|
|
|
|
|
Lisa Delpit (1996) shares a story in her book Other People’s Children of being asked to observe a five-year-old black child in a classroom for the purpose of “getting him help.” She noticed that the child received almost no positive feedback and many negative comments. Lisa took the child into the hallway on several occasions to further assess his abilities. After a several observations and conversations with the child in the hallway, she met with the teacher.
Lisa attempted to share some positive points about the child. She told the teacher that the child had shared that he liked school and especially group time. The teacher’s response: “That’s amazing, since he can’t sit still in it. He just says anything sometimes.”
When Lisa pointed out that the child seemed to be talking more, the teacher responded; “He’s probably never allowed to talk at home.” She added, “He probably never even got to use scissors at home.”
Lisa told the teacher that the child told her about playing with his cousin after school. She noted that he really does have things to talk about. The teacher responded, “It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think he even knows what family means. Some of these kids don’t know who their cousins are…”
|
|
|
|
|
|
