White Teacher by Vivian Gussin Paley - Book Report/Review Example

White Teacher by Vivian Gussin Paley White Teacher is a narration of the author’s experience as a kindergarten teacher. What makes it distinct from any other non-fiction books is that it tackles racism or racial discrimination without being so political about it. The book is a personal account of the author, Vivian Gussin Paley, which made it more poignant and convincing. Generally, I like Mrs. Paley’s character. Reading the book makes me realize that she considers teaching more than just a job. Her genuine concern and understanding of her students reflects her high regard for teaching as a profession. She makes me open up my mind that teaching is also a commitment not only to the students but also to the community. Mrs. Paley as a teacher is also a student. She studies new techniques and guidelines for teaching methods. And she studies them not only from the technical framework but from the heart because she believes, firmly, for that matter, in what she has to do. Particularly, Chapter Three’s opening paragraph really struck me. It reads: “The outside world was struggling to get in and shake up or suburb. We organized a Human Rights Committee and had meetings and raised money for civil rights causes. We decried the absence of black in our communities. We picketed apartment buildings in the center of town that did not rent to black families. Most of us who picketed live in houses in all-white neighborhoods.” p9 This paragraph reveals another character of Mrs. Paley. As a teacher, she does not confine herself to the four corners of the classroom. She involves herself to the issues that surround her and her profession. She transcends her personal beliefs in actions. I agree with the general idea of the book that the concept of education should not be prejudicial. Education is a universal right and must be enjoyed by humanity no matter what your color or race is, whatever is your gender choice, whether you are a person with a disability or not, or even age. Education ensures the future of the world, thus every person has the right to access it. The book also tells us that whatever is the color of our skin; we must learn to identify our feelings, organized our thoughts and be able to say what we have to say. Isn’t the soul of democracy that this country banners? On the other hand, I don’t agree with the way she handles incidents involving white kids that make derogatory remarks to black kids. She fells silent whenever she hears them with the thought that: I could not transfer this matter-of-fact non-judgmental description of what was being said when race or color is involved. p8-9 For me it’s condescending. Note worthy is one particular incident in Chapter 1 when she heard Paul, one of her students told Alma, also one of her students, who happens t be black, that she looks like a chocolate pudding. While I agree with her that by confronting the scene right then and there would upset all those involved, I think she should have done something. She could have called Paul and the rest of the children who laughed when he compared Alma with a chocolate pudding, to the side and talked to them. She’s very much focused with Alma that she forgot Paul, too, is her student, and he needs to be guided. For me, the issue there is not Alma’s reaction, per se, but Paul’s deed. She should not tolerate Paul and the other children. She should have corrected the impression that it’s not acceptable to make somebody’s color a laughing matter. It seems to be harmless at that time, because they are children and no insult was intended. However, if it is not corrected it can lead to bigger and more serious prejudice in the long run. I was expecting that in the end, this will be one of her realizations, but the book was not clear about this. History has gone a long way since this book was published. Black’s assertion against racial discrimination has already been recognized by the society as proven by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The United States of America has now its first black president in the person of President Barack Obama. However, racial discrimination persists. And I believe that this book is very helpful in developing the minds of the children to resist discrimination. “My children are black. They don’t look like your children. They know, they’re black and we want it recognized. It’s a positive difference, an interesting difference, and a comfortable natural difference. At least it could be so, if only you teachers learned the value of differences more. What you value, you talk about.” p12 The paragraph above is a remark from Mrs. Hawkins, a mother of a black child. I consider this the heart and the life of the book. It tells us to dialectically look at things. See the beauty of contradictions and be able to unite them for harmony and peace. It reminds us that acknowledging the blacks or any race for that matter is not to deny their color and look at things in abstract equality, but more essentially by looking at deeply into the difference and accepting these realities. On the whole, after reading the book, I am sincerely inspired by Mrs. Paley, both as a teacher and as a person. She made me realize that as a teacher, we have social and moral obligation to teach by example. The most that motivates me is Mrs. Paley’s open-mindedness. As she chronicles her experience in the book, it becomes very apparent that she presents herself not as a teacher that has the control of knowledge but as a student who humbly recognizes that she doesn’t have the answer to everything. She is an educator who values her work as an instrument of learning but not the source. As I lay the book down, after reading it, I now understand that in between Mrs. Paley’s lines, she’s telling us: learning is unlearning. Bibliography Read More