Prompt 5- Working with the Parents

If I was the teacher of this 9th grade classroom, I would encounter many challenges in dealing with the parents of my students. First and foremost is probably the challenge of race. Being in a dominantly Hispanic classroom, its hard enough dealing with the students, but throw in the parents and you are in for a show. A lot of the parents, most likely, have a limited knowledge of English. While this is probably a rude assumption to make, listening to the students accents when they speak English, it is probable that their parents’ main language is Spanish. This would make communication for someone like me, as I’ve previously stated I have no knowledge of the language, incredibly difficult. The only way I could imagine addressing this problem is using the student as a translator. I am not adept at languages, and for some reason have struggled particularly with Spanish, so learning would be a slow and painful process. I sincerely doubt if I’d ever know enough Spanish to communicate clearly with these parents.

Out side of the language issue, this question could easily relate to Lisa Delpit’s article The Silenced Dialogue. Being from the culture of power, the parents could resent me teaching their students, and not embracing more of a multicultural education. They might feel I’m not willing to admit, or even unaware, that I am from the culture of power. But I would be willing to acknowledge that power, and even teach their children explicitly the rules of power, like Delpit calls for. Especially being in an English class, I would teach them the proper ways to write and speak, so they aren’t looked down on by other society.

My favorite quote from the Delpit article is “My kids know how to be black- you all teach them how to be successful in a white man’s world.” I think this shows perfectly a way to relate to parents, black, Hispanic, any race. Parents want their children to learn the tools they need to survive in the “white man’s world,” or the culture of power. While a multicultural education, reading things written by people other then dead white guys and learning history other then the middle class white “norm,” is beneficial to classrooms, teaching students the rules of power is necessary for their success. To bridge the gap with parents, who may feel I know nothing being of a white middle class background, it is necessary to gain their support in teaching their children not only in a diverse way but in a way that could help them succeed when they enter the adult world.