white.
It was easy to see through Tom Horne’s excuses for why the Ethnic Studies program should be canceled. As I watched interviews and committee hearings I found myself yelling at the television frequently. Horne claims that the program teaches students to “hate America”, and accuses the teachers and students of racism. He preaches an ideology of colorblindness, which as we know is not a productive or anti-racist sentiment. What he ignores is all of the good that is happening in these classrooms. Because the class text contains the writings of Marx and Guevara, Horne assumes that it teaches students to be communists or anarchists. He fails to see how these lessons could be empowering to a marginalized group. He does not want these students to be empowered, or to feel anything other than a stifling oppression.
Another questions I asked myself is, why does the government spend so much time on issues like this? Aren’t there bigger fish to fry? We have people in this country who are starving, a middle-class that is being chipped away at, and yet the State of Arizona is extremely concerned about hispanic students learning about their heritage. Why can’t they just live and let live? The following opinion piece discusses why these Ethnic Studies programs are beneficial to students where minorities are the majority:
Although the programs in the Tucson Unified School District were cancelled, there are still many popping up all over the country. Hope remains that even as bans come and go, people will fight for their right to a culturally relevant curriculum.
"Another questions I asked myself is, why does the government spend so much time on issues like this? Aren’t there bigger fish to fry? We have people in this country who are starving, a middle-class that is being chipped away at, and yet the State of Arizona is extremely concerned about hispanic students learning about their heritage." YES YES and YES. I honestly wondered the same thing. Ugh I feel like time is wasted by those higher up individuals. They are in fear of these students "starting a revolution." I just couldn't deal with the lack of valid arguments Horne had to present to the panel and still they voted for the ban. Be happy children are into school and actually learning. Be happy they can do it their way and still be able to learn about United States History and Literature. After all, History is NOT one sided as we have grown up to believe... there are many sides to every story and historical event. WE ALL have a right to learn about all sides.
ReplyDeleteThis is the big fish! Our world's society as a whole depends very much on oppressed/oppressor, and as much as things have changed from a clear and blatant "slave/owner" or countries stealing resources from others - the world powers are still stripping other countries of their natural resources and in order for that to happen, people need to be oppressed and the world needs to be complacent with that oppression. It plays right into life in the United States, where people from various countries in turmoil (many times as a result of previous colonization or 1st worlds country's interest in a resource they have) need to believe that the US is without fault and a perfect place - better than the country and people they came from. Likewise, white and/or "American" Americans also need to believe that our way of life here is the best, AND righteous. If we are allowed to question that in school, the seed is planted and we might actually start becoming a world of peace and equality, which is great for 99% of us, but that 1% is happy to use people like Huppenthal as pawns, and he and other like him, unwittingly do their bidding.
DeleteIs that too much conspiracy theory for SED 561?
This is why it is so important, I think, to teach various histories to ALL students - so that everyone can begin to value themselves and others as fellow humans with valid and meaningful histories and ways of life.
I found this quote interesting in the article you posted: "the NEA review of research cites multiple university studies showing that, for students of color, the more they know about race, racism and cultural identity, the higher their grades and graduation rates, and the more likely they are to go on to college. Interestingly, the positive impact of such studies is even higher on white students, who gain a much more sophisticated ethnic consciousness as they confront issues of race already familiar to minority students." This is why ALL students need to be taught ethnic studies. For marginalized students, it helps to engage them in school and feel purpose in their education, and for white students it helps to open their minds and appreciate other cultures and ways of life.
ReplyDelete