RE: Carol Lee's article

From: White, Phillip (Phillip.White@cudenver.edu)
Date: Tue Nov 18 2003 - 11:35:48 PST


Steve wrote:

Here is a penny's worth. Your comments made me want to go back to Lee's
article to confirm just who her research work is really for. As you point
out, she does not begin with the perspective of being a teacher. In my
opinion, she begins from the point of view of students, and in particular,
students living in poverty and students of color. Below are some quotes
from Lee on this. I like her focus both on students and the question of
resources. At the same time, your stress on the importance of closely
involving teachers in research and implementation is very important, and I
heartily agree.

and Peter wrote:

ust a word on whom Carol's piece is for....perhaps it's true that this specific piece is written not-for-teachers.  I've known Carol since the 80s when we were grad students at the U. of Chicago in the same program. She has an immense dedication to the teaching of young people of color, particularly African American youth. As part of this project, she often presents to audiences of teachers.  I suspect that her position at Northwestern requires her to position her writing in research journals.  But on the whole, she shares her work for an appropriate variety of audiences, whether this individual article reaches everyone or not.

         Steve and Peter, thanks for your insights. and thanks too for the introductory statements you had given, Peter. these comments helped me more tightly focus on my concerns - as an elementary school teacher (precisely in those kinds of schools, Peter, that you described Lee as working in - i've seen far too many teachers' automobiles stolen from school parking lots, much less the random thefts from there classrooms, etc.) i can easily envision a principal arriving at school with a copy of Lee's article, and announcing that we teachers need to become more culturally responsive to our students. End of conversation. What the article doesn't tell me as a teacher, which i would like to know since in the final analysis i'm the one who has to put this all into place, is about necessary planning time, resources, methods, assessments, etc. etc. - i read Lee's article and i've not a clue about how much time and effort and planning and resources went in to get the algebra program up and running, or the literature program. these are enormous undertakings, and for any teaching dodging the fireballs of no child left behind, another example of top down hierarchical directives.

     the history of teacher practitioners and university researchers is not one of comfort and ease - the teachers are usually depicted as the problem that needs to be corrected.

      it's an irreducible tension that i work with as a teacher within the university - and your comments and perspectives have helped me negotiate those tensions.

thanks,

phillip

school of education
university of colorado at denver





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