August, Making Room for One Another

Like some of you have posted, I too found the first chapter a bit difficult to follow.  I had to read it a couple of times to get the full meaning.  Having said that, this reading by Gerri August, is the assignment Sarah and I will be teaching for Tuesdays class, so I'm going to be brief with my blog.  Hopefully Sarah and I are on the same page as August. 

"And as members of a dominant social structure, children from nuclear family constellations, who see themselves reflected in the explicit and implicit curriculum, add their particular chapters to the written and verbal chronicle of family with little or no fear of social penalty".  I feel that this is what August wants to get away from.  One group that dominates every situation; confident and in control with little regard or at times respect for  others who have not traveled the road of least resistence.  She isn't saying she wants these dominant social cultures to lose thmesleves or their perspective on issues, she just wants other voices other opinions to shine through with as much confidence and bravado as the dominates.

 August writes about creating as Zeke did, a democratic classroom, where students of all constellations feel confident and safe to express and talk about all issues.  While I believe most teachers strive for this, I find it increasingly difficult at the Middle School level.  I've tried dynamic dialogical moments in my classroom, only to have it fall on deaf ears.  Middle School kids, many and not all, are very apathetic and self centered.  They find it difficult to see anyone elses side of an issue especially if it's not their side.  I'm wondering how well Zeke would do with 7th and 8th graders.  I do admire his skill and perseverence but feel things would not work out so well in different grade levels. 

Monological vs. Dialogical.  This is what Sarah and I hope to illustrate on Tuesday.  I believe August, when describing a monological lesson is suggesting that it is the status quo, where the thought, lessons and opinions of the dominate group are the only things being spoken or learned, everything is about uniformity          "monologicality pulls all voices toward the normative socio-political center, promoting uniformity among utterances".  It represents the culture of power, which pervades every aspect of our culture. Dialogicality "pushes voices out from the normative socio-political center, promoting diversity among utterances".  Every democratic classroom should strive for that, but like I stated earlier, it's very difficult at the junior high level for anyone to utter or think something that is not the norm, and forget about saying aloud, Otherization will take over causing a student to feel powerless and alienated. 

"Education in a democracy cannot earn its ethical grade"until we define the kind of society we have in mind"(Dewey, 1966)   But who decides?  The status quo, the cultural norm, the power of culutre?  Isn't this what we've been talking about this semester, trying to figure out how to solve the problems?  August writes that children need to be made aware that there are differences around them and that they must be taught how to respect and accept that there are differences among them.  This is a collective effort but it becomes difficult when dealing with children who are so over confident and who have been taught and believe that their way is the only way. I'll bet most families are monological families and that is a difficult mold to break.