The Critical Pedegogy Reader

This text was dense to read.  It was repetitive with a brief sense that some of those repetitions were actually achieving a sense of growth on the point being made.  Yet once I finished reading and looked back at the statements being made, I found that I understood social structure a little more than a did before.  And the very last paragraph is what I will always remember.

"...Those whose cultural capital most closely resembled my own were the students with whom I initially felt most comfortable, spent the most instructional time, and most often encouraged to work in an independent manner."

As teachers, we are taught that every student has worth and should be driven to succeed. We are taught that we should include the background knowledge of our students as often as possible, because what they bring to the table cannot be duplicated.  We are told that we should understand that not every student is capable of giving their best every day - they are hungry, they are homeless, there was a death in the family, English is not their first language.  We are taught that diversity will help our classrooms and students to grow and succeed in the global world they now live in.
But this is the first time that someone had broached the subject of unconscious discrimination by a teacher.  McLaren is not saying that teachers go out of their way to give extra attention to certain students.  Instead, he is saying that teachers unconsciously gravitate towards those whose socioeconomic, cultural, or gender is similar to their own.  Those are the students that a teacher can more easily relate to.  Those are the students that they expect more out of or trust more with the work.  This is not a choice, this is simply what is safe and comfortable.  But it is now something that I am thinking about.  My mind is racing ... how often do I do this in my life ... do I ever make the conscious decision to avoid what is unknown in people ... How can I make this better ...

My eyes are open.  I'm noticing tendencies in myself that I do not approve of.  And going into the future, leading diverse classrooms, interacting with individuals who I consciously KNOW had great and unique things to offer, I hope to never forget this.  A teacher is always rethinking what they have done and what they will do.  They assess themselves as much as their students.  And I have now found something new to add to my checklist of self assessments.

Am I seeing the great potential in ALL of my students and giving my best to ALL of my students and expecting the best back?