The Danger of a Single Story- TedTalk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My instagram story did not seem quite adequate after watching this TedTalk, but that was the story of my week none-the-less. The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was a powerful message about the harm in stereotyping others. Adichie said it well when she stated "The thing about stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete". Often times we look at people and judge them by what we know to be true according to the media. We group people together and don't take the time to know them as individuals with real lives and real stories to tell. By perceiving someone through the lense of a single story, you put them in a box, assume they are like others, and rob them of their dignity. The thing about a single story is that it emphasizes how groups are different (from yourself) rather than how, as human beings, we are similar and have so much that connects us.
Adichie talks about how impressionable children are, and I agree with this wholeheartedly. That is why as educators, it is so important to expose our students to different cultures, religions, all kinds of literature and show them how people are not just different, but how they are alike and connected to one another. It is also so important to teach children that there are always two sides to every story, and that it's an important skill to be able to look at things from other people's point of view.
I think as adults we are guilty of thinking of people only as a collective rather than as individuals. It is easy to have notions of "who people are and what their life is like" based on what we see and hear in the media and online. The beautiful thing about telling your own story is that you know yourself better than anyone, and by sharing your story you get to choose the parts of your life that you'd like others to see and understand. People share not only their triumphs, but also their struggles. By doing this, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, but we also allow others to connect to us and understand what we are going through. It's a brave thing to share your story and really put yourself out there, but it's better than other people making up their own story about you.
Being a new teacher, I spend a lot of time learning from other experienced teachers. The fact that many educators do share their story, in the form or a blog or pinterest board, has helped me to become a better teacher. I also try to share the "story of my class" with my classroom parents all year long. As teachers, we do a lot of incredible work and sometimes the only people that get to see or experience it is ourselves and our students. By putting our work out there we are allowing parents and educators from all over to connect and learn with us.
I would have loved to have done this instragram project during the school year. Luckily I was leading a few camps during this time and had fun documenting that- but I'd like to bring this practice into my classroom next year. (Time permitted, one of my big goals is to start a teacher blog in the fall to document all of my work).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&feature=youtu.be&list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp
Adichie talks about how impressionable children are, and I agree with this wholeheartedly. That is why as educators, it is so important to expose our students to different cultures, religions, all kinds of literature and show them how people are not just different, but how they are alike and connected to one another. It is also so important to teach children that there are always two sides to every story, and that it's an important skill to be able to look at things from other people's point of view.
I think as adults we are guilty of thinking of people only as a collective rather than as individuals. It is easy to have notions of "who people are and what their life is like" based on what we see and hear in the media and online. The beautiful thing about telling your own story is that you know yourself better than anyone, and by sharing your story you get to choose the parts of your life that you'd like others to see and understand. People share not only their triumphs, but also their struggles. By doing this, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, but we also allow others to connect to us and understand what we are going through. It's a brave thing to share your story and really put yourself out there, but it's better than other people making up their own story about you.
Being a new teacher, I spend a lot of time learning from other experienced teachers. The fact that many educators do share their story, in the form or a blog or pinterest board, has helped me to become a better teacher. I also try to share the "story of my class" with my classroom parents all year long. As teachers, we do a lot of incredible work and sometimes the only people that get to see or experience it is ourselves and our students. By putting our work out there we are allowing parents and educators from all over to connect and learn with us.
I would have loved to have done this instragram project during the school year. Luckily I was leading a few camps during this time and had fun documenting that- but I'd like to bring this practice into my classroom next year. (Time permitted, one of my big goals is to start a teacher blog in the fall to document all of my work).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&feature=youtu.be&list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp