Progressive white teachers seem to say to their black students, “Let me help you find your voice. I promise not to criticize one note as you search for your own song.” But the black teachers say, “I’ve heard your song loud and clear. Now, I want to teach you to harmonize with the rest of the word.” p. 18

While reading Other People’s Children, at first I was quite intimidated by Lisa Delpit’s tone and her message. I didn’t know what to make of the fact that she was accusing all of us good-hearted, contructivist white folk of “plotting” against the minority children we are teaching just because we want to “help them find their voice”. However, in reading further, thinking further, and even discussing the text with cohort pals, I have realized that a.) Delpit makes a great point that she skillfully crafts throughout her piece; and b.) I am totally guilty of aspect #5 in the Culture of Power list that she introduces in The Silenced Dialogue (p. 24).

At first, I felt quite defensive about the language she was using in describing the “plot to prevent the schools from teaching the linguistic aspects of the culture of power” (p. 29). I felt that it was unfair to assume that a teacher with a good heart would simply be trying to silence a minority student. But I read on….”We have shown that oppression can arise out of warmth, friendliness, and concern” (p. 45). This made perfect sense in the gut-wrenching horrible way that made me wonder if I too am guilty of exacerbating this pattern of oppression.

The reason why I have this fear is because of my first inclination toward what I was reading. To be put off by what she is saying is to minimize what she is saying. To think that she is being “too harsh” or “overly accusatory” in her statements is essentially to deny the problem exists at all (which, in essence, describes those who suffer from the aforementioned #5). I know that I typically try to accept what everyone has to say as legitimate and that, prior to reading this text, I would never have thought I was doing a disservice to a minority child by not holding them to the Culture of Power’s standards. I was just a big softy. I think that Lisa Delpit does an amazing job in bringing this to our attention and then not only making those statements, but backing them up with evidence and then provide thoughtful ideas for how to improve such a situation.

That is why I was thankful for not only this quote, in which I feel she has articulately captured the essence of the difference between what a white and black teacher’s thought process is, but that she has supplied us with even more ground-breaking offerings for how to combat such a learning environment. “It is vitally important that non-minority educators realize that there is another voice, another reality; that many of the teachers whom they seek to reach have been able to conquer the educational system because they received the kind of instruction that their white progressive colleagues are denouncing. It is important to remember that everyone does things for a reason. And it is our job to question and explore those reasons” (p. 19).

I think that I will absolutely utilize the ideas and practices of Other People’s Children in my classroom. I am thankful to be reading a book with such a diverse point of view, and find it interesting when what she discusses directly opposes some of the things that we are reading about in say, Finding Freedom in the Classroom. I love the versatility of our own curriculum and feel that through our readings and discussions, we are beginning to be a bunch of great critical thinkers. My only question for Delpit though, is how, as a white person of power, to be appropriate and sensitive in helping children adapt to the Culture of Power standards.