There's no doubt about it: Transformation is a messy business, whether it's the transformation of learning, of enlightenment, or of giving up long-held and often unconscious assumptions. Transformation is recursive, unpredictable, and often leaves plenty of loose ends.
Transforming attitudes about race is messy, too. Race seems to be an especially uncomfortable topic here in southeast Michigan. Authors Nancy Barron and Nancy Grimm write about the discomfort they experienced (and caused) in their efforts to achieve "productive diversity."
The first point that struck me was how much we (as representatives of the university) may never know about the inner lives of our students of color, especially if we're white. As members of minority cultures, students of color learn very early how to code-switch: acting, speaking, and writing "white" when they're among the dominant culture, and expressing their most authentic selves only when they're in an environment where they feel safe and accepted. Not only is this an injustice to students of color, but it robs the academic community of a wealth of cultural perspectives and experiences. This reality makes us all poorer.
The second point that gave me pause was the fiction of color-blindness. We're not supposed to notice. In fact, if I was pointing out my black friend Bridgette to someone, and she was standing in a group of white women, I might say, "Yes, Bridgette is the tall woman wearing a red headband and carrying the briefcase." The most obvious distinction in this group is that Bridgette is the black woman, but to mention that somehow seems impolite or insensitive, not politically correct.
Third, I was moved by the story that Nancy Barron shared at the end of this long article. It's easy to write off people like the young man she described as "red-neck," "racist," "ignorant." And yet, at the end of this story, Barron sees in this young man some glimmer of transformation--surely incomplete and a little awkward--but present nonetheless. In some way Barron doesn't understand, it was important for this young man to let her know that he was growing. Like all growth, it was probably painful and messy and confusing for him. But it seemed he was willing to do it anyway.
The article feels like the start of a conversation, not a whole conversation in itself. Frankly, I don't know how we apply these ideas to the work we do here at the Writing Center. Yes, we do expect students to write "white" because that's what their professors--and, in the future, their employers--expect from them. But how can we make the Writing Center that safe and accepting environment for all students, including students of color, where each of us can become our most authentic self?
The authors write, "The work of maintaining the fragile balance [of productive diversity] happens in one relationship at a time." For now, perhaps that's our challenge here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After reading a few segments of the Barron and Grimm Article it appears that maintaining a safe environment for writers of all ethnic backgrounds while teaching people of color to write white requires a one at a time approach. I believe the biggest thing that can help us as tutors to do this is to stay positive. It is easy to look at a paper and instantly recognize someone's lack of formal writing skills. However to really help these people it is important to also recognize what skills they do possess and build on those rather than just addressing what it is they do wrong.
ReplyDeleteIf someone is coming into the writing center we already know two things about them. One is that they believe they can better themselves by continuing their education. The second being that they recognize that they need extra help with their writing skills and are willing to seek that help out. This means that the average student that we come into contact with in the writing center are open to the idea of working on their code switching and see the value in being able to write white. It seems like if we honestly and in good faith facilitate that growth individual students will eventually be able to take those skills and apply them to their own goals.
Francis' example of describing the one black person in a group of white people by their clothing reminded me of some kind of Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. Where not wanting to seem racist or culturally insensitive leads to a white person into an awkward and embarrassing exchange. Unfortunately this seems all too easy to relate to as a white person. This experience can probably be eased with a little bit of honest discussion and growth but this is most definitely easier said than done. Someone once said that "without conflict there can be no progress". I took this to mean that you cannot learn anything if you are never wrong. So in a way we all need that awkward and embracing experience in order to learn and grow as a person.
In the United States, along with most of the rest of the world, the ideas of race and cultural capital are a difficult subject to openly discuss because of fear of the difficult and painful growth needed to come to some kind of conclusion. As a lowly writing center tutor all I can do is take it on a case by case basis. Treat everybody with respect for who they are and optimism for who they can become and you will be surprised how open and honest they will be.
This article was very eye-opening to me. I felt a bit guilty, being in the majority culture makes me feel responsible, to a certain extent, for the closed-minded actions of some other white people. One part that really spoke to me was the statement “He fit into the Anglo stereotype… always so confident and sure they know, always in control.” I see that in my own tutoring sometimes I may take on the all-knowing role too much. This article forced me to be introspective and look for some times when I may be unintentionally arrogant with some students.
ReplyDeleteI really liked what Kevin said about building on the skills that students do have instead of being hung up on the formal writing skills they lack. One struggle for me is learning how to balance not forcing a student to “write white” but yet still helping them be able to write formally. I wish there were easy answers. As everyone else has said I have to look at each student as an individual and take things one tutoring session at a time.
Racial diversity is a characteristic of many colleges around the U.S. But there was once a time when racial diversity was not allowed on most of these campuses. Unless a person is old enough to remember or knowledgeable of their own history, most people nowadays do not know what a campus without racial diversity is like. Recognizing diversity and being smart enough to work across cultural boundaries is important for a writing center environment.
ReplyDeleteAt the writing center, students will come and go. So often, the routine makes us forget the faces or even the tasks that took up so much time and effort to complete. Diversity is the norm. But is it really diverse? Every essay is written in English and must meet a certain standard which will exclude some others from expressing their words from their own cultural, racial, or ethnic standpoint. Don't be a part of the problem. Be a part of the solution.
There is not a one-fix or quick solution. However, tutors can increase their capacity and effectiveness with students by being culturally aware and culturally sensitive. For example, in Japan it may be acceptable and respectful for a student to be passive to a teacher's remarks. But in America, being passive to a teacher's remarks may be interpreted as a lack of interest. Different strokes for different folks. What may be good for one culture, race, or ethnicity may not be good for the other. Working cross culturally is the smart way to work with diverse students. It promotes tolerance and reduces ignorance. An effective tutor can recognize several cultural differences.
Many of the points raised in the article remind me of the literature written on gender inequality. However, it is true that issues of race, gender, and class are often intertwined. The authors allude to this when they write, “Together, we imagine a writing center as a place where people can come together across their differences to share interpretations inevitably informed by racial, class, social, and cultural identities, where in learning about difference, our own perspectives become transformed, and thus we begin to communicate, to solve problems, to teach and to coexist more fully.” This is also my image of a writing center.
ReplyDeleteI was interested in the idea that “too often the writing center is the place where acculturation is supposed to occur, a place where students are supposed to learn to read and write as if they have no differences.” I hope that isn’t what our writing center is supposed to do. That would mean we are taking all these wonderful flavors that walk through our door and change them all to vanilla. I hope the discussions we’ve had over the years, especially about working with ESL students, have emphasized the importance of an individual voice.
The Writing Center does have to address the overarching need to help students make their writing conform to an “academic style.” I can’t think that helping a student to write an essay with a thesis and topic sentences should be seen as a form of modern-day enslavement. Academic style still allows a student’s voice to be heard. When describing this academic style, however, it’s a good idea to explain that it is one style of writing and not the only one. Students can be encouraged to explore other avenues for their writing, maybe creative writing or blogging, in which there are fewer restrictions on their personal style.