(3rd of 3 Ruminations on Class Issues)
The Spiritual Journey so far:
Prologue I: Peter In Kenya
Prologue II: A Liberal Christian With Balls
Part I: A Refugee Looks Back
Part II: Leaving Home
Part III: Who Am I?
Part IV: Learning About Race and Gender
Part V: Watching My Students Drown
Part VI: Animal Bones
Where I first consciously bumped up against class issues was in one of my first teaching jobs, when I was in special education. One class I taught was 20th Century History, to a group of five high school students with issues ranging from severe dyslexia to mild or moderate retardation. Three of them were overtly racist, and it was clear from day one that a lot of high-falutin’ liberal political theory was not going to talk them out of that. Like any good public school teacher, I challenged racist language whenever they used it. But how much actually got through? I remember trying to explain to a kid that being proud of his Italian-American heritage was great, but saying “Whites rule!…
The Spiritual Journey so far:
Prologue I: Peter In Kenya
Prologue II: A Liberal Christian With Balls
Part I: A Refugee Looks Back
Part II: Leaving Home
Part III: Who Am I?
Part IV: Learning About Race and Gender
Part V: Watching My Students Drown
Part VI: Animal Bones
Where I first consciously bumped up against class issues was in one of my first teaching jobs, when I was in special education. One class I taught was 20th Century History, to a group of five high school students with issues ranging from severe dyslexia to mild or moderate retardation. Three of them were overtly racist, and it was clear from day one that a lot of high-falutin’ liberal political theory was not going to talk them out of that. Like any good public school teacher, I challenged racist language whenever they used it. But how much actually got through? I remember trying to explain to a kid that being proud of his Italian-American heritage was great, but saying “Whites rule!…