Montclair State University Montclair State University Digital Commons Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects 1-2021 Teaching the New Majority : Addressing Race and Racism through Culturally Responsive Teaching Graziela Lobato-Creekmur Montclair State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd Part of the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Lobato-Creekmur, Graziela, "Teaching the New Majority : Addressing Race and Racism through Culturally Responsive Teaching" (2021). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 691. https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/691 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Montclair State University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects by an authorized administrator of Montclair State University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 1 Teaching the New Majority: Addressing Race and Racism through Culturally Responsive Teaching A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of Montclair State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Graziela Lobato-Creekmur Montclair State University Upper Montclair, NJ November 2020 Dissertation Chair: Dr. Monica Taylor RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 3 Copyright ©2020 by Graziela Lobato-Creekmur. All rights reserved. RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 4 Abstract Studies have shown that culturally responsive teaching and its praxis appear very differently in various K-8 classrooms, while addressing race and racism are often absent from the classroom. However, these studies also support that pedagogical theories and practice such as these address the needs of students of color. Therefore, through a critical race theory lens, I explored teachers’ life history, how this influenced their classroom practice, and how they addressed race and racism in their professional lives. Narrative inquiry methods were used to uncover answers to addressing race and racism in the classroom through three teachers’ culturally responsive instruction. The results indicated that even if a teacher is culturally responsive, they may not be addressing race and racism, and teachers have different comfort levels with addressing race and racism in the classroom. I then provide ways for teacher educators to create and support pedagogy and experiences to enhance this kind of learning for preservice and inservice teachers. Keywords: culturally responsive teaching, race and racism, narrative inquiry, critical race theory, narrative inquiry RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 5 Acknowledgements I would like to thank many people who have helped me undertake this research. I wish to thank the professors of the TETD program for preparing me for a brave new world of research, my TETD colleagues who supported, challenged, and motivated me, my friends and family members who at some point during this journey cheered me on and/or listened to me vent, and especially my committee members. Dr. Jeremy Price stuck with me through the long haul and Dr. Emily Klein gave the most precise, helpful, robust feedback; and kind, supportive feedback. Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Monica Taylor, who embodies the perfect balance of support and a kick in the rear. Thank you to my mother-in-love, who motivated me to keep going because she is almost a PhD herself, and my parents, whose example of hard work from being immigrants to this country, proved to me that hard work CAN result in the accomplishment of many dreams and goals. My husband, Johnathan, without whom this document could not exist. He played the many roles of managing a household and family so I could write, while being the epitome of the definition of a partner, motivating me and challenging me to see this degree to its completion. Finally, I thank my children Jayla, Johnathan J., and Noah, to whom this document is dedicated, because it is for them that I intend to use education to add my contribution to changing the world. Most importantly, none of this endeavor would have been possible without my relationship with Jesus Christ. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 6 Contents Chapter One: Introduction…………………………..………………………………….....................................7 Narrative Beginnings……..…………………………………....….....................................7 Statement and Context of the Problem………………….……………………………….10 Definitions and Key Concepts…….………………………………..................................17 Chapter Two: Literature Review………...……………………………………………………27 Chapter Three: Methodology……………..………………….………………………………..56 Chapter Four: Findings…….…………………………..………………………………………80 Priscilla…………………..…………………………………............................................82 Anna Mae………..…………………………………………...........................................121 Cleopatra………………...……………………………………………………………...152 Chapter Five: Conclusion..…………………………..………………………………………..190 References..…………………………………………………………………………………….209 Appendix A: Introduction Letter to Principals…………………………………………..…222 Appendix B: Online Demographic Survey…………….……………...…….……………….223 Appendix C: YouTube videos to Principals…………….……………...……………………224 Appendix D: In Person Letter to Principals…………….………………..............................224 Appendix E: Demographic Survey…………….……………...……………………………..225 Appendix F: Interview Script/Questions…………….……………...…………….…………226 Appendix G: Participation Letter…………….……………...………………………...…….227 RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 7 Chapter One Introduction Narrative Beginnings Vignette 1: Experiences of Students of Color “I want to be a 'cheacher’ when I grow up,” said Grace, an excited second-grader, her long pigtail braids masking her dark corkscrew curls. A symphony of laughs erupted around her. Like many of the children who came to the United States at a young age and began their education in ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, she mispronounced English words. Her teacher reprimanded the students, calming little Grace's embarrassment temporarily. Looking back at this defining moment, however, she would always remember that she wanted to teach so that all of her students would feel that they are important and that they matter. Fast-forward to her senior year of high school, when Grace was eighteen and co-valedictorian of her class in a low-income urban district in the Northeast. While she was excited to graduate, she was unsure she would even be able to attend college because of her undocumented status. This scholar-athlete was distraught in the hallway outside her homeroom when asked by one of her teachers about the matter. Fortunately, an administrator contacted his colleagues at a nearby state college to help the young lady with in-state tuition, but she would not be entitled to any of the many scholarships that she was offered. Between these defining bookend school experiences is the experience of her younger sister, Tiffany, who was easily and commonly mistaken for Italian with her olive-toned skin and loose, light brown curls. One day in second grade, Tiffany was confused by teachers’ and administrators’ actions after getting in trouble for punching a classmate in the nose. This boy RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 8 asked Tiffany, “Who was that that picked you up from school yesterday?” Tiffany responded, “Oh! My big sis!” This young boy was dismayed at the response, and her young mind couldn’t understand his reaction. She asked him if there was a problem, and he responded, “That can’t be your sister. She’s a nigger!” The seven-year old's confusion lay in the fact that the boy was not reprimanded. Instead, she suffered the consequences. (Extracted from Memoir, 2017) Grace’s story coincides with many experiences of students of color. Her story is my story –I am Grace. I experienced all of these things as a racially mixed student in the United States. My sister and I experienced incidents at school that could have resulted differently or even been prevented had the teacher and/or administrators enacted culturally responsive practice. Whether experiencing individual or systemic discrimination practices, as a then- labeled “minority” student, Grace’s school experience informed who she became as a teacher. This narrative inquiry included similar life experiences of the teacher participants and how their life histories informed their teaching. As Jeong-hee Kim (2015) states, life histories serve as a portal to the unique experiences of one person, such as my example. However, at the same time, life histories are also universal, in that it can be relatable to many. Vignette 2: Thoughts of a White Teacher “You wouldn’t make a good slave,” said the blonde, blue-eyed teacher who was newly employed at an inner-city charter school. The colleague to whom she was speaking, with long salt and pepper dreadlocks, was so outraged that she told the principal. When the victim of the racist comment retold the story to me and several others before a faculty meeting, she exhibited the same anger. We were soothed by the fact that it had all been resolved and that the faculty meeting was called to relay the news that the racist teacher was no longer employed at the RACE AND RACISM THROUGH CULTURALLY