Fall 1999
Vol 8 Issue 1
IN THIS ISSUE...
Student Voices-Insights on Invaluable Learning Experiences
Taking Learning and Leadership Seriously
Redefining the Learning Environment
A Win-Win Situation for Everyone
Challenging Beliefs about Good Teaching
An Emphasis on Quality Learning
Involvement in the Teaching Process
Providing Support and Motivation
No Place for Prejudice
Learning at a Community College: An International Perspective
ASSIDERE
Getting Students Involved in Assessment
Students Sharing Their Learning
SEE ALSO...
The Labyrinth
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
No Place for Prejudice!
Andrew Bullion, Perryville Prison Campus
When I walk into a classroom for the first time, I am excited about the wealth of knowledge and understanding represented by the total experiences of my classmates and our teacher. The potential for learning and growth is immeasurable. So, why all of the grumbling in the back when I'm speaking, and why doesn't Pablo ever get to finish making his point? Well, there could be many reasons; because our diverse society regularly highlights differences in people. These differences can cause major conflicts if we do not promote tolerance for one another. It can be said that many prejudices are easily recognized, but others are obscure. My life experiences have permitted me to see the varying degrees of prejudice; indeed, I am guilty of allowing prejudicial thoughts creep into my mind from time to time, and I'm sure that I am not alone. My life experiences have also taught me that there is a greater likelihood of prejudice where there is diversification. Accordingly, diversification among students and teachers in America's classrooms lends itself towards prejudice; therefore, it is our obligation, as students and teachers, to prevent the ills of prejudice from diluting the educational experience. Prejudice in the classroom severely limits the mutual exchange of ideas and limits the potential for educational growth.
I am not so naive that I would suggest we can live without prejudice, but we can learn to channel prejudicial energies into positive streams. To do that, however, we must be aware of differences of race, sex, age, and perhaps national origin. But, there are many inward or invisible points of prejudice also. These points are only discernible as a class progresses over time. When sharing ideas on religion, political ideas, sexual preferences, economic status, geographical biases, and marital status finally emerge, additional prejudices also surface. For example: homosexuality is not widely accepted in this country, and those who practice that lifestyle are often forced to do so away from public scrutiny. During a class in which the course material focused on cultural and other differences in mainstream America, a discussion was prompted by a student who wanted to learn more about alternative lifestyles. After some serious discussion about various lifestyles, he stated, "If different races are allowed to intermarry, then gay men and women should be allowed to marry." At first there was laughter, but the room grew quiet as the young man repeated his statement. A heckler insultingly commented, "Save your speech for the gay parade." Immediately, our instructor sprang to his feet and demanded order. He then reminded us that we were in class to learn. He talked about the validity of opposing viewpoints and the importance of challenging our prejudices. A new theme was born that day, and it made our class more profitable. From that point on, all ideas were considered equally, and many controversial issues were openly shared. How is that for channeling prejudicial energies into positive streams? For the remainder of the semester, the instructor's closing words were for us to "challenge our prejudices."
As an inmate at Perryville Prison, I attend Rio Salado College. Here our world is a microcosm of the real world, except that social woes and rules are more pronounced. Disease, poverty, illiteracy, oppression, and other problems are doubly bad in this environment. Social rules, also known as the "prison code," can be grossly brutal if violated. The prison code is enforced by convictsthose prisoners sentenced to long sentences for violent crimes and who have a history of opposing the prison administration. What the convicts dictate as being right or wrong is the prison code. It should be noted that respect and honor are the backbone of the prison code. One of the things allowed by the prison code is respectful racism or respectful prejudice. Surprisingly, however, the education subculture has overcome most of the dictates of the prison code. Perhaps it is because the students and faculty strive to keep the classrooms free of the common prejudices deeply ingrained in the population due to the enforcement of the prison code; otherwise, no one would learn anything. The prison code slants gender bias; it demands racial separation; it esteems longtime convicts over other prisoners; and its rules are extremely rigid. All of these are based on one form of prejudice or another. And, this code could hurt the educational process here.
Our instructors are often faced with the task of maintaining cohesion among the students. In classes where student interaction or grouping is required, the residual effect of the prison code is most prominent. Again, creativity helps to channel negative energies into positive streams. One such display of creativity occurred in a "Models for Growth" class taught by Mirka Rogalski. She abandoned the traditional methods of assigning students to groups or allowing groups to form on their own. Instead, she used the clever technique of requesting the students to stand beside one of several tables which were labeled with different character traits. Each student was asked to stand beside the character trait that best described him. Ironically, the character traits were not specific to any particular cliques, races, or age groups. What was left was several groups with similarities based on something other than the prison code. It was an effective technique because it helped to break through the walls of prejudice.
As stated earlier, "It is our obligation, as students and teachers, to prevent the ills of prejudice from diluting the educational experience." Everyone in the classroom has something of value to offer, and we need to ensure that the exchange of ideas flows freely from teacher to student and from pupil to pupil; otherwise, we would make a mockery of the classroom environment. The classroom is a place in which there should be a free exchange of broad viewpoints and the collection of unbounded minds. It is good that America's classrooms have achieved diversity, and we need to protect them from the effects of prejudice because prejudice restricts academic freedom as much as any school or public official ever could.
We should not allow stereotypes, biases, or "group-think" to stifle growth in the classroom. Our classrooms should be like any other athenaeuma place for the promotion of learning which requires the full use of one another's abilities, energies, and resources. "Let's be creative and challenge our prejudices in the classroom by learning to channel prejudicial energies into positive streams."
