the truth of our lessons

by Katelyn Powers

more about the culture in a celebratory way, that is cultural appreciation.

Senior Caitlin Murphy recalls an experience that happened in her education that made her uncomfortable because it was executed in a culturally appropriated manner. “In previous years, I was involved with a cultural approproiated lesson, that I felt was singling people out based on looks, revolving around the Holocaust. We had to wear the Star of David if we had blonde hair and blue or green eyes, and I figured that wasn’t the best way to go about teaching children, especially having to wear it all day, not even during that class period, and if we took it off we got detention,” Murphy said. Fear of getting in trouble for not participating forced Murphy to join in on the activity, even if she didn’t agree with it. This left Murphy feeling singled out and hurt as she knew her lesson was offensive to those of the Jewish religion because she felt she was mocking them and the horrible things they had to endure in the Holocaust.

As light begins to shed on the harms of cultural appropriation, Murphy realizes it’s no longer acceptable to make people feel the way she did. “I don’t think that I would let that happen again, just because I know how it made me feel when I was younger. And I still think about it to this day,” Murphy said. Instead of haunting kids and making them feel bad about learning, Murphy advises teachers to have the topic in their lessons but to not do activities like what she experienced.

AP Literature instructor, Andrea Isaacs believes that as a society we over assume too much and that it’s problematic, so she suggests having conversations with students from different backgrounds, so she doesn’t offend anyone. “I also think that it requires a sensitivity to conversations with students from those cultures. There are times when students would feel honored and celebrated for people outside of their race or culture, to participate in something, it’s seen as honoring, appreciated and valuable, but I think that people who are from a particular background, it’s very clear to them what feels offensive,” Isaacs said. As an English teacher, she uses works from authors of different ethnic backgrounds, and she has conversations with her students of those cultures to see if they would be comfortable reading, because she understands there are things that are not appropriate for her and other students to say.

Learning about cultures in schools are not taught in a compassionate and respectful way. “You can’t know what the perspective of another person’s culture is if you haven’t had those conversations,” Isaacs said. As society starts to accept the realities of cultural appropriation, it helps us understand the harms and how to grow as a nation. We continue to learn to appreciate the cultures we are so fascinated by.