We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools

by Gary R. Howard

Book Overview

For author Gary Howard, the issues and passions that sparked the writing of the First Edition of this now classic work are as intense today as they were then. In the Third Edition, Howard reviews the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080773800X
• ISBN13: 9780807738009
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.7" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Reflections on We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools

I found this book settling in the midst of my own efforts to sort out and address issues of White priviledge and dominance. Gray Howard shares his journey through the difficult world and work of multicultural understanding with humor and sensitivity. He identifies the unspoken truths about priviledge and dominance in western culture, in such a way that relieves the burden of guilt, allows for self-reflection, and maps a path for growth for White educators. The book addresses three key themes: Recognizing and acknowledging the dynamics of dominance; defining the stages of racial identity transformation; and identifying the ways in which improving cultural sensitivity can postively impact the lives and education of all students. Howard encourages White teachers to explore their own racial identities and move along the path towards a transformationist White identity that seeks and values diverse points of view, connects with one's own cultural roots,involves self and students in explorations of other cultures and perspectives, engages in social action, and continues to grow and change. This is not a "How To" book with road map to change, it is more of a "Why to" book with a topograhical map to help you plan your journey. Having read this book, I am inspired to continue my travels. To seek more information and find ways to promote a more intentional multicultural focus in my school and community. I recommend this book for those teachers (White and otherwise) who are interested in or have already embarked on their own journeys.

Info on multicultural education

This book is very informative. It gives new insight into how we as educators must refrain from the blame game and teach our students how to appreciate each of the individual cultures around the globe.

Also Useful for Teachers of Color

This book was a nice surprise as a pre-service teacher in education classes where the realities of white supremacy is not discussed, the first hand experiences of teachers of color are silenced, black/Latino or "at-risk multicultural" students are demonized, poor white kids are invisible and the issues of other groups are addressed superficially through "practical strategies"mandated by here today/ gone tomorrow popular scholars. This book gave me as an African American educator a space to see how whiteness functions in everyone's lives in the public school system. Each page helped me understand better why white people sometimes act in certain ways. Thank you Gary Howard for the excellent analysis and methods for all teachers to use as they transform themselves and their schools.

Thought Provoking

If you've ever beeen called racist by your students, but you think you're not, than this is a must read for you. Howard takes the reader on a journey of self discovery, helping the reader to understand the subtle and overt elements of racial discrimination that are present in today's schools. While "tools" or quick fixes are not presented, the book efficiently and concretely addresses the underlying assumptions that form the basis of US society and education systems that promote discrimination and maintain the status quo. The author uses his personal and historical experiences to illustrate the nature of white privilege, the assumption of rightness and normalacy. By examining these topics, teachers are able to examine their daily activities, decisions and speech to identify and eliminate the promotion of such values. This book helps us move past "I see all my children the same, I don't care if they are white, black, brown, or purple." To truly accepting that we see each other differently, that we should acknowledge and celebrate the differences, that we can learn from one another and that through acceptance we find our similarities.

An excellent example of readable theory for the practitioner

In that over 90% of teachers in this country are White, Howard's book meets a definite need in the educational community. Seamlessly combining his own experiences with the most current race/ethnicity theory, the author helps Whites understand that we have an ethnicity, also, and how that influences our ability to teach. Step by step, he illustrates what Whites can expect as we begin to discover our own cultural identity. While this experience is often an uncomfortable one, he shows that it is possible to acknowledge our responsibility for oppression of other groups without basing our identity solely on guilt. He deals candidly with the issue of White privilege, but notes that one can be anti-racist without being anti-White, for the "'enemy' is dominance itself, not White people." The greatest strength of this book may be that it provides a way for us to move forward in hope as we seek new ways of living together. While he does not provide specific classroom resources in this book, he refers to his work with the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in making such materials available.