11/18

bell hooks’ Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope was a powerful read and I’ve always admired her fearlessness as a black woman, and in this text she continues to be honest, forthright, and tenacious in her critique of  our educational system. Although the text focuses on her experience as a professor in universities, a lot of her insights apply to any educational context, especially to us as “urban teachers”.

            What I liked about this book is hooks’ ability to tell me a black woman, not just white males, that I don’t have it all together. In many ways I too have internalized racist ideals and notions that can be detrimental to my students. Although, I was already well aware of this, I don’t think I reflected on it enough. I think I take for granted that even though I see myself as an “enlightened” black woman there is still more work to be done. For example, she points out that “a black female who has internalized racism may straighten her hair to appear more like white females may remain in complete denial about her allegiance to white supremacist thinking bout the nature of beauty (28”. I do not agree with this for various reasons: as I choose to wear my hair in various ways and when it is straightened I am definitely not attempting to look like a white woman, I am well aware of the effects white standards of beauty has had on blacks especially myself, and this is problematic because it implies that black women who wear their hair naturally are the liberated and enlightened ones and I have to disagree with that.  However, it is important for me to continuously be conscious of the messages I want my students to receive and other messages I may be sending. Are they contradictory? Overall, hooks’ insights inspire me to be constantly reflective of myself not just as a teacher but also as a person. 

            I also learned a lot from her insights on whites who also consider themselves to be “liberated and enlightened”. She states, “a well meaning liberal white female professor might write a useful book on the intersections of race and gender yet continue to allow racist biases to shape the manner in which she responds personally to women of color…She may have a “grandiose” sense of herself, that is, a confidence that she is anti-racist and not at all vigilant about making the connections that would transform her behavior, and not just her thinking (29)”. I think this is an important point for all of us to consider. How much of all of our “talk” is represented in our lives?

            hooks also explores the issue of self-esteem in minorities, especially young black children. Self-esteem in the few years I’ve been able to work in school settings has proven to be very critical. A lot of black and Latino/a students lack the self-esteem needed to perform in school. A lot of these confidence issues are a direct result of how our society positions certain people, and how teachers reinforce those beliefs. This semester at my placement I’ve witnessed black teachers belittle black students, reinforcing stereotypes that they are inferior. I’ve witnessed Mexican teachers demean Mexican culture and disassociate themselves with the Latino/a students and their families. Asians students have been scolded because “there aren’t any smart Asians this year”.  I’ve heard teachers refer to these struggling students as “po little tink tink”, a comedic reference suggesting that the person is mentally or physically disabled.

            Overall, I think there is a lot to be learned from this book and I could continue to discuss everything that struck me but that would make for a very long post.