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Anti-Oppressive Education
Introduction
Introduction
Hi, my name is Peter Huber. I am a History and Secondary/ Special Education major. I have always loved school, more specifically History courses. However, something that I learned in one of my classes that I found interesting and deserves more attention is oppresive systems of education. In my US I History class in high school I learned that Northern states and Southern states do not teach topics like the Civil War the same. This is something that just did not really sit well with me. Another aspect of education I recently learned was how school districts and teachers mistreat those in special education and BIPOC students. This website will act as an informative piece to those who don't know about the oppresive pedogogical practices in the US. As well as how we can move forward to solve these social justice issues.
How the Civil War is taught depends on where you live. School districts in the South will emphasize states' rights as well as slavery for the cause of the Civil War. " Growing up in Charlottesville, Kidd said, he was taught that “folks from the North” had put forward the “misconception” that slavery was the cause of the war. " In the South they are taught that slavery was not a driving force in the war. Whereas in the North slavery is the reason for the war. Lessons on the war begin as early as the 5th grade. How they are taught at a young age can heavily influence their attitudes about the war as well as other social issues.
As teachers we can teach students less oppressive lessons on the Civil War. In the future I will inform students on how it is taught in different parts of the country and correct that narrative to ensure students are brought up in a socially acceptable way.
Many children with disabilities such as autism or ADHD move around a lot and find it difficult to stay still and focus on a specific assignment. Special ed certified teachers should be able to deal with this. However, that is far from it. A lot of teachers still see them as disruptive and abuse their power. " What is shocking about the report released by the GAO is the fact that, nationwide, these disabled children are being harshly disciplined so that there have even been some deaths. " The fact that these kinds of people are educating our children isn't right. There are very little regulation to stop this as well. Special ed teachers are trained to teach the students but not always how to treat them.
What can be done to stop this? Higher ed programs can add requirements to increase care in the profession. When schools see the mistreatment of special ed students they could section those teachers to only teach general ed classes. In the future something I will do is place emphasis of the care for my students in both general and special education classrooms.
In the education system BIPOC students are presented with barriers that hurt their experiences. A very prominent barrier is the discipline of BIPOC students. " Black students are often subject to harsher discipline at school than white students, and those punishments can damage students’ perceptions of their school and negatively impact their academic success years later, according to research published by the American Psychological Association." Black students are persecuted for the race by both students and teachers which destroys their perception of school. Unfair punishment of Black students is also linked to lower grades and higher drop out rates.
The article suggests that schools need to reconsider policies that allow teachers to deal out harsh punishments. Teacher programs at colleges could introduce a race requirment to make teachers less predjudiced.
AP classes can give students an advantage in preparing for college. However, historically, these classes have lacked diversity and created barriers for students of color. "Black students make up 15% of high schoolers nationwide — but only 9% of these students are enrolled in at least one AP class. Similarly, Latino/a students make up a quarter of U.S. high schoolers, but only 21% enroll in AP courses" There are multiple barriers that students of color may encounter when seeking admitance to these courses. School districts that are majority Black or Latino are more likely to be underfunded. " According to The Century Foundation, they also face much wider funding gaps, with an average deficit of more than $5,000 per student." This results in less course resources and less qualified teachers. Educator Bias is another barrier for students of color. Often AP classes require a reccomendation. Studies have shown that Black students are less likely to be reccomended even when their transcripts are identical to their White counterparts. A third barrier is the lack of diversity in the educational field. Students need more teachers that share the identities of their students and can relate to their experiences.
Many of the issues with the AP program have to be done at the macro level such as hiring more diverse teachers, increasing funding, and increasing course offerings. However, as teachers we can impact students lives in a meaningful way by doing what we can for them. By eliminating Educator Bias we can lead to more representation in the AP program.
In elementary school there is little time for social studies which is one of the reasons teachers reduce complex histories. " University of Colorado Boulder Assistant Professor Noreen Naseem Rodríguez says the lack of social studies in elementary curriculum is "heartbreaking" and really necessary for democracy." Teachers should go beyond this and teach anti-oppressive social studies, teaching the full story of the nation and its people. As future practices we don't want to traumatize students with these dark histories, but make them feel as though they belong no matter who they are.
The article mentions many strategies for future educators and administrators to put in place to ensure a more representative education. Test makers can make texts social studies themed. A stronger emphasis can be put on social studies in elementary school to educate students about social issues and history to a better extent. As a future secondary teacher Something that I can do is explore beyond the White and European based histories. Teaching about the experiences of diverse experiences to make all students feel represented in some way.
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