Hidden Curriculum

It amazes me that there are still teachers out in the field that still practice the detrimental act of marginalizing their "other" students. The "Others," as our reading describes them, have been people of other races, creeds, orientation, female, or lower social-economic-status. They are daily compared to the white upper/middle class heterosexual male. The "traditional" way of teaching, as the introduction reading calls it, needs to end. This "traditional" way of teaching is too out dated for such a progressive country as our own. Keeping the status quo is never a way to teach. People need to be giving the tools to liberation. We as upcoming teachers need to learn the difference between the "traditional" and heavily needed "critical" teaching. Becoming a social studies teacher is my way of introducing new and exciting cultures to isolated teens. I have many ideas of many different topics. Finding ways to end the biased hidden curriculum is very important and we should all contribute to fixing this problem. "

I sometimes feel a little hypocritical by all this, since I grew up in an affluent, white, suburban town. But at least I was able to contribute a little culture to my school, since i am half Mexican. i did not notice any difference between me and fellow classmates, and maybe that was a good thing. Anti-oppressive education is a no-win situation. The teacher creates resentment between them and the "other" students, and the students create a feeling of rage or betrayal towards one the most important adults in their life. "educators need to not only to acknowledge diversity among their students, but also to embrace these differences and to treat their students as raced, gendered, sexualized and classed individuals," (28). I noticed more people in this discussion have raised the same question i was going to ask. "How are all subjects, besides English or social studies, going to embrace diversity and end anti-oppressive classrooms?" But another question i had was how are we going to challenge an already anti-oppressive system? Losing my job or not being hired are not things i look fowared too. But for example, what if i taught a lecture on the 1960s domestic terrorist group, the Weather Underground, and explained what they were doing was somewhat noble and courages. But i get fired for supporting terrorism because someone complained. Just something to think about!