JULIA FONSHELL
LEADERSHIP
How can I apply the lessons I learned abroad going forward?
When I first told people I would be spending my semester abroad in Kenya, I received a variety of reactions. Many people, falsely understanding my semester abroad as a mission trip, commended me on the charity work they assumed I would be doing. Others, fueled by the conflict torn Africa we often see on the news and images of starving African children proliferated by charity groups, were especially concerned about my safety. Others still, misunderstood what I meant by “homestay” and imagined me with my host family dressed in native furs and living in a straw hut in a remote village. Many people were often unable to share where Kenya could be found on a map, and were surprised to learn that Africa is a large continent with many very different countries and cultures within.
In actuality, my semester in Kenya looked nothing like these common misperceptions. While I did stay in a village for some of my time, my family went to school and work, used cell phones, rode busses and wore clothes much like we do in the United States. My motivation for studying there was for my own academic advancement. I wanted the opportunity to conduct research and study in a place I had learned so much about in textbooks, I was not there for mission trips or volunteer work.
These stereotypes of Kenya and Africa are very common and are perpetrated by our very limited education of what true modern day life in Africa may look like. Often, people's understanding of life in Africa is reinforced by movies, news reports, and social media images that portray an unflattering and inaccurate depiction. Most people’s only interaction with the African continent is through donations, volunteering and charity work, further reinforcing the perception of Africa as a dangerous, antiquated continent that is in need of the West’s aid to survive.
Stereotypes and prejudice do not just exist from those in the US to those in Kenya. Many of my friends in Kenya had misperceptions about me as an American because of the limited exposure to Americans they had previously possessed. I also experienced unique expectations as a woman during my type abroad. Even within the United States, people stereotype others all the time. In today’s world, the bigger problem is not overt and violent racism as much as it is the stereotypes, prejudices and micro-aggressions that systematically disenfranchise communities. “Most people support racial equality and deplore discrimination. Yet 3 in 4 people who take the Implicit Association Test display an automatic, unconscious White preference (Banaji & Greenwald, 2013).” This bias can be seen in many contexts such as we sit next to on a bus to the policies instituted by our government.
Next year, I will be joining Teach for America, an organization that has a mission to fight the systematic racism and subsequent inequity in the United State’s school systems. I will be teaching middle school English in a low income area in New Orleans, Louisiana. I truly believe that education can play a transformative role in society and I intend to use my role as a teacher to conduct productive lessons and conversations to shatter common misconceptions about other cultures, such as those found in Kenya.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION
Studying abroad and living in another country broke down many of my preconceived notions about life in Kenya and, more broadly, Africa, in an incredibly personal way. I lived with Kenyans who took me under their wing and taught me about their culture. I am forever grateful for the discussions we were able to have about our respective cultures, backgrounds, and prejudices we admit to holding before meeting each other. Travel is the best way to learn about other cultures, step outside of one’s comfort zone and, as a result, strip oneself of prejudice we may carry. That said, travel is expensive and not accessible for everyone. Fortunately, a classroom style education can offer students the same opportunity to explore new cultures without needing for them to leave their school. As a middle school english and language arts teacher in New Orleans, I plan to create a classroom environment that facilitates this global learning.
A Global Exposure
To start, I plan to give my students a very globalized education. That is, developing lessons that encourage the exploration of cultures and customs from all over the world. I hope to incorporate these lessons into my school curriculum. I will do so by drawing on themes of prejudice and bias in our literature and class discussions. I also hope to supplement our curriculum by spotlighting different countries on our class map, watching videos and even inviting speakers to share about their culture. This will not only allow students the opportunity to learn about new places and cultures but also to reflect on their own backgrounds.
In EDFI 300- Schools in Communities I studied a concept called the "Mirror On Home." The mirror on home is a phrase that describes the reflective perspective that is provided by learning about the other countries and cultures. I hope learning about the norms and cultures of other places will open my students eyes to reflect on themselves and the prejudices they may carry.
Classroom Rhetoric and Discussion
As aforementioned, the discussions I had while abroad with people from different backgrounds than me were some of the most eye opening aspects of my semester. I value the long chats my host family and I shared about our similarities and differences. I also appreciate the diversity I found in my cohort. My seven person cohort consisted of students from three different countries and five different racial identities. Although we were all studying abroad together, we often reflected on how each of our respective backgrounds and identities impacted our attitudes and reactions to our new environment. I will not be able to guarantee the same diversity in my own classroom but I will do my best to facilitate the same reflective, sometime difficult, conversations amongst my students. I also hope to foster an open classroom environment that allows students to feel comfortable to share their experiences. As a middle school english and language arts teacher, I will be able to create a curriculum full of literature that will facilitate this open dialogue. On a local level, this open discussion will allow students to reflect on their own experiences and check the bias’ they may carry within their own classroom and community. It will also help them develop the critical thinking skills needed to analyze similarities and differences between numerous cultures. Hopefully, this will further their ability to eliminate prejudice against their peers and against those from cultures different from themselves.
Eliminating the Self- Fulfilling Prophecy
Often time prejudice can lead to what is called a self fulfilling prophecy. That is, groups that face particularly negative prejudice subconsciously fulfill said prejudice. In the classroom, this phenomenon is often seen with particular racial and gender groups. A study conducted by psychologist Jeff Stone and his colleagues in 1999 proved just this. “When people are reminded of a negative stereotype about themselves—‘White men can't jump’ or ‘Black men can't think’—it can adversely affect performance,” Stone said (Stone, 2009). The cultural stereotype that women do not do well in math often leads to unconfident and thus unsuccessful women in the math and STEM fields. I hope that the lessons taught within my class will eliminate the bias my students carry towards others but also empower my students to succeed despite any prejudice that may be placed on them.
The mountain biking trip I took part in while in Kenya started with around 15 men and women. In the end, only four bikers remained, with myself being the only woman left. I realized later that the bike trip leader did not expect any women to finish the 40 km trek at all. Throughout the trip he would frequently ask the women specifically how tired they were and built in opportunities for those women to turn back, with the expectation that they would. This doubting is a reflection of the doubt women face in all areas of life, be it in athletics, STEM fields, leadership or academics. There is no wonder women quit our trek, making this prejudice a self fulfilling prophecy.
When women and young girls are raised to be confident, capable and with role models to look up to, however, they are more likely to overcome this prejudice. The same goes for members of other identity groups that face similar stigmas. For this reason, I hope to introduce my students to role models, both in person, historically and in the literature we will read, that show them they can achieve whatever they hope to. Using positive reinforcement, I hope my students will leave their classroom feeling empowered and able to overcome any prejudice the world may place on them.
EVALUATION
At the start and end of each school year I intend to administer a survey and conduct discussions to gauge student understanding and growth. I plan to evaluate student understanding of the other cultures we have studied and understanding of racial bias in the united states and how to combat it in daily life. I also hope to measure my students self- confidence to ensure that they still feel confident and sure of themselves despite any biases they may be encountering in their daily life. Based on the feedback received from these surveys and discussions I will continue to edit my curriculum to ensure greater success in future students. Ultimately I hope my classroom will be a place where prejudice can be lifted and my students can be empowered to fight normalized prejudices