Blog Post 2

Lisa Delpit’s quote, “We do not really see with our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs.” (Curtis and Carter, 2000, p. 9), is a great quote to reflect on. It can be interpreted in a variety of ways. My first thoughts on this quote are that it is very true. We can see and hear whatever we want but our beliefs are how we analyze it in our brain and make judgement on events, situations, or objects. Seeing and hearing is just how we physically obtain the information and our beliefs shape how we view and hear the information. Our home life has a huge impact on our beliefs. The way we grow up (the type of parents we have and disciplinary action we undergo), where we grow up (city, country, suburb, ect.), and the people we grow up around have a significant effect on our beliefs. Personally I grew up in a tight knit, Catholic family. My parents set expectations for me and my siblings and most of the time we met them. There was a nice balance, they weren't too strict or too lazy with us. Here is an example of how my parents have shaped my life. If I see famous teenagers on the tv or internet doing inappropriate things for their age, my first thought would about their home life. I would assume since they are famous they never really had to follow rules, or learn what was right or wrong. My parents taught me that so I include my parents beliefs in my own beliefs. There is a problem with making judgments solely relying  your beliefs. As a teacher in the classroom you have to be open minded about the students. You can't make a judgement on a student just because they were raised different than you were. If teachers did that they probably wouldn't like any of their students and they would have a hard time teaching them. In the classroom it  is important to stay true to your beliefs, but it also necessary to have an open mind and accept that everyone is different. Having a closed mine will only hurt the student. Instead of focusing on everything that they do different or wrong from what you think, the teacher should focus on the talents the student has and try to bring out the best qualities in the students.  This quote has a lot of meaning and is very true, but as a teacher I think it is best to also evaluate situations with an open mind.