Michael Sylvester wrote:
> On the first day of class today, a student came to the front
> of the class called his fiance' to come to join him and
> popped the question "....... will you marry me?" She
> answered "yes" and he put a ring on her finger. The whole
> class applauded.I hope they don't plan the wedding in my
> class. How about this for real life lifespan development?
>
> Another student whose last name is El Nino instead of saying
> "present" when his name was called responded with "let the
> winds begin"
Assuming for the sake of argument that these events actually DID
occur, the fact that students feel free to behave in these inappropriate
manners in your class indicates that you need to focus more directly on
establishing rules for classroom behavior. If students feel it's totally
appropriate to (1) bring their personal relationships to class and (2)
respond inappropriately to an instructor's roll call, you have some
serious problems to address--particularly since these events "occurred"
on the first day of class, rather than later in the term when some form
of personal rapport may have been established with you. You may want to
examine the manner in which you begin your initial class--and to
consider adding a "bit" of formality to it.
> Btw,where do those African-American women get their names
> from: Lawonda,lasandra,Lahowonda,Zambeca,Tyresia,Latifica,
> T'wassa,Vondawela
For someone who constantly argues for cultural diversity and a
non-Eurocentric approach to teaching, that was a remarkably insensitive
question.
There are three major ways women end up with those names. First
of course, is by the choice of their parents (the majority of
women--white or black--continue to use their birth names). The second is
via conversion to a religion that is Afro-centric in nature (or, in some
cases, Islamic)--i.e., the NOI, etc. Such religions often include the
choice of a new name (appropriate to the culture) as a part of the
"initiation" or "conversion" process. The third, of course, is through a
personal choice. Normally, in the case of Afro-Americans that choice
involves the rejection of what is perceived as a "white" or "slave" name
and replacement with one that is either a traditional African name or is
a word in an African language that the individual identifies with. For
example, the name of the Black officer, "Uhuru," in the original Star
Trek series means "freedom" (or, more literally, "that which is free")
in it's original language. Of the names above, Zambeca, T'wassa, and
possibly Vondawela would seem to represent the latter group while
Lawonda, Lasandra, and Tyresia are probably names given by the parents
at birth.
Hope it helps,
Rick
--
Rick Adams
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College
Jackson, MI
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"... and the only measure of your worth and your deeds will be the love
you leave behind when you're gone. --Fred Small, Everything Possible "
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