![]() Understanding that “We cannot separate anyone from her cultural context” is essential to our understanding of children, but it is also essential to our self-conceptualization (Renton, p. 15). As a white individual I navigate the world with ease, and see the world as a place that loves and accepts me for who I am. My perception that Police officers are safe and loving individuals, that I can wear a hoodie at night, or that everyone has access to the tools to educate themselves doesn’t take into account the complex webs and systems of oppression which influence my culturally and linguistically diverse students. This presupposition is one of the assumptions I must leave at the door of my classroom as a part of the preparation of the teacher. I cannot be an effective educator if I see the natural world of my students as a hindrance. If the goal of Dr. Montessori was to serve the child and listen for what they needed, not what I wanted to give, then as a white individual I must work towards breaking down the lenses I wear and attempt to see the world from all children’s perspectives. Understanding this combined with the understanding of transference necessitates a critical journey of my whiteness as a portion of the Preparation of the Teacher because I do not want to project prejudice onto my students. Further than simply avoiding prejudice, it is essential to first critically encounter my own cultural and linguistic origin story. If I do not understand my own story and the history of whiteness I am predisposed to appropriating, romanticizing, or misunderstanding the students of color I may very well intentionally encounter. The sharing of story is done gradually as a piece of forming community in the classroom, but we so often quickly ask children from different backgrounds to share what makes them special. This is wonderful and uplifting in intention, but if we do not create a cultural in which all children share what is special to them and their family we may unintentionally romanticize minority students. Having role models of color in your classroom to share their stories is an excellent way to authentically encounter and represent stories different from our own and allow children to see people who look and see the world they do in positions of authority. . Montessori Philosophy supports the Culturally and Linguistically diverse student by creating room in the community for any and all. Students learn that peace is not the absence of war or disagreement, but a goal that they all have ownership over and are capable of striving towards. Linguistically diverse learners, whether that be an ELL or a student who excels, the 3 year nature of the Montessori environment allows children to work ahead or regress within a 3 year limit. Furthermore, the materials are at the disposal of the child and allow them to choose the works they feel drawn to. Rather than a teacher guessing what a culturally diverse learner may be attracted to, the environment lends itself to being at the child’s own autonomy. Montessori philosophy also recommends a beautiful cultural environment as well as weaving this into the entire classroom. I distinctly recall using a push pin to carefully poke all the way around different countries that had been outlined on paper using the map puzzle. I also remember Heidi Larson’s husband, who was Japanese, coming in and sharing about his culture and bringing us foods to try. The sensorial material was now at the utilization of culture! Furthermore, we learned about different cultures in the history of math, read books about far away places and people we didn’t look or think like. The beautiful Montessori classroom provides representations and hands on experiences of diverse cultures and world views. Ultimately, what the Montessori method succeeds at is pursuing, grasping, and basing instruction off of the perspective of each individual child. So long as you are listening for the voice of each child, your work with culturally and linguistically diverse learners will already be miles ahead of what it would be if the environment was teaching the same lesson to the whole classroom the same way with little to know room for individualization or extension. The prepared environment is a gift to diverse learners. Diverse learners may come into the classroom with a very different lens than their teacher. At home various cultures have different expectations. “Denial of cultural difference is the state in which one’s own culture is experienced as the only real one” (Hammer et. al, p. 424, 2003). While it is incredibly easy for the educator to, with great intentions, put out the works she loved as a child, read her favorite books, and hope to invite children into the love of learning she experienced by using her own favorite memories as a sounding board, this can easily transfer into ignoring whole chunks o the classroom who don’t learn in those same ways. The Montessori directress, however, has at her disposal a pre-planned classroom filled with works appropriate for all kinds of learners! The prepared environment frees the child from the educator teaching only in one way and allows room for creative expression of identity. The experiences I have had with those different me as well as who I see myself as shapes my lens. At YMCA Camp Ernst, where I am a camp counselor, I had an issue once in which a child of color who came from a lower economic background who had experienced trauma in the home (I’ll refer to her as “P”) hit a child who was white and from a more affluent home situation (I’ll refer to her as “S”) because S had been bothering P by critiquing her and being snippy. P felt that she had adequately attempted to resolve the issue by communicating her frustration in other ways such as being standoffish, body language, and showing anger in her tone of voice. S did not pick up on this type of communication because she came from a different cultural background and so P took both of her hands and smacked S on both of her ears. Although this interaction is by no means an okay one, it is however common when children are not given the opportunity to develop communication skills with people they don’t look or think like. All too often we expect children of color to pick up on and understand a white expectation for behavior. P would later tell me that her mother told her that that was the way to handle bullies. It is also essential to understand that an environment in which P was the minority already had her feeling singled out, frustrated, and out of control. Although these children were only 8, it served as a missed opportunity on my part to talk about appropriate and inappropriate behavior without invalidating the language, both verbal and non-verbal, that was used at home. It is also important to mention that the first thing P’s mother did when picking her up at the end of the week was to playfully hit her. Punishing children for their learned behaviors tells children that who they are in the home cannot be the same as who they are in the world, and it is essential to carefully handle these situations so as not to create trauma regarding the child’s racial identity. “For the optimal development and learning of all children, educators must accept the legitimacy of children’s home language, respect (hold in high regard) and value (esteem, appreciate) the home culture, and promote and encourage the active involvement and support of all families, including extended and nontraditional family units. When early childhood educators acknowledge and respect children’s home language and culture, ties between the family and programs are strengthened. This atmosphere provides increased opportunity for learning because young children feel supported, nurtured, and connected not only to their home communities and families but also to teachers and the educational setting” (NAEYC, p. 2, 1995). As a white counselor I did not hold this lens. I was young, only 15 years old, I grew up with friends from all sorts of cultures and my parents purposefully took me into spaces and places that weren’t invented to make me comfortable. As a result my journey through whiteness has been easier. I am on the White Caucus for Anti-Racist Allies here at Xavier and also wrote a series for The Xavier Newswire titled A White Girl’s Guide to Privilege. The series included interviews with staff and students at Xavier discussing their experience with privilege or lack thereof compared to the privilege I benefit from and having transparent dialogue about what I, or any person of privilege, could do to contribute to the movement toward equal opportunity for all people. The series was well received and was even used as required reading in a first-year seminar! No matter how much work someone who is white does towards knowing themselves or knowing those around them, there is no end to the journey of whiteness. I will always carry a lens, ignoring that fact is not helpful. However, I can work every day to allow others to lovingly critique my lens, helping me to come closer and closer to a lens of reality, a critical lens of an environment that was designed for me to succeed and for others to not, and to aid in de-assembling the systems I benefit from as I have the privilege of doing so. References Hammer, M. R., Bennet, M. J., Wiseman, R. (2003). Measuring intercultural sensitivity: The intercultural development inventory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Volume 27, pp. 421-443. NAEYC. (1995). Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity - Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education. National Association for the Education of Young Children, pp. 1-8. Renton, A. Montessori and Cultural Diversity. pp. 14-21.
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AuthorHi! My name is Brittany Wells, and I am a Montessori 6-9 major. I was born and raised in Cincinnati and attended Xavier University Montessori Lab School, Mercy Montessori, McAuley High School, and now Xavier University! Archives
May 2020
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