Understanding Literacy

Before reading chapter 7 of Kumashiro's Against Common Sense, I never really considered the way I "read the world" or what lenses I hold. Kumashiro mentioned how we all use lenses that have been coloured by our own unique identities and life experiences. (Kumashiro, 2009, p.76). After reading Kumashiro's article, I realized how the lenses of teachers can greatly affect students' education. Being from a small town in Manitoba with little diversity and lack of instruction regarding diverse cultures, my schooling and upbringing have shaped how I "read the world". Having mainly white, female teachers and mostly white Canadian classmates, I learned in a comfortable environment that did not challenge my common sense understanding of the world around me. This ultimately lead to being extremely uncomfortable and feeling overwhelmed with emotions throughout my university career unlearning many biases I held.

The biggest lens that I bring to the classroom as a future educator, is white privilege. I have never had to experience racial prejudice. I would not be able to relate to students within a minority group because of my white privilege. Other lenses I bring to the classroom are those that fall under the dominant group categories assigned by society. For example a few of my social identities include being able bodied, Canadian, and heterosexual. Kumashiro mentioned the importance of acknowledging and interrupting the privileges we hold in order to unlearn and work against these biases. 

The "single stories" that were present in my own schooling were the dominant European narratives, taught from mainly Euro-Canadian female lenses. Unfortunately, it's not easy for me to remember many materials used within my K-12 schooling to represent a culture outside of the dominant, white European experience. This ultimately lead to the hidden message that Indigenous, or any other diverse culture, is not important, or as important as Europeans. Having this upbringing led to me feeling extremely guilty and riddled with shame when I took Introduction to Indigenous Studies in university. Not being introduced to diverse cultural representations or backgrounds led me to unknowingly hold biases and prejudice against others who were not white Canadians.