difference

I no longer believe the old saying that you can learn something from anything. I now think, given the intense relationships and connections that exist everywhere, that you can learn anything from everything. (Ayers, 2001, p. 83)

The above quote in chapter 4 of To Teach, “Building Bridges,” struck a chord with me. Ayers goes on to say that the trick is to probe deeply and thoughtfully - that we as teachers “need to find ways to follow [knowledge] where it leads.” (2001, p. 83) While I hope to not romanticize or oversimplify Ayers’ words inappropriately, this concept really appeals to me, especially as it pertains to building bridges between cultural differences. Ayers once again provides us with appealing curricular possibilities. For instance, I see definite possibilities for a rite of passage exercise. I think a well-designed activity could be both an exploration of self and a centering influence in a time of flux for young adolescents.

That said, I must admit to a certain uneasiness as I read about Zayd’s own coming-of-age ceremony. It felt uncomfortable to me that he seemed to be co-opting another culture’s tradition and putting his own “spin” on it. I’ll admit that Zayd could well be Native American, his ethnicity is not mentioned in the chapter. When reading, however, my feeling was that he was not Native American. If by chance one of his classmates were, I wonder how Zayd’s activity would have been received. As a compliment? After all, Zayd found the Native American tradition inspiring enough to adapt to his own ceremony. As an insult? As an abuse of something sacred and personal? Would Zayd’s attempt be seen as akin to a white man in a headdress and makeup portraying a Native American on television? It reminds me of a story about the Dalai Lama, who was approached by a woman taken with Buddhist philosophy but who considered herself a Christian. When she asked him if she should convert, the Dalai Lama told her that she should simply be the best Christian she could.

The danger I’m seeing in the above example, I believe, is the seductiveness of the “other.” Our own heritage, traditions, and cultural artifacts may seem mundane and boring to us, but another’s heritage, traditions, and cultural artifacts may seem exotic and alluring. Many would willingly abandon their own cultural accoutrement for the tantalizingly new tradition. While doing so could perhaps be viewed as form of compliment to the tradition being adopted, there is also a very real risk of simply reducing the other tradition to a novelty. When the tradition becomes trivialized in this manner, it’s devalued, something to be tried on and discarded at will.

Ayers touches on these concerns when he talks about Christmas. In an effort to be inclusive, Ayers first incorporates Hanukkah in his classroom. Soon thereafter, Kwanzaa is “discovered.” Then the pagan rite of Winter Solstice celebration, followed by Three kings Day, then Epiphany. Pretty soon a smorgasbord of holidays is on the agenda, and “the treatment of culture as curiosity, a people’s story as a token gesture,” (Ayers, 2001, p. 79) becomes a real possibility that must be consciously avoided.

Along these same lines, I am also wary of cultural groups co-opting the hate language used against them. I didn’t always feel this way. At one time I was highly supportive efforts such as co-opting the word “queer” when referring to gays and lesbians. It made sense to me that taking the word away from the bigots who hurled it as epithet stripped it of its invective power and transformed it into an empowering rallying cry. While I still believe this to be true to some degree, I am not sure anymore whether this value is enough to overcome the inevitable confusion over its proper use. Can a heterosexual sympathizer use “queer” with confidence? The line of acceptability is very blurred. I believe the confusion is even more apparent with epithets co-opted by African Americans, such as the “n” word.

I could be totally off base with these thoughts, but I felt the need to articulate them. Perhaps I see pitfalls I’m particularly determined to try and avoid. However, this chapter din't just give me concerns. As I touched on at the beginning of tis post, it also gave me inspiration. While Zayd’s individual experience made me a little uneasy, the general idea of a coming-of-age project or something similar is very appealing to me. I was also very interested in Ayers' ideas about involving kids in a study of their own community. His idea of using “trips, interviews, mapping, comparing, following leads, [and] exploring the complexity of a community’s life” to study, appreciate, and bridge difference really attracts my attention.

Those kinds of “at hand” experiences - the ones that really provide meaning for students by asking questions about their own lives - can provide the needed context for kids to begin to appreciate one another for who each of them are. Like Ayers says, it provides a way for students to explore difference not merely as other cultures existing “out there,” but to see and cultural issues that exist “in here,” in one’s own classroom. Related to this were his ideas about studying cultural stereotypes. In particular, I really liked the idea of naming three groups one belongs to and exploring one negative attribute given to that group. While Ayers exercise was structured for college students, I believe it could be tweaked to work in a younger classroom. Again, Ayers has given us good food for thought. I hope I become the kind of teacher who builds bridges, probes deeply, and follows the knowledge of the world where it leads me.

Ayers, W. (2001). To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher. New York. N.Y. & London: Teachers College Press.