OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN

  Upon reading the author Lisa Delpits's Other people's children : Cultural conflict in the classroom, one can truly understand the need and importance for teachers to become what Delpit calls 'cultural transmitter' in order to solve the issue of miscommunication amongst different culture that have failed students of color in school across the United States. 

    In the book, Delpit stresses the need for teachers to become 'cultural transmitters', which essentially means for teachers educating students of color to balance teaching them about the current system we live under in American while also validating their culture and listening to their voices. She emphasizes in her writing how students of different races learn differently and that one particular approach to teaching academic content to a class does not work for every student. Delpit claims that unlike students of middle-class white families that tend to specifically value achievement, "... research suggests that children of color value the social aspects of an environment to a greater extent than do' mainstream' children, and tend to put an emphasis on feelings, acceptance, and emotional closeness. Research has also shown that motivation in African-American children from low socioeconomic groups is more influenced by the need for affiliation than for achievement." Delpit's writing here clearly illustrates the importance of teachers becoming 'cultural transmitters' through establishing relationships with their students and creating an accepting learning environment in order to successfully connect the bridge of learning and teaching for students of color. A large portion of this book specifically examines the issues regarding the education of literacy and linguistic pluralism, a core idea and theme Delpit discusses in her writing. The author says that many black educators have spoken out about being excluded from the conversation on how to best teach students of color, contributing to the silent dialogue' which Delpit believes is one of the biggest issues in our country's education system. She says that in order to get rid of this 'silent dialogue', progressive teachers must listen to black teachers who have a better understanding of how students of color succeed in the classroom. Tied into this idea is the theme of a "culture of power" discussed in the book that exists in our society. Delpit believes that although there is a culture that is more privileged and with more power due to systematic racism and the history of it in our country, however, is against having this be the societal norm, which she argues is the case in schools. She goes on to say that teachers must recognize, respect, and value the diversity of language styles that pertain to specific cultures that do not necessarily correlate with the "mainstream" or "correct" norms of our predominantly white society. It is essential for teachers to maintain a balance of recognizing a students unique linguistic form while also nurturing the standard rules of the English language in order to successfully educate many students of color and to eliminate "the silent dialogue", according to the author. Lisa Delpit has clearly researched the education system and reflected on her own experiences as a teacher and student of color to have an indepth understanding of how to solve these issues that exist today for black students in America. It is crucial for the success of black students and teachers that we listen to not just Delpit, but the voices of all people of color who offer insight into this desperately needed conversation. As a country, we cannot continue to fail student of color by not listening to their voices and not having these crucial conversations of race relations and communication.