Delpit, The Silenced Dialogue #6

The silenced dialogue by Lisa Delpit talks about the codes of power. The codes of power and how that reflects into our classrooms. She mentions the frustrations behind it, who perspective is valued as the correct one, and what happens because of this. A couple quotes that stood out to me from this text (1)"want their children to be successful in the white man's world", (2)"Issues of power are enacted in classrooms." and (3)"Those with power are frequently least aware of—or least willing to acknowledge—its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence." All three quotes are around the say topic yet have different aspects and feeling behind them. 

In the first quote, I think about how parents look at the situation. I think about my mother. What she taught me and how she believed the code of power was. My mom often told me to not leave the house in pajamas. Not to leave the house until my hair was done and I looked presentable. Why? because How people see you is how they treat you. Now at one point I did not believe my mom. I thought this was her nagging or just worrying about the wrong things. After reading Delpit's argument and seeing this quote I wonder if that was what my mother was trying to show me. 

In the second quote, I reflected on what I have seen in classrooms. Classrooms where I was the student, classrooms where I was the teacher, and classroom where I was an observer. Delpit explains that students who do not feel understood or heard tend to go silent. There is a miss communication and understanding in a classroom the power can sway depending on different things. The majority race and ethnicity, the teacher, etc. When kids are dismissed, it can cause a lack of commitment and effort in the student's actions. In my experiences the rules of power have been dictated by the principal and depending on the teacher, the classroom environment was different. Students would either engage more or shut out completely. 

In the third quote Delpit explains that power impacts. She talks about certain people having a lack of knowledge of their power because they are not directly affected. Those who are affected are the ones who are most aware of this problem. An example that comes to mind is our political climate. There are students and parents that are afraid of going to schools because of ICE. This is a problem and something that effects students. Yet not everyone is talking about this issue, and some may not even know that this is a problem or that students wonder this or are worried. 

In conclusion Delpit's Reading made me realize how important it is for one to notice power, talk about it, and use it to lift other instead of silencing them.