-isms

I usually cringe at the mention of -isms. Not that I disregard them as hugely important issues, but I am stuck on the language part of the equation. As a language community, we seem to come up with a linguisitic definition for every type of discrimination that exists and wrap in into a tidy -ism box. I loathe the simplicity and inherent crutch that this type of language creation perpetuates. It sort of says to me:

“Well since there is an -ism for behavior X, I can look to that instead of looking inwardly to find a real, tangible and controllable solution to whatever is happening.”

I feared going into a school that was 100% full of people NOT looking like me that I was going to have to walk on eggshells for fear that my linguistic slip-ups, however benign they may be, would lead to some type of miscommunication, or worse, a charge of -ism.

This has definitely not been the case so far, and I am thankful for that, but I am truly intriuged at how the students use language with each other and how it relates to the whole notion of -isms.

Reconcile these…….

1.How does one reconcile students liberal use of the “n” word towards each other with the trigger-quick charge of racism on their part for a whole host of events that have happened to them in their lives and to their family members. I do not discount that the discrimination was real, but when they appropriate a word with the deepest of racist connotations and use it with each other, have they not cheapened their own charges of racism?

I do NOT buy the argument that they are using the “n” word as a means of taking a perjorative from the dominant class and appropriating it for themselves as a means of linguistic empowerment. Linguistic empowerment is transparent. Educational empowerment is meaningful. How many people still around who took part in the Civil Rights Movement use that word in conversations with their friends? I doubt many…..

2. How does one reconcile the deep divisions within the African-American community based on shade of color/darkness with a charge that to be credible in accusing of others of racist activity, you have to be void of it within your own population-which is clearly not the case.

All this leads to my original disdain for -isms.

Welcome to my new journey……

About four years ago, I decided to leave the world of professional cheffing and go back to finish my BA at a great Mid-Atlantic public university. My intention was to become a social studies teacher…..

I entered that reality at the beginning of this month in a challenged urban setting. I knew it was going to be a tough experience, one that was going to require more of my humanity than any other endeavor I had ever embarked upon in my life. It is that and much more.

A month into it, I have come to realize that I need a cathartic release-something that will provide a concrete outlet for the tangle of emotions that my life has become. I have always fancied myself a decent writer and a good storyteller. This is my new forum, a place for me to share the day to day encounters of a system and a school in dangerous peril.

I believed before I started this, as I do now and forever, that the educational system is the ultimate foundation upon which we as individuals can impact lasting change on a lost generation of young minds. I will never waver that I am doing a job that is both necessary and dangerous. A job that will bring levels of satisfaction that are unparalleled and levels of despair that are truly confounding.

I welcome you to join me in this journey as I share the tragedies, comedies, and lessons that are bound to become part and parcel of this experience. The conversations will be frank, the situations will be real, and in the vernacular of Dragnet….all mentions of names and places have been changed.

Lets get this going……