#2 - Ethnicity and Race

Ethnicity and Race.  These words usually fall on one end of the spectrum or the other...taboo or buzzwords.  As we have discussed in class, it depends on the motive of the speaker for how communication should be received.  That does not mean that the receiver will necessarily take it the way it was intended, but motives and intent should definitely be considered.

Being "politically correct" seems to be a way of life in America these days.  No one wants to offend anyone, use any terminology that could possibly hurt someone's feelings, or overstep any bounds.  However, I think that sometimes this can backfire when people do not feel appreciated for their cultural heritage or do not want to be called by some politician's name for their group.  I have a good friend who is black...and she does not want to be called an African-American.  Her family has lived in the United States for nearly 200 years, so she considers herself an American.  After all, haven't almost all of us only been in the United States for a few hundred years?  When is it acceptable to drop the other name?

Many educators say they have color blindness, intending to mean that "they do not see a student's color and treat all students equally regardless of race" (Gollnick & Chin, 2009).  There are a few issues with this.  The first is that teachers do not acknowledge any racial inequality that could be present in the classroom or school.  The next is not confronting racial issues because race shouldn't be playing any role in the classroom.  Another is that students may not feel comfortable displaying any pride of their race or ethnicity.  Students know their heritage and family culture, so when teachers consistently say or portray that it doesn't matter because all are equal, some students may feel threatened or devalued.

In my opinion, race and ethnicity do play roles in education, no matter how much people may want to turn a blind eye.  Students (and faculty, for that matter) need to be able to express pride of their background, regardless of what it is.  Allow students the opportunity to learn from other backgrounds and cultures.  Embrace the numerous learning opportunities, and be thankful for the ones that are already at hand in your own classroom.  Seneca said "While we teach, we learn."  Listen to his advice and let students take hold of their learning by teaching others about their ethnicity and/or race.