What Makes a School Enthography "Etnnographic"

What Makes School Ethnography “Ethnographic”? 3-2-1


It has been fairly obvious that a teacher must be sensitive to the cultural and social needs of his or her students. The reading points out we conclude the school is a small community that we can apply the fundamental discourse about a social organization-person, status, role, rights, and obligations. We can construct he ground rules for working, overseeing, and participating in the confines of the boundaries of the school as its own little world. The workers are the teachers. They must become proficient in working with students with diverse background. They must have an empathy and deep understanding of the differences and develop the skills to deal with the diverse settings. What are these diverse settings? This is where the ethnographic findings provide the ethnographer’s opinions and deductions of the cultural status and processes of the school. They may be accurate or they may be skewed with built in biases. The reading compares it to an artist drawing a caricature, a lot of room for interpretation. It is not a snap shot that captures the true essence of the structure. The overseers have different eyes and see things differently. I guess that is called politics. The participants are the ones that demand the most consideration. The students bring their own biases and views to the classroom. How do we make them more aware of their beliefs and become culturally sensitive to other participants? Understanding and empathy of their lifestyle and daily circumstances are important considerations in education. Know thyself and know thy student. The rest will fall into place.

Developing that understanding is not easy. Why do some kids wear Frank Sinatra hats? Why do others dye their hair purple and green? Why do some go through the portals of education without a blip? These group interactions have an impact on the students as a group. Are any racial or ethnic? Of course there are. Do we attempt to make them heterogeneous or do we provide support individually? If we focus on student centered education, will the diversity come out in the wash? These questions may not be on the mark for ethnography but they are part of my inquiries about this reading.

Teaching is not easy if you want to be effective. Learning about all this cultural and diverse sensitivity only tends to assist and deepen education. Put some of the responsibility on the student. Hold him accountable for his assignments, homework, and social responsibilities. They know what is up and what is down and will take advantage if allowed. Am I right in saying keep a firm hand on the wheel and keep steering them in the direction of the twenty first century?