"The Silenced Dialogue"

    For our second blog, we were instructed to read Lisa Delpit's, "The Silenced Dialogue". Delpit's writing make me think about how strong of an impact my previous educators have made on me, both positive and negative. I am a straight white female who has lived in good areas so the experience I have been through are not the same as others, however, I have seen a common pattern that has been repeated with educators and a group of students with certain ethnic or identity background. Discrimination is a serious issue within education and it is important for educators to create an inclusive and safe environment for all students, regardless of ethnic or identity group. This means treating all students with respect, providing equal opportunities, and creating a safe space where all students feel heard. 

Inclusivity In The Classroom    

 
    I went to three different high schools, and all of the different schools were very diverse and different from each other. For example, the first high school I went to was in a very suburban area with the majority of the ethnic background being made up of White. The second and third school I went to, the majority was Hmong, African American, Hispanic, and etc.  All of these schools gave me different opportunities and eye opening experiences that I would have not gained if I had stayed at the same school. I was glad I did not stay in the same district and was able to get other experiences that I truly think will help me in the future. 

    This reading brought light to the discrimination issues within this country education system and how white teachers still have the "power" and a sense of dictatorship and often make others that do not look like them or have similar social standings, feel less than and smaller than them. 

"Privilege, Power, and Differences"

 For Blog #1, I decided I wanted to pull quotes from Alan Johnson's, "Privilege, Power, and Differences".    

 Understanding White Privilege

Chapter 1: Rodney King's Question

"...the most important thing I can say to reassure readers who are wondering whether to continue is that things are not what they seem. The defensive and irritable feelings that whites often experience when they come across such language are based on some fundamental misperceptions..."(Johnson 2).

    I think that this quote was important to mention because it talks about how a lot of people get very defensive and automatically shut down when certain words are said which leads them to not listen to or have preconceived notion's that prevent them from being able to fully listen and try to understand what the other person is saying. 

Chapter 2: We're In Trouble

"This means privilege is always a problem for people who don't hate it and for people who do, because privilege is always in relation to others. Privilege is always at someone else's expense and always exacts a cost. Everything that's done to receive or maintain it-however passive and unconscious- results in suffering and deprivation for someone"(Johnson 10).

    This quote caught my eye particularly because I really liked how the author talked about how everyone is constantly in a state of unhappiness. 

Chapter 3: The Trouble We're In

"The trouble is rooted in a legacy we all inherited, and while we're here, it belongs to us. It isn't our fault, It wasn't caused by something we did or didn't do. But now that it's ours, it's up to us to decide how we're going to deal with it before we collectively pass it along to the generations that will follow ours"(Johnson 15).

    I really enjoyed this quote and I thought it was a strong way to start off this chapter. Multiple times throughout the text, Johnson reiterates how while we may not have started the issue, it is our responsibility to fix and find a solution. 

End Question/Reflections:

After reading these chapters, I have gained a new perspective on how I can approach topics like white racism, privilege, and how to better understand and navigate our current world. I thought that this reading was an interesting read and was a good way to kick off the semester. After reading, I got a better sense of what to expect this semester.

Talia Lewis Introduction

Hi there! My name is Talia Lewis, I am a freshman at Rhode Island College and am in my second semester. I am from a small town near Sacramento, California and I am currently in school working towards my degree in Elementary Special Education. 

Outside of school, I spend a lot of my time playing volleyball for the college, playing sand and grass volleyball, as well as coaching for a club volleyball team with one of my friends. Before I started playing volleyball, I did competitive cheer for 10 years which came with the opportunity to travel the country and visit various states. 

I have two sisters, one older and younger. My younger sisters name is Severin and my older sisters name is Sophie. I grew up in a very musical family and was put into the music life very young. I started playing the violin in third grade and have since then picked up 11 other instruments. I have been in various choirs, symphonies, and orchestras. 

I grew up with a bunch of farm animals and eventually started raising livestock, showing them at fairs, as well as selling them. Contradicting that statement, I have been a vegetarian since I was six.