The Teach Out Project 6/9

 CHOOSE A TEXT

Two texts that have had a significant impact on me this year are "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies" by Christine Sleeter and "Teaching Race, Privilege, and Power" by Armstrong and Wildman.

Sleeter’s article stood out because it clearly outlines how traditional curriculum centers white, Euro-American narratives while minimizing or oversimplifying the experiences and contributions of people of color. It also showed how ethnic studies can re-engage students, especially students of color, by reflecting their identities, communities, and histories. 

The Armstrong & Wildman piece helped me reflect more deeply on how race and privilege operate in schools. This article supports the idea that we can’t have genuine equity in schools unless we challenge white normativity and create space for diverse voices and lived experiences.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH?

I want to share these ideas with my students. They are the ones living through the consequences of what gets taught and what gets left out. They deserve to learn in ways that affirm who they are and challenge them to understand how power works in society. I also hope this will open up conversations among them about their own experiences, culture, and identity.

WHAT FORMAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU?

The format I will use is a lesson plan. This lesson will:

• Use excerpts from both texts
• Engage students in a discussion about whose voices are heard in the curriculum
• Ask them to reflect on their own schooling experiences
• Include an activity where students imagine or propose their own Ethnic Studies unit, centering their cultural backgrounds or questions they care about
• Challenge them to think critically about how race, privilege, and systems of power operate in schools and society