The Dreamkeepers

I really enjoyed reading Gloria Ladson-Billings's The Dreamkeepers. Mostly, I appreciate the explanations of real classroom experiences. These help me to visualize just what it means to be culturally relevant in a classroom. Although I have heard this term numerous times over the course of this semester, Billings's book put the concept into context for me. Her observations and recollections of her own experiences paint a far more realistic image for me than any textbook would be able to do.
Billings's text clarified the connection between cultural relevance and prior knowledge for me. Somewhere in the first chapter a lightbulb went off in my head - African American students culture is their prior knowledge, which is why it is important to lead culturally relevant classrooms because integration of this prior knowledge is the classroom is the best way for students to learn. I will admit that I have read statements like this previously in this semester, but it took until now to click in and make sense. Billings' s text (2009) emphasizes the need to respect the experiences of one's students, to learn from them, and to make them an integral part of the curriculum. This all draws back to the idea of making learning relevant by connecting it to the student's life. I remember sitting in an English classroom and not taking anything away from The Catcher in the Rye, even though we had just read it, done multiple worksheets for it, and taken an exam about it. Even to this day I do not remember what the story was about, and I believe that it was due to my lacking a connection to the story to do anything other than memorize it enough to do well on the exam. It is important for teachers to constantly be making these connections from a student's prior knowledge, their lives, and the material at hand in order for the student to understand the lesson beyond just memorization.
I also learned from the text just how important it is to make sure students feel they are an integral part of the learning/school community . This involves a great deal of awareness of those actions that may make them feel like outsiders (Billings 2009). Billings helpfully laid out multiple examples of just how to create this sense of community through her observations. It begins by holding every student to the same high expectations (Billings 2009). Then, it is important to encourage students to work together to ensure that everyone is able to reach these expectations. When a student is struggling, instead of singling them out and making them feel seperated from the class, have the class rally to help their peers (Billings 2009). This sense of community should also extend beyond the classroom. I appreciate that Billings gives example of ways to do this without living in the community that you work in, because although this is certainly my dream it does not always pan out that way. One way in connect with students outside of the classroom is to make it a point to be present at and work with students at the town's youth center, if their is one, or to take the opportunity to coach a sport's team. These extracurricular activities are important in students' overall development and the people who organize and oversee such activities are able to reach and influence the children at a deeper level. For me, the North Andover Youth Center was a place I spent almost every afternoon. One of the teachers from the N.A. High School also volunteered her time to run a "girls group" out of the Youth Center. This woman was a wonderful role model for me as a teen and she provided a great deal of support for a bunch of us girl who felt more comfortable talking to her about private issues that we may have been nervous to talk to our parents about. She greatly influenced me, and to be honest I have followed in her foot steps by becoming passionate about teaching - I'd love to volunteer at the Youth Center and support students in the same way she did.
To conclude, I walked away from The Dreamkeepers with a newfound wealth of information and inspiration that I hope I will remember to turn to once I am attempting to lead a culturally relevant classroom of my own. By reading about real-life observations, and being able to connect them to my own life, I have developed a fuller understanding of just what it means to be culturally relevant and this concept has become much more important to me now that I better understand it.