I don't tolerate "tolerance"!
TOLERANCE: A permissive attitude towards those who differ from our own?
"to put up with"
I refuse to merely 'put up with' someone who is different than me. What a slap in the face! By saying: "I'll 'tolerate' your beliefs" in my humble opinion comes from a place of bias/prejudice that believes the OTHER is of less value/importance.
I don't teach tolerance. I teach acceptance, and I teach advocacy. If someone is doing harm to another - would you put up with it? Would you tolerate watching a group of kids kicking a dog - bullying a student - harassing a stranger. I doubt it !
So can you tolerate inequality in your child's education, or in the services they should receive?
Ok so now that I have your attention and I meant every word above - I want to use this blog space to talk about a few critical conversations, I've been having with myself this past week.
I couldn't agree more. When faced with difference, just like when we are faced with opposition, something has to change. Our perception, our bias, our actions or our reactions. If you become comfortable with being uncomfortable - constantly peeling the onion of personality layers - and reflecting inwardly to establish your identity - the changes you face will become easier to deal with.
Our student body within the district I teach is rapidly changing. It's become more diverse, both socio-economically and in ethnic makeup. For that I am grateful, as it prepares us more on the global level. However, this change presents a challenge to our leadership and teaching staff to become more culturally proficient, and aware of the multiple layers of identity that students and families have.
These are all rather long clips - so I encourage you to bookmark this blog post and review over spring break~ I promise you, they are eye opening.
And after you are challenged by watching the content - will you just "tolerate" some of the practices that continue in our classrooms, our school buildings, and in our community?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDfg8OrJJEE
Following the documentary, My New Home, Your Voice will explore the immigrant experience in Ontario. A school principal, a settlement worker and an immigrant parent will help us understand what it's like for children when they move here and start school. What do they need? How are they assessed? What supports are they and their families offered? And what does it take to help them catch up with their peers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GBYPwbvknw
1+1=English? Takes you through the lens of a teenage newcomer from Colombia who is getting used to life in Vancouver. The video presents the discrimination newcomer youth battle with, especially ESL students, as well as the stereotypes their parents face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeS6COIhYhk
"to put up with"
These are a few of the definitions of 'tolerance'.
I refuse to merely 'put up with' someone who is different than me. What a slap in the face! By saying: "I'll 'tolerate' your beliefs" in my humble opinion comes from a place of bias/prejudice that believes the OTHER is of less value/importance.
I don't teach tolerance. I teach acceptance, and I teach advocacy. If someone is doing harm to another - would you put up with it? Would you tolerate watching a group of kids kicking a dog - bullying a student - harassing a stranger. I doubt it !
So can you tolerate inequality in your child's education, or in the services they should receive?
Ok so now that I have your attention and I meant every word above - I want to use this blog space to talk about a few critical conversations, I've been having with myself this past week.
Culture and Identity.
As a parent of 3 (soon to be 4) adopted Taiwanese boys, I am well aware - as are they- that when there is difference, there might be discomfort. In a classroom recently a teacher asked the students "why do people battle with difference?". One student answered - "because we don't like change!".I couldn't agree more. When faced with difference, just like when we are faced with opposition, something has to change. Our perception, our bias, our actions or our reactions. If you become comfortable with being uncomfortable - constantly peeling the onion of personality layers - and reflecting inwardly to establish your identity - the changes you face will become easier to deal with.
Our student body within the district I teach is rapidly changing. It's become more diverse, both socio-economically and in ethnic makeup. For that I am grateful, as it prepares us more on the global level. However, this change presents a challenge to our leadership and teaching staff to become more culturally proficient, and aware of the multiple layers of identity that students and families have.
These are all rather long clips - so I encourage you to bookmark this blog post and review over spring break~ I promise you, they are eye opening.
And after you are challenged by watching the content - will you just "tolerate" some of the practices that continue in our classrooms, our school buildings, and in our community?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDfg8OrJJEE
Following the documentary, My New Home, Your Voice will explore the immigrant experience in Ontario. A school principal, a settlement worker and an immigrant parent will help us understand what it's like for children when they move here and start school. What do they need? How are they assessed? What supports are they and their families offered? And what does it take to help them catch up with their peers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GBYPwbvknw
1+1=English? Takes you through the lens of a teenage newcomer from Colombia who is getting used to life in Vancouver. The video presents the discrimination newcomer youth battle with, especially ESL students, as well as the stereotypes their parents face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeS6COIhYhk
Ten-year-old Moises has just immigrated to California from Mexico. He doesn't speak English, but he's good at math, so he hopes to do well on his first math test in the USA.
Using untrained child actors from public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, “Immersion” plunges its audience into the visceral experience of a child who cannot understand his teacher. The film puts a human face on the debate about the education of English Language Learners.
http://immersionfilm.com/
When I was in high school, we had a "diversity day" every year. During this day, we had many different speakers come and talk about their different viewpoints. The effort was to ensure that we did not get stuck in our little bubble (which was formidable because I graduated with only 125 other kids).
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate part of this event (and much of my k-12 experience) is that we did not talk about why Diversity itself is important. No one stood up and made the case for why Diversity and advocating for it was a shared value that we should all aspire to. We didn't talk about the social science of group think and we didn't go into the benefits of a diverse problem solvers.
I believe the fear of change that you describe is not knowing the direct benefit that diverse cultural representation can have on your life. It is only when we experience it and see its value that we can truly embrace the change and stop simply "tolerating" it.
Thank you for writing this post. It is something we must all grapple with. P.S. This comment is a part of the #C4C15 project. Find out more here: http://learningischange.com/blog/2014/12/27/c4c15/