A to Z: Cultural Perspectives in Education

Vaughan M. Blaney
Director
BSc(UNB,Canada), BEd(UNB,Canada), TEFLA(University of Cambridge), MEd(HKU, Hong Kong)

Book: "A to Z: Cultural Perspectives in Education"

The Letter 'N'...

Names, they vary in many ways
But in the end they tell you 'who'
Ng and Venkatasubramanian
Just to name two

Now it's easy to see that we are different, yet all can agree that we: 

• know how to print numbers
• have names
• know the consequences of a nuclear bomb
• feel a little nervous before a test
• need love and compassion
• have a navel
• like taking a nap when we feel sleepy
• have a nationality
• try to keep our school desks tidy and neat
• know how to print the letter N

... you may well think that standing up against the daily indignities (of racism) is simple; and you would be quite right. It takes so little action on your part to interrupt the daily indignities. As more people do so, enormous change will begin to take place for those for whom those little bits of injustice become a daily, living hell. So many of us have wanted to help, hut have wondered how one person could really make a difference in ending racism. The good news is that in simply interrupting the daily indignities, you contributing significantly to that goal ...

A corresponding truth is that we often fail to do the transformative work (that is to transform our world of justice) because we get stuck in our need for a certain self-image the need to avoid seeing ourselves as bad so that we do not feel badly about ourselves. That "self-image need" often prevents us from becoming the shining examples of love that we want to and can be. It is time, very simply, to get out of ourselves and get into the world.

Nile, Lauren and Jack Straton