Meaningful Social Contact

Authors

  • Kelly Norris Minnechaug High School (Wilbraham, MA)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v2i2.182290

Keywords:

Segregation, Race, Desegregation, Resegregation, Pedagogy, Racism, Education Policy

Abstract

The resegregation of our schools presents a loss for many suburban students who now lack the 'meaningful social contact' that is necessary for successfully integrating into a multicultural society. What happens when white students are denied the opportunity to regularly connect with people of other races and backgrounds? What kind of thinking do we construct when we racially isolate our suburban students and how do we deconstruct that thinking so that they can become more tolerant, self-aware, liberated human beings? In this narrative essay, a teacher asks her suburban, mostly white students to examine their notions, experiences and identities regarding race through journaling and class discussion. A dynamic dialogue ensues and is shared, along with the author's own journal responses to prompts about race, white identity and interracial relationships. What is revealed is the other side of the implications of resegregation.

 

Author Biography

Kelly Norris, Minnechaug High School (Wilbraham, MA)

English Teacher, MEd

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Published

2011-02-22

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2011)

Section

Articles

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