Minority teachers are Diversifying their Curriculum whether you like it or not!

Art, Ideas, and Images

Minority-teachers know and understand that it is the ideas of the dominant culture that still play a role in the K-12 educational classroom.  If one were to walk into any school location there are images, paintings, and sometimes art but rarely do radical thoughts, ideas,powerful language that spark the interest of black youth to explore the topic furthermore do you find art from diverse spaces. Much of these things are reduced to appease the conservative, political interest, or the influences of the school corporation.  This is why I transformed my classroom!

A New Mini Curriculum

How do you ignite the interests of the poor when the curriculum relates to the dominant culture? It frustrates me when history doesn’t reflect minority populations and the heroes are the same at every school function during Black History Month.  It makes me sad to know that the language used are experiences that minority students have, and the standards of the community are so different that much of their learning must occur outside school in their communities, in college, or not at all.  I remember when I taught first grade and we would do full studies on alternative heroes. I would not only introduce students to new heroes but I would create mini units based on minority communities and their lives. 

I remember my first unit was on the Black Panther Party.  You can imagine the amount of discussion that went around the school when students were raising their fists stating, “Power to the People.”  We extended deep into the 60’s and reviewed how it started in Oakland and how it was originally name was “The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.”  We spent an extensive amount of time on the thirty-five survival programs from which they are still benefiting from today. The Black Panther Party is the reason why African Americans now have free breakfast in schools, sickle cell anemia testing in local clinics,and the ambulance now comes to black and brown neighborhoods. I remember, one student ran to my classroom with their parents to tell me about the Brown Berets.  We can make an effort to infuse meaningful content into the classroom without penalty from administration because the community was my advocate. 

The Effects

Yes, this startedan elaborate discussion on campus, eventually parents chimed in and would sendme notes telling me to include Che Guevara in my discussions so the next themewas specifically on Che.  In a sense, thecommunity participation fueled my lessons. And, although the principal was worried, the parents supported my visionto teach alternative heroes that may one day spark the interest of minoritychildren in society.    

Giroux, Henry. Literacy and the Pedagogy of Voice and Political Empowerment