Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk "The Danger of a Single Story," posted below, is heartfelt and inspiring. An accomplished writer, she speaks to the power of what a single story can do. By the phrase "single story," she means knowing only one perspective about people, a culture, or a country. The media so often purport one single perspective, and our culture in the United States has unfortunately embraced that. Adichie notes that, for example, the U.S. has come to use "immigration" and "Mexicans" as synonymous. She shares an anecdote about her roommate in college, who similarly had a single story kind of understanding for Adichie, as her roomate had a very narrow understanding of what living in Nigeria was like. Adichie warns that "the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete." Having a single story understanding not only demeans people, but it also places them in a strictly confining box that debases their life experiences. None of us are created by a single story; we all have multiple tales, a multitude of experiences, and a plethora of perspectives. Assigning one story to someone negates what makes each of us unique. Too often, I think, educators perceive students by a single story. I can understand why; we often have over one hundred students in a year. But when you learn that one of your students has a parent in jail, or they don't have a roof over their head on Saturdays, or their family cannot afford to buy new shoes, be careful not to define that student by their challenges. Each person is so much more than that. When we define our students by a single story, not only are we robing that student of dignity, but we are also teaching the other students in the classroom to do the same. In an age plagued by social inequality, our classrooms could be ground zero for social change. Don't continue the cycle of single story understanding. Empower your students by supplying them with multiple perspectives to consider. Then let them decide.
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AuthorI'm currently a teacher candidate in pursuit of my English Credential. Archives
February 2017
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Elizabeth Mauerman | Blog |