CRP IN THE RURAL CLASSROOM

A LOOK AT MINNESOTA'S RURAL SCHOOLS.

In Minnesota, there are 230 districts that are identified as rural school districts (Minnesota Rural Education Association, 2019). Interestingly, according to a map of Minnesotan school districts by the racial background of their students, not one of the districts contained completely white students (Minnesota Rural Education Association, 2019). What this means, is that in every school district in Minnesota, there is at least one student that differs racially from their peers. The Minnesota Rural Education Association has an excellent website that covers all kinds of information about rural school districts in Minnesota. I highly recommend this website for teachers who want to learn more about rural districts within Minnesota, and if rural educators are looking for resources.

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MAKING CRP RELEVANT FOR RURAL SCHOOLS

According to Ayalon (2004), there is a thought around some rural educators and rural teacher candidates that multicultural education belongs to urban areas, and is not something that they need to know. Also according to Ayalon (2004), this could not be further from the truth, as multicultural education does not just apply to urban school districts or is only for minority students, but seeks to be inclusive of everyone (p. 24). White students in rural areas need educators who allow them to see themselves as multicultural beings (Ayalon, 2004). Multiculturalism is much more than just looking at race and ethnicity, because culture is so much more than race and ethnicity. The goal of diversity should always aim for unity, not division (Liao, 2018). Rural students also need educators that understand that ruralism is its own culture, and that multiculturalism and learning about other cultures would not seek to change their own culture or make them “give up” that culture. Multiculturalism should show that there’s room for everyone at the table, exactly as they are (Cook, 2010). Ayalon (2004) stated that because there is little attention paid to rural issues in the conversation of multiculturalism, rural districts might not really see the relevance of multiculturalism in their school districts (p.24). Furthermore, Ayalon (2004) noted that most of the time in textbooks used in a multicultural educational system, the rural perspective is completely missing (p. 30). Reed (2010) suggested that this preclusion of the rural perspective in multicultural education might be the reason as to why some rural school districts think that multicultural education is an urban concept, and has little to no relevance in rural schools.  Reed (2010) also stated that some rural school districts are working with a very narrow definition of what diversity is (para. 5) This could stem from the fact that some multicultural textbooks do not even mention rural areas (Ayalon, 2004). Due to being excluded from the conversation, educators in rural areas might falsely believe that their communities are nearly homogenous, and that multiculturalism has no relevant place at their schools (Reed, 2010). Reed suggested that rural school districts need to be part of the conversation around multiculturalism if we expect them to find multiculturalism applicable and relevant to them, or it will likely be seen as an “urban” concept.

A LOOK WITHIN: USING CRITICAL SELF-REFLECTION AS A TOOL OF CRP

A central belief of culturally relevant pedagogy is that teachers need to view their students’ diverse backgrounds as sources of strength, not as deficits (Paris & Alim, 2017). If students are able to see themselves as capable learners, they are more likely to achieve in the classroom (Ladson-Billings, 1994). To establish this learning environment, it is critical that teachers engage in critical self reflection. Critical self reflection allows for teachers to see how their own viewpoints about race, class, ethics and society might be impeding their ability to establish culturally relevant pedagogy in their classroom (Howard, 2003). Howard (2003) suggested that there are three ingredients to successful critical self reflection for teachers;

First, teachers must acknowledge how deficit-based notions of diverse students continue to permeate traditional school thinking, practices, and placement, and critique their own thoughts and practices to ensure they do not reinforce prejudice behavior. Second, culturally relevant pedagogy recognizes the explicit connection between culture and learning, and sees students' cultural capital as an asset and not a detriment to their school success. Third, culturally relevant teaching is mindful of how traditional teaching practices reflect middle-class, European American cultural values, and thus seeks to incorporate a wider range of dynamic and fluid teaching practices. (pp. 197-198).

Teaching comes from an inward place, and as teachers, we need to examine what that inward place is (Palmer, 1998). We, as teachers, cannot begin to understand our students and their experiences, if we do not know ourselves (Palmer, 1998). Asking ourselves about our prejudices and biases can be, and often is, very difficult which requires practice, but it is necessary to do this reflection in order to better serve our students (Howard, 2003). Howard also suggested that this process takes practice and that teachers need to be constantly reflecting and being critical with themselves in order to reevaluate their beliefs and practices. The teacher’s attitude towards culturally relevant pedagogy has a huge, vital impact on whether or not culturally relevant pedagogy will be successful in the classroom (Gay, 2015). Teachers need to create an environment that is open, inviting, and safe for all of their students, as they will not be able to participate fully and learn as much as they can in an environment that is judgmental, prejudiced, and full of assumptions (Gay, 2015).