ESSAY : Did the teacher in this scenario understand that all people have multiple- and single-group identities?

Content Information-
Parents, peers, and teachers, as well as the media, contribute to how young people develop their sense of self. Teachers must understand the identities that their students bring to the classroom rather than trying to ignore differences. In the United States, all people, including White Americans, have a cultural identity that shapes how they view others and themselves. At the same time, people cannot be neatly categorized into single-group categories such as White, African American, Asian American, Christian, or Muslim because diversity exists among members of a group due to cultural and individual differences. For example, two Asian American women may self-identify differently based on their experiences and personal preferences: one may foremost identify with other Asian Americans whereas the other may solely identify as a Korean American.

Effective teachers teach a curriculum that is inclusive of all forms of diversity, while at the same time understanding the multiple dimensions of identity by:

Understanding That All People Have Multiple and Single-Group Identities: Teachers must understand that all people have cultural identities, not just members of minority populations. For example, some people believe that only people of color have cultural identities, which may lead them to incorrectly believe that multiculturalism has little benefit for Whites. This can lead to a situation in which Whites learning about non-Whites becomes a form of cultural tourism. At the same time, teachers must understand that identity is complex and that people have multiple identities. For example, a Latina student may identify as a Latina, but may also identify as a Cuban American woman. Additionally, people who share the same social group membership such as Latina/Latino may not necessarily identify with each other. For instance, while Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, and other people from Central and South America are often lumped together as Latina/Latino, individuals may prefer to identify as Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc. Teachers must understand that each person varies in terms of how she/he identifies.

Understanding How Insiders and Outsiders Shape Identity Formation: Teachers should understand that identities include both outside definition (i.e., how others define a person) and self-definition (i.e., how a person defines herself or himself). Identity is not always clear-cut or stable. For instance, two Latina/Latino students might self-identify differently based on their experiences and personal preferences: one may primarily identify as Cuban American, while the other may more specifically identify as a Latina first and then as a Mexican American. However, outsiders might see both students as non-White and may lump them together as being of the same background. The multicultural teacher is sensitive to the differences within identities, and understands the importance of including insiders perspectives and voices whenever possible. Teachers must be especially careful not to label or name a student s identity based on exterior characteristics such as physical appearance because that student may not wish to have her/his differences pointed out or she/he may see herself/himself in a specific way that defies single-group labels such as Black, female, or gay. If teachers incorporate discussions about identity, they should allow students to define themselves without making assumptions or trying to speak on their behalf.

Creating a Curriculum that Mirrors and Windows Multiple and Single Identities: Emily Style coined the analogy that the school curriculum must be both mirrors and windows for students. The mirror means that students should see themselves (e.g., ethnicity, gender, race, etc.) represented in the curriculum. The window means that students should also have opportunities to learn about others (e.g., different nationalities, persons with diverse abilities, etc.). If the curriculum does not mirror and window diversity, it could lead to some problems in terms of how students view each other and themselves. For instance, if the curriculum is mostly a mirror and not a window, a student may believe that her culture and lifestyle is superior to others. On the other hand, if the curriculum is mostly a window and not a mirror, then a student may believe that his culture is inferior to the dominant culture and develop a low self-esteem and self-worth.

Teachers should use Style s analogy to teach about identity from a multilayered, balanced, approach that affirms multiple and single identities. For instance, if a teacher were to teach about families, she might include multiple examples of families including blended families, divorced couples, foster families, and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual, and Questioning) families so that all the students in the classroom could see themselves represented in the curriculum at the same time as they learn about others. Teachers should be flexible and prepared to alter their plans if their students and their families make suggestions to modify curriculum to represent a more inclusive view of diversity. To insure that they are being as inclusive as possible to multiple forms of diversity, teachers might find it helpful to create assignments or distribute an anonymous survey during the beginning of the school year that asks students to reflect on which aspects of their identity are most important to them. Teachers might even find it helpful to solicit suggestions from families and students on activity ideas or topics to help them with curriculum planning.

In the following scenario, you will evaluate whether you think the teacher understood the multiple dimensions of human identity and if their curriculum mirrored and windowed multiple and single identities.

Case Study Discussion Post 6

Jessie Simon is an fourth-grade student in Ms. Fry\’s classroom. Jessie was born in South Korea and was adopted by a white American family when she was three years old. Jessie\’s family has never explicitly talked about her race because as a white family, they do not see themselves as people with a culture or race; rather, they simply identify as the Simon family. At school, Jessie rarely associates with the five other Asian American students. In fact, it seems like Jessie\’s preference is to interact with white students.

Ms. Fry has planned for a poetry unit where each student will explore her or his cultural identity by writing a free-form poem and sharing it with the entire class. She wrote a poem in college when she was in an elementary education course that focused on human relations, and thought that the assignment was a great way for her to closely think about where she comes from. Once identifying as simply an individual or sometimes an Italian American, Ms. Fry learned from this assignment that she is a white woman who actually has a great deal of freedom to identify herself according to how she feels on any given day: one day, she could simply be Nancy Fry; the next day, she could be an Italian American woman; and more often than not, she could just exist as an American. Ms. Fry learned from this assignment that not only do whites have a cultural identity, but that she has a great deal of choice in terms of how she identifies herself compared to people of color who are usually seen simply by their race and not their individual characteristics.

For her class, Ms. Fry wants students to look at who they are in terms of their cultural identity. As she sees it, this assignment will allow Jessie to be proud of her Asian and Korean identity. She hopes that this assignment will help Jessie feel better about who she is, and also encourage all students to learn about each other\’s experiences.

The next day when the assignment is due, the students go around sharing their poems. When it is Jessie\’s turn, she reads her poem aloud:

Title: Korean or American? Neither!

By Jessie Simon

People often look at me and ask,

Where are you from? Where\’d you learn to speak English?

The story is more complicated than what these people think.

See, I\’m not Korean. Or American. I m not sure who I should be.

My 20-year-old mother gave me up,

Because she couldn\’t raise me; she couldn\’t handle me.

Too many bad memories, I guess.

So I ended up in an orphanage.

When I was only three,

Two white people came to Korea to adopt me.

They took me to a strange place called Nashville, TN.

They renamed me Jessie, but that name isn\’t for me.

My first day of school was filled with memories,

Of people calling me Chink and Gook.

Chinese, Japanese, hey, look at these!

But wait! I wanted to say. I m not Chinese or Japanese.

I\’m Korean! Or am I?

After that day, I started to hate myself.

And I tried my best to pretend that I wasn\’t different.

Even though I was.

Very. Different.

After Jessie finishes, the class is silent, and several students look shocked. Ms. Fry is taken aback herself. At first, she is not sure how to respond because she thought that this assignment would be a time for students like Jessie to celebrate and embrace their cultural identities. Ms. Fry was hoping that Jessie would talk about her Korean culture and identity, but after hearing the poem, it appears as though her assumptions were completely incorrect. Ms. Fry breaks the silence by thanking Jessie for sharing her poem, and comments on how it really conveyed complex emotions well. She continues by asking Jessie the process by which she came to write the poem before moving on to the next student.

– Did the teacher in this scenario understand that all people have multiple- and single-group identities? What does she do that lets you know her level of understanding?

– Did the teacher create a curriculum that mirrors and windows multiple and single identities. If not, what could have been done differently?

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Identity can be defined as the outstanding characters, values, and aspects of an individual. Different individuals come from varying geographical locations and backgrounds, implying that most probably they possess diverse cultures and beliefs. As such, they vary in race, religion, and language. Therefore, in all institutions including schools, different cultures are present and the teachers have to create a curriculum that enhances all students to understand and accept their own identity as well as other students. According to Ms. Fry, she is aware and perfectly acknowledges the existence of multiple and single group identities. From her experience in elementary school, after writing a poem based on human relations she learned that she could identify herself…