Among the many new laws that Gavin Newsom has signed into law over the the past couple of weeks none have touched closer to a social studies teacher than the requirement for all public schools to begin teaching ethnic studies by 2025. Check out the New York Times article if you want more context.
While this requirement does not mandate us as a private school to fulfill this requirement we have, as a department and with admin, been talking about this as a potentially very viable class at Carondelet. As we continue to expand our DEI initiatives as a school and within our department’s curriculum, as we recognize the ways that Catholics have been responsible for being exclusionary, an Ethnic Studies class (be it an elective or mandatory) feels right for the times.
That being said I have many questions and feelings about the class:
- Do we need Ethnic Studies to be its own class or should we just integrate the content into our normal history scope and sequences (World History, US History, etc)? Im some ways It is sad ethnic studies even has to be a class. If history texts were written more inclusively ethnic studies would simply be part of the scope and sequence of any history class.
- How much parent push back are we potentially looking at? I enjoy a salty conservative parent email from time to time but how many are we talking about here?
- Who should teach this class? We have a very competent but very white department. We have to recognize that in an honest way and seek out new colleagues or mentors outside of our school and/or department in order to do this class the justice that it deserves AND to make sure all of our students feel as seen as possible.
- What groups should be covered? This is a really heated topic right now even among supporters of Ethnic Studies curriculum.
- Should we only focus on those groups indigenous to the Americas?
- How can “Asian-American” given the VASTNESS of the continent culturally, religiously, and linguistically be covered in a single unit?? How do you pick and choose groups within a group?
- If we follow the norm of highlighting the African American, Asian American, Latin American, and Indigenous American experience who are we leaving out? What about Middle-Easterners, Jews, etc.?
Love your thought process Miranda. In my mind history is history and if we are teaching it chronologically then incorporating an ethnic perspective should be embedded. After reviewing the content of the approved curriculum it would be easy to add many of the units into what we teach. I also think an ethnic studies course would be a great addition for those who want to explore topics and issues on a deeper level, and maybe it's a class that goes beyond just studying different ethnic groups. Growth comes from tinking about being innovative and reviewing curriculum to provide new opportunities and to meet the needs of the times….it is what keeps a school vibrant and alive…thanks for sharing your thoughts!
As you said, it is impossible to cover all the ethnicities represented at Carondelet, may as well the United States. I would focus on diversity and the richness it brings to all of us. Instead of trying to make “them” like “us”, we should look for the best in them and make it a part of us. I am teaching a lesson about this right now in U.S. History. The essential question: How has America been enriched by immigrants who have come here, and by the Native Americans, who have been here for about 20.000 years?
Food is the best example. Shall we eat Chinese, Sushi, Mexican, Brazilian, or Italian. Maybe we should go for the fusion stylel and mix them all together. And then there is music…
Many of us are already including ethnic studies in our curriculum. Many of us are already embracing the diversity of cultures in the United States. Maybe a little more formalized cross curriculum focus would be good. I dont think we need a seperate course.
Great discussion! I think it's a bit of both. Diversity should be embedded throughout the curriculum, but I do think the idea of a specific ethnic studies class as an elective is a good one. I'm becoming more and more aware of needing to create spaces where students can share their thoughts, interests, and frustrations in a safe environment, where they feel free to share experiences with others. Increasing diversity in all courses helps with the conversations and the times where each person feels seen and has a chance to empathize with others. A dedicated space to delve further in the topic with others ready and prepared to do so as well, also feels appropriate.
Miranda,
thank your for bringing this issue up. While I would love the idea of an Ethnic Studies specific class, I believe we also need to embed Ethnic Studies into English, History, and Religion classes (I'm sure the same could be said for Math or Science – just not my expertise).
I also know that many of the novels we study in English class are focused on the perspective of black and white people and while we have some from other perspectives, we don't have enough books that focus on people of Asian descent or from Spanish-speaking cultures for example. Thus, we need to examine our text choices every 2-3 years and revise as necessary.
I believe that it is our job as educators to provide avenues to understanding people other than ourselves (culture, gender, etc.) and that we must model this openness for our students.
Lastly, I'm not sure that Ethnic Studies in particular classes needs to be broken up by culture or race – rather I believe it is beneficial to embed multiple perspectives into each unit in order to help students and ourselves fully understand and develop empathy for those that are different from us.
You are bringing up some great points. I appreciate your willingness to share about this topic. I agree with Jeff that it is "our job as educators to provide avenues of understanding people other than ourselves, and that we must model this openness for our students." I think imbedding ethnic studies into your current scope and sequence in any history class would be the first step. Then your idea of seeking out or leaning on new colleagues/mentors outside of your department to help enrich the learning experience would be your second. Finally creating a new course or courses would be next. I guess, a combination of everything that you brought up feels like a good balance, very impactful, and the best solution for building compassion and understanding for our students. We need to be kind to one another… human kind … validating each other as valued and important through every possible lens.
I kind of agree with Jenny and Jeff… it is not an either or… I think should get embedded throughout but we should also provide the opportunity for students to go deeper in an elective if they want to
Here is a link to the CA course overview….you have to scroll down to the middle of the page:
https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cd/aug2020iqcagenda.asp