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Local Matters

Reflection on Local Matters

In reflecting upon Local Matters, I found myself trying my absolute best to make connections and to resonate with the author, however, there was not much I could relate to. I guess the one thing that did stick out to me upon reading this article was how humbled and grateful I felt for the privilege that I did and do have as a student in that I was and likely never will be labeled a certain way because of my race. Although I was the loud girl at school, I was never the white loud girl. Although I can relate to the labels and the connection between knowledge (academia) and social identity, I feel as though it would be disingenuine of me to say that this paper resonates with me as I can not begin to understand the feelings of students who are labeled based on their race. 

Comments

  1. Mati July 29, 2021 at 4:57 PM

    The fact that you don't resonate with the article is wonderfully instructive too, as would "resonating" with it. What it seems to say is that the context of your schooling was (hopefully) broadly inclusive, and kiddos were understood to be the complex and multifaceted human beings that they are - Which is awesome!
    It might be then interesting to imagine other forms of diversity -- e.g. a whole lot of the gendered issues are not nearly as horribly divided as they used to be (e.g. it's not surprising now to see men in nursing programs, women in trades) ... But, neurodiversity is an area where "inclusion" is often still rather superficial.
    This year due covid, many of the students with the most complex needs stayed home and learned remotely all year -
    I found that in my teaching context, in some ways, inclusion of students with diverse needs was actually a bit easier than in the normal school schedule (in the quarter system, with long class periods, I could pace things differently, allow flexible times for taking breaks, etc). In some ways I was better able to support the kids who were physically there -- but, I worried about the kids who were not able to come to school ... kids who were already somewhat marginalized, now feeling even less connected to the school community.
    Hopefully, in September we'll be able to support all students with reconnecting --

    ReplyDelete

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