The Importance of Eurocentric Ways of Showing Respect in a Classroom

I think the aspects of my schooling that had the biggest impact on how I read the world were found in the hidden curriculum. One key example that is apparent to me is the significance placed on respect in all of the classrooms I have ever been in. I distinctly remember sitting on the carpet as a group in elementary school, collectively creating a list of different ways that we could show respect. In middle school and high school, it was expected that students were to independently remember and use the ways of being respectful that were learned in elementary school. I now value respect in my adult life. I believe that every person should be treated with respect, regardless of who they are or their position in society. However, I believe that if they are not returning the respect, then they are not deserving of respect anymore. 

Although I think learning ways to show respect was a very important aspect of my schooling, I do recognize that there was an emphasis placed on Euro-Canadian ways of showing respect. One example is making eye contact with the teacher to show respect. In some non-European cultures, it is actually disrespectful to make eye contact with a person in an authority position; a lack of eye contact is considered a way of showing respect. Another example is the act of posing questions to aid in understanding while the teacher is lecturing. In our Canadian culture, asking questions is a way to show engagement and respect for the hard work that a teacher has put into teaching the lesson. When a student asks a question, it means they care about actually understanding what the teacher is teaching. However, in other cultures, posing questions towards an authority figure shows disrespect. Other cultures perceive asking questions equivalent to questioning the teacher’s expertise and authority position. Needless to say, Euro-Canadian perspectives were the perspectives that were addressed and mattered the most in my schooling experience. 

I think because of my schooling, I have the risk of bringing in a eurocentric lens to my classroom when I am a teacher if I am not careful to be aware of this bias. For example, if I do not pay attention to this bias, I may unconsciously enforce Euro-Canadian ways of showing respect from my students and may be quick to label actions that do not fall into this eurocentric lens as disrespectful. This eurocentric lens can be applied to many aspects in schooling. Another example could be ways of learning. I think the first step in working against this bias is recognizing that I have this bias. I do not think it is possible for me to ever completely unlearn this bias because it has been enforced upon me for so long, but it is definitely possible for me to work against it. A second step in working against this bias is recognizing that all my students are unique and come from diverse backgrounds. This is why I appreciate how Kumashiro recommended getting to know your students. One quote that resonated with me is:

We would discuss the dangers of presuming that we as teachers ever know “enough” about our students and do not have more homework to do, such as when we design a lesson for students whom we expect to be interested in certain things (Kumashiro, 2009, p. 77).

I think it is also important to be explicit about the lenses that teachers bring into the classroom as well. This creates an atmosphere of honesty, and allows students the chance to hold the teacher accountable for the information and materials that they present in class. A good quote from the Kumashiro (2009) reading to emphasize this point and sum up this discussion is:

Although such an approach to teaching would require of teachers a level of vulnerability that we do not often expect in the classroom, perhaps it would also model for students what it means to look beyond the lesson (p. 78).