Liberate and Empower: the Importance of Being a Culturally Relevant Teacher

Besides hearing Dr. Carr speak, this week’s lecture, given by Kimberly Worthy has to be my all time favorite lectures in this course. Titled “Practices of Freedom and Justice: A Charge to Keep”, Worthy discussed her work with the LEAP Science and Math Schools in Cape Town, South Africa. She gave a brief overview of her background and how she became a teacher. She attended an African-centered school that taught based on the African paradigm and educated the students on the importance of exalting their heritage and culture. Her parents took her to protests every weekend as a child, teaching her how to use her voice and the responsibility that each person has to give back to their local and global communities.

Worthy then talked about the 5 main tenets that are crucial in becoming a culturally relevant teacher. African logic is diunital, and interdisciplinary; African teachers and teachers that want to be culturally relevant much teach in a way that emphasizes the whole before breaking it down into sections. African Epistemological Styles include symbols, images, spirit and nature. African Axiology is the number one value – relationships. Cultural visibility in the curriculum and in the school is important as well as the last tenet, social, emotional, and political responsibility.

The way Worthy described culturally relevant teaching included teaching students from a different paradigm or perspective to make sure of their academic success; making sure that students understand that there is more than one way to see and understand things in the world (interdisciplinary). This style of teaching also includes validating and exalting the African heritage, culture, and scholarly contributions. Every student at the LEAP schools in South Africa are learning these things thanks to teachers like Kim Worthy and the teaching styles that she used.

At the LEAP schools, each student is given the most important opportunity every day – they are given the freedom to just be. At these institutions, students are completely trusted and they are respected, which gives them this sense of freedom and safety inside and out of the classroom. Culturally relevant teaching takes place when the men do boot dancing, based off of what their ancestors did when they were enslaved in parts of Europe. These students are taught to acknowledge and to be proud of their history. The idea of wholistic learning can be seen with the use of axiology and relationship building. UBUNTU, which means humanity, is strongly taught to the students so that they understand the importance of kindness, honesty, punctuality, never giving up and admission of mistakes and learning from them. Students that are oppressed are given the opportunity and freedom to speak up and release their fears, which affirms their humanity and their existence as humans.

I believe that if we embrace all of these things, we will have the ability to be truly free and humans. I think the reason why this lecture was my favorite was because over time I have had the desire to become a teacher. Hearing first hand the experience of teaching with these values has truly inspired me to learn more about taking a culturally relevant approach to teaching. I think hearing this lecture really taught me the importance of community responsibility in that teaching really is the strongest way to give back to the local and global community. As worthy said, being a teacher is true liberation, and as a teacher, it is her purpose to liberate and empower.