The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children

 The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit

Talking Points

1. From the beginning of the text, Delpit delves into the idea of "skills" versus "process" approaches in education. Delpit quotes, "Children from non-dominant cultures may not have acquired the 'rules of the game' implicitly through their home environments, and therefore need explicit instruction." From my perspective as a school nurse, I've noticed that even with basic health instructions. If I don't explicitly break down medical terms or instructions, some students, especially those whose families may not have much medical exposure, might not fully grasp the information. I am sure that my classmates have seen this more and more with "COVID kids". I am struggling to understand how I can help as a school nurse, especially working at the middle school level.
2. In the middle of the text, Delpit introduces the "culture of power." She argues that there are certain rules and codes of behavior within majority cultures that dictate "success. These may not be explicitly taught to "other people's children." Delpit states, "The teachers and parents in the study, from different cultural backgrounds, often held conflicting beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning, and these differences created misunderstandings that hindered effective instruction.". As a school nurse, I see how education and the public school system are viewed differently as they are experienced differently depending on your culture. However, the dominant culture tends to believe they are right and struggle to see other's POV. I am wondering if my classmates see this at their schools?
3. Towards the end, Delpit advocates for teachers to understand and respect the cultural capital that students bring. She argues against a deficit model that views students from marginalized backgrounds as lacking. I see this specifically in the way some teacher view multilingual learners. They see them as a burden, rather than a  benefit. Delpit concludes by urging educators to "not assume that they know what is best for other people's children simply because they are teachers." They often do not seek to learn more about families cultures. As a school nurse, this means I need to actively listen to what parents tell me about their child's health practices at home. For example, the way I would treat a headache would be ineffective for a Muslim child fasting during Ramadan. If you are willing to listen, students can become the teachers. This is something I struggled with during my first year in this position. I am including an external link to Cornell's Advice on staying healthy when fasting for Ramadan. Tips for Healthy Ramadan Fasting

Argument Statement 

Lisa Delpit argues that dominant cultures need to learn the importance of stepping back and listening to those different from them