Professor Lyons

SOC 335/Spring

Padlet assignment 3

My own personal education experiences were structured by settler colonialism because, for example as a young student in preschool grades we were mandated to sing the pledge of allegiance, every morning with our hands on our hearts and hats off. Without knowing why or where this type of new structure policy originated from. Another example is in my history courses we were taught the basic concept on how America was colonized along with other countries, but they never mentioned the detailed reality of what colonization came with. Which involves murder, genocide, taking over a land that’s not yours. In addition the reality of how because one class is basically smarter or has more resources, gave them the right to commit these horrible acts in society! We were taught that the colonizers did a good thing and discovered the land we live on today, which is a reason we should be grateful and thankful. Although when you reach college they get more into details about what really happened. They speak about how this is a White man’s world and it’s structured to help the white race rather than the minorities/indigenous individuals. As a young student they never really spoke about the Indians or what they went through and or still go through today after the colonization occurred. Professors also excluded the culture and backgrounds of the first people who existed on this land, we live on today called America. The ones who planted, farmed, and hunted for food. They only really taught us about the White side of colonization history. Basically about Christopher Columbus and Theodore Roosevelt. Professors were either taught or decided to just ignore the history, stories, and knowledge of black indigenous and people of color in their communities. Degrading them or just not speaking highly of them as Columbus or other important white people. Mentioning black indigenous people as just slaves and or people of no power, importance in society. Settler colonialism still exists today, and impacts society through racism, inequities, and injustices. Faced by peoples whose lands were stolen. Who’s to say if we will ever see or live in a world, where we’re all viewed as equal and or taught about our past culture history? Will our future generation ever see a world such as this, where they are enlightened more about the true culture and backgrounds of indigenous people throughout history? 

Jamaica itself is an example of settler colonialism when it became a British colony from 1707, then a Crown colony in 1866.

My educational experiences started in Jamaica and was deeply structured and rooted by settler colonization. I started infant school at the age of three. The banking method was strongly embedded. Resources in the classroom were limited. Books were few, old, torn, outdated and did not represent us, our culture or our history. The books were about the colonizers, white men, and how great they were. Class materials like pencils, crayons, and coloring books had to be shared amongst students. I remembered my teacher reading about Christopher Columbus and his discovery of Jamaica, finding out later that was a lie. My teachers were very strict and not afraid to use corporal punishment every chance they got. I remembered how excited I was for my first day of school. The excitement soon turned to fear. I was a tiny little girl who was lashed by my teacher for almost every thing including asking questions, talking, raising my hands, playing, and having an accident on myself. Looking back she was cruel. It now reminds me of bell hooks in her curiosity - I was that little girl.

At the age of five I migrated to London and had a totally different educational experience. I was homeschooled along with my siblings by my aunt who was then a secondary school teacher, (considered as HS in US). The problem posing method was imbedded in my everyday learning. The books represented me, my culture, and our history. My aunt was strict but did not believe in corporal punishment. I had all the resources at my disposal for learning. Aunty encouraged us to ask questions, discuss, play, relax and we worked at our own pace. It was a fun learning environment.

I think the lingering impacts of receiving a colonized education can cause a child to be confused and anxious. For example, the new Florida laws outdating certain history books, or trying to rewrite history and what really happened, and firing teachers who teachers about it. Its like they are trying to disregard, or devalue our ancestors and what they went through. This may lead to even more discriminatory practices against black people, which can cause long lasting effects on our black/brown children who grew up hearing one thing from their parents then reading something different from a book.

We should learn about foreign nations. Teaching about all groups' histories, cultures, and contributions in a more inclusive and representative curriculum can foster mutual understanding and a sense of shared identity and belonging. Ignorance and inequality risk being sustained when viewpoints like those of indigenous and minority individuals are ignored or obscured. Education systems should empower all students by assisting them in learning about both their own and other people's ancestry.

In the past, settler colonialism has shaped how "black, indigenous, and other individuals of color" students have experienced their education. To assimilate, indigenous pupils were frequently forced to attend boarding schools where their languages and cultural/religious customs were outlawed. This led to severe trauma.

Black children's early public school curricula were intended to instill cultural pride and loyalty to white supremacists, not self-determination or compliance. Even now, the majority of popular textbooks omit or misrepresent the horrors that Indigenous peoples endured during colonization and the history of racial injustice against Black communities.

Colonial myths of white superiority are perpetuated when children from marginalized cultures are unprovided with an authentic picture of their valuable histories and achievements.

Minority viewpoints and Indigenous Knowledge would be crucial to a decolonized academic system. Students' pride in their heritage and cultural customs would grow. To promote a just and equitable future, educators must recognize how education has historically been managed as an instrument of oppression and initiate corrective action. The term "prejudices surrounded by men" describes current discrepancies in power, wealth, and position among people in a community. The remark adopts the stance that narrowing gaps or "eliminating" inequality should not remain the goal of resolving it. It believes unevenness remains an inherent and necessary component of human civilization. It promotes "widening" inequality instead of "reducing" it. This implies that policies or societal structures that favor some groups over others are purposefully designed to widen inequality. Discourse on Colonialism by Aimé Césaire: "It is not a question of eliminating the differences among men but of widening them and causing them into a law"(p. 37). The writer refers to the diversity of people in a society in terms of rank, income, or power. The remark adopts the stance that narrowing gaps or "eliminating" inequality should not remain the goal of resolving it. I believe the difference remains an inherent and necessary component of human civilization. It promotes "widening" inequality instead of "reducing" it. This implies that policies or societal structures that favor some groups over others are purposefully designed to widen inequality.

Some of the lasting impacts of receiving a colonized education are, I feel at times I could be a little to quiet. Not really speaking up when I should or could ask questions. It took me until about my late 30s to start speaking up more and not settling for what is right or what needed to be changed. Being conditioned to sit for a long period of time without asking for a break or going to the bathroom. Walking on a straight line, you know staying in order. Everything you learn in school is about staying in order for the world ahead. Making sure you’re a “good” outstanding citizen.

Colonialism did make an indelible imprint on what my schooling experiences looked and felt like because i was forced to change who i was to become who they were.

My personal experience has led me to believe that the lack of diverse representation in my teachers was a direct result of settler colonialism. During my academic years, I was able to observe an underlying settler colonialist framework in the majority of my teachers, who were predominantly white. It was evident that the staff and faculty members served a student body that was not white like them.  Teachers who understand your culture and speak the language in your community are essential. As a child, my mother's non-native fluency in English made parent-teacher conferences challenging at times. While she could communicate with my teachers, I couldn't help but wonder how the conversations might have differed had Spanish-speaking educators been made available. I imagined that my mother would have been able to express herself more easily and process information about me more efficiently. I also empathize with how nerve-wracking it must have been for my mother to want to be actively involved in my education while struggling to communicate with my teacher due to the prevailing ideologies of settler colonialism that often disregard the importance of other cultures and languages beyond those of the colonizers.

My experience, and that of many students unfortunately still today, highlights the need for diversity and inclusion in academic institutions to ensure that individuals from diverse backgrounds represent the student body. 

Growing up as a Puerto Rican child, I never saw anyone who looked like me or spoke my native language of Spanish in the history books. It wasn't until college that I finally learned about the significant contributions made by Puerto Ricans to the United States. As a colonized territory, their history is deeply intertwined with the United States. Learning about these important figures and their accomplishments helped me to better connect with my culture and feel like a part of American history. It would have been wonderful to have this representation as a child, as it would have allowed me to truly understand the vital role that Puerto Ricans have played in shaping our nation.

The impacts of receiving a colonized education can be long-lasting and profound. Indigenous or students of color may struggle with feelings of cultural disconnection and a lack of belonging, which can impact their academic achievement and overall well-being. In my personal experience, I've had to navigate ways to feel acknowledged and represented as a Latina. While there have been efforts to address inequities in settler colonialism education, they remain largely insufficient. School curricula still predominantly reflect colonial European perspectives, marginalizing voices like mine. While initiatives like Black History Month offer some exposure to the achievements of Black Americans, other racial and ethnic groups remain underrepresented. Overall, settler colonialism has had a significant impact on the structure and content of education and has contributed to ongoing systemic inequities and injustices in communities of color. Recognizing and addressing these issues is essential to promote more equitable and inclusive educational experiences for all students.

history of "urban planner" Robert Moses. A very important lingering impact that I always remember after receiving a colonized education is being told that my family's form of speaking Spanish is improper and this form of Spanish is not even spoken in Ecuador at all. It made me feel a certain way because not only did I learn my Spanish from my parents and grandparents who came from Ecuador to the United States, but I was told this by someone who learned Spanish in America. I was then told that because Ecuador was colonized by Spain the traditional way and only way of speaking Spanish is Castilian. Since then I have noticed that Castillian Spanish is what's always being taught in school and unfortunately did make me wonder if the Spanish I learned from home is improper and I shouldn't speak that way. My older sister then told me that Castillian Spanish is considered colonized Spanish and that we should not listen to those who aren't from a native country or learned their Spanish from a textbook created by the U.S.

During my school years, I was taught that settler colonialism was a one-time occurrence and even presented as a positive event in our nation's history. However, it wasn't until this course that I began to understand the detrimental effects of settler colonialism on our world and our very identities.

Settler Colonialism has left an indelible imprint when I think about my educational experiences, starting from my early years in elementary school. The first example I can point out is my memorization of the Pledge of Allegiance to this day. I recall my elementary school choosing different students to "lead" the pledge of allegiance and being so eager to be chosen to lead this pledge. It is interesting, though, that I remember this pledge. However, I do not recall ever discussing why we had to learn the pledge or why we even said the pledge. The way this pledge was taught, like many other things, was in the style that Freire referred to as the banking method.

I was required to wear a school uniform throughout my 14 years of schooling, from pre-k to 12th grade. My elementary, middle, and high school schools had strict dress codes that mandated button-down shirts with collars, ironed pants and skirts, shoes (not sneakers), and ties for boys. This was to prepare us for the professional world by instilling discipline and a sense of responsibility.

Settler colonialism has manifested in various forms in our society, including how we are taught history. During the formative years of our education, we are exposed to American history from a single perspective, with little emphasis on black and indigenous history. Regrettably, the curriculum fails to acknowledge that we were once rulers of flourishing kingdoms. It instead only highlights European colonization of land and people. The narrative we are taught is that colonizers arrived to bring structure and order to the barbaric societies they encountered.

Please note that the following text has been modified to enhance its readability while preserving its original meaning.

The behavior of students who act out can have serious consequences, and it's yet another example of settler colonialism's impact on schools. Personally, I was always too afraid to be defiant or step out of line, as I was afraid of the punishment both inside and outside of school. Even the school calendar that we've followed for years was established with settler colonialism in mind, and the hours we spend in school each day are all the result of this history.

One subject in school that shows the imprints settler colonialism has had on schooling is History.  In school's today our history is told through the perspective of settlers and not the native people of this country.  This can lead to a misunderstanding of historic events and can make it difficult for students to learn about other cultures and histories. 

Some lingering impacts of receiving a colonized education are lack of cultural loss and lack of representation. Students from native backgrounds may not see themselves in the history they're learning and that can make them feel less than. Also, since native perspectives are not heard, it can weaken their cultural identity and feel less prideful about where they've come from.

I can now say that the manner that I was taught, the learning environment, what I was taught, saying the pledge of allegiance every morning as we faced the American flag like true little patriots, sitting in a classroom believing the lies I was fed, the absence of stories about people like myself, left me looking up to a race I believed to be superior and to live like a white person, was a sign of success and an accomplishment. Even now, with all that I have learned about colonialism, I can’t help but be my colonized self.