Blog Assignment Week 6:
The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression 1
Blog
Assignment Week 6: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
Student
Name: Angie Woods
EDUC-6164-8,
Perspective Diversity & Equity
Instructor:
Laura Tuthill
Walden
University
Blog
Assignment Week 6: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
Student
Name: Angie Woods
I
would like to share my experience of prejudice when I was working at the Walter
Robinson Achievement Center. This was in
the 5th grade classroom and there were all black children and only
one white child in the whole classroom. Now at this school there were other
cultural children here as well but in that class it was only black children.
The little boy spoke out very loudly that he didn’t want to be around the black
children he called the “N***** word” he was very upset by being in the same
classroom with all black children. The teachers walked him out of the classroom
and had him in the hallway to talk to him about this rudely behavior. Which the
teacher was white than she asked me to come and witness what he was saying to
her about way he said what he said. I than ask him “Why would you say that you
don’t want to be around black children” and then he stated “my parent taught me
that it’s not good to be around a lot of black people”. The white teacher and I then explained to him
that living in the world today that he will be around all kind of people. Plus
you would need not to say words that is racist toward another cultural because
it’s not nice of him to say that because every cultural has a history of good
and bad. “The principal told him that we are all same of being people some are
different but something’s are not good to say because it hurts people feelings”
Then the teacher went back in the classroom and explained biases and prejudice
to the class before he came back in so that the children could have a positive understanding
of the lack of his understanding of his word usage. I did not make the child feel as if he had
done anything wrong, but I really wanted to expand upon what had just happened.
The teacher, principal and I tried to
handle the situation as fair and open as I could for the class in a respectable
manner and I just tried to deal with the situation the best way I knew how to
handle it at the time.
This incident diminished equity because
the Teacher, Principal and I restated the comment that really hurtied the black
children feelings. Everyone could not believe that the child’s parents could be
teaching him hateful things and words like to say about another cultural. The principal
also stated how every morning that same parent would come and talk to her for
advice, and now she felt as if the parent was mocking her and her culture. Although other black teachers and other black
students feelings were hurt by this child statement. Still as a professional
every teacher and principal continued to treat the child with respect. Everyone kept their same everyday kindly
behavior as if he never made that statement about blacks.
This incident reminded me of the phrase
“be careful what you say around children because children are like tape records
will repeat what you say and how you say it too”. The child did not understand how harmful his
words were even though the child parents had a very lack of understand someone else’s
cultural I think he might not ever repeat their words. I believe as adults we
must choose our words wisely because we never know who is absorbing what we
say. Like an old phase “practice what you preach”.
I am
of how the situation was handling because it was more of an unexpected situation. The teacher never retaliated against the
family with disrespect of any kind of any of my knowledge in fact the teacher
and everyone continued to love him just like her other students in the
classroom. Even though everyone knew how
hurtful the statement was but the staff turned a horrible experience into a
teachable moment by continuing to loving the child and taking the time out to
give him the understanding of how to say kind words toward any culture not just
black but toward everyone.
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