Hegemony

I have seen this word before, but never took the time to look up the meaning.  It is a loaded word for sure and now that I know what hegemony consists of, I am very aware of it and see it constantly.  I was in the grocery section at Target the other day and needed some ingredients to make an Asian dish.  There was one aisle for "international foods section."  There were Oriental foods, Latino foods, and Indian foods assigned to only one section in the whole grocery store.  It got me thinking, why can't they just be regular foods with all the other groceries?  Spices can mix with other spices, rice can mix with other rice.  Mostly all the food we have in America is imported from other countries.  The word hegemony came to mind when I observed this and thought about how this is a small, everyday part of making sure there is an organized social structure/system.
Then I started to think, how many other small, everyday situations do I stumble upon that would be considered hegemonic?  It is in movies, radio talk shows, advertisements, retail stores, schools, books, work places, and politics.  It may not always be in your face, but it is the millions of subtle small things that we as a society as so used to seeing and hearing.  It is almost like we are walking through life with subliminal messages being thrown at us each day.  Are we not too far off from the way things were fifty plus years ago?  I know people think we have made progress, but there is still an enforced hierarchy in society today.  Thinking this way makes me feel hopeless and I do not like feeling hopeless.  Of course, life and people are not all terrible with terrible intentions.  Some people have similar realizations and try to do something to change the status of society.  I feel like I am one of those people who is aware, but am not active enough in making a difference.  This is part of the reason why I want to teach.  If I can create lessons and bring new meaning to student's lives in some way that reaches them, then maybe it will trickle down.

I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.  ~Edward Everett Hale

Parent/Teacher Support

Effective communication between the guardians of students and the teacher are obviously important.  A teacher is with his or her students five days a week for almost nine months out of the year.  Guardians and teachers facilitate a big percentage of a child's learning whether it is positive or negative, of course we all hope it is positive.  Since guardians are busy and have to work to help support their families like teachers do, it is the job of the teacher to make an initial effort to reach out to them through conferences, phone calls, home visits, or any other means of communication.  With technology today you could Skype or chat on the internet.  A good relationship developed between the teacher and the guardian will only benefit the student, which means constant communication and honesty.  Parents might appreciate a meeting that is more informal with a laid back vibe where they can speak openly about personal feelings or concerns.

Schools are becoming more and more diverse these days and therefore, some students and their families may not all fully grasp American education culture.  They may not understand the language or terms, the way teachers discipline, the way teachers praise, or working individually or in groups.  Teachers have to keep this in mind when talking to the guardians of students.  Get to know the student's families and their background because it will create a support system that can be utilized by the teacher, guardians, and students.  The source for sorting out any issues with a student might be to talk with the guardians, a lot of information can be found this way.   Understanding different backgrounds is an investigation that takes time and patience.  Sometimes it is hard to get a hold of busy guardians or they may not speak English fluently.  Compromising time and figuring out ways to communicate will save a lot of struggle in the long run.  After all, there is one important common factor the teacher and guardian have, which is the student/child.

As a side note: I wonder what happens when there are no healthy or supportive guardians?  What happens when the student is completely out of control?  What happens if the parents are out of control?  Although Rothstein and Trumbull make good points about effective teacher/guardian relationships and culturally diverse families, they do not address what to do when you have exhausted all your options.

Whose Child Is This?
"Whose child is this?" I asked one day
Seeing a little one out at play.
"Mine", said the parent with a tender smile
"Mine to keep a little while.
To bathe his/her hands and comb his/her hair,
To tell him/her what he/she is to wear,
To prepare him/her that he/she may always be good,
And each day do the things he/she should".

"Whose child is this?" I asked again,
As the door opened and someone came in.
"Mine", said the teacher with the same tender smile.
"Mine, to keep just for a little while.
To teach him/her how to be gentle and kind,
To train and direct his/her dear little mind,
To help him/her live by every rule,
And get the best he/she can from school".

"Whose child is this?" I asked once more,
Just as the little one entered the door.
"Ours", said the parent and the teacher as they smiled.
And each took the hand of the little child.
"Ours to love and train together.
Ours this blessed task forever."
Author Unknown

Rothstein-Fisch, C. & Trumbull, E. (2008).  Managing diverse classrooms.  How to build

on students’ cultural strengths.  Alexandria, VA:  ASCD