Dreamkeepers Chapters 5 & 6

It is extremely interesting to read about Ann Lewis and Julia Devereaux and the differences and similarities between them that Ladson-Billings describes. Although the vignettes reveal two opposite approaches to teaching, I agree that there seems to be a similar underlining methodology. Both teachers take their own approaches to teaching and put their heart and soul into them. They both believe in their students’ abilities to succeed and surpass even their own expectations. It seems to be less about the structure of their lessons, and more about their passion behind the lesson plan. Both Lewis and Devereaux have the same values yet express them in different ways to their classes. Observing each individually you may see opposite techniques, however, look closely and you will see the same philosophies rooted in their teaching.

In order to contradict the mainstream ideas of African Americans motivations in school, culturally relevant teachers such as Lewis and Devereaux raise their expectations instead of lowering them. These teachers don’t believe for a second that these beliefs are accurate; instead they push for the other end of the spectrum. High expectations are something that I have personally always found to help motivate students. If the students see for a second that you may let them get away with anything less than what is expected, they will see that your expectations aren’t really as high as you say they are. In my classroom I consistently tell my students to “Work Hard, Play Hard” and enforce this idea every chance I get. If my students aren’t working their hardest, they won’t get to play as hard. They get what they deserve. If they have high expectations for themselves and reach those levels, they reward themselves for their hard work. This idea will not only help them succeed in school, but is an important lesson to learn in the real world. I often refer to my own experiences of working hard and then allowing myself to play hard. If the students see that I am also expecting myself to live up to high standards, they tend to believe in the philosophy a lot more.