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Take the peanut butter sandwich, a seemingly innocent example a teacher used in a lesson last school year.
What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches? says Gutierrez, principal at Harvey Scott K-8 School [a Portland public school] </p>
<p>Through intensive staff trainings, frequent staff meetings, classroom observations and other initiatives, the premise is that if educators can understand their own white privilege, then they can change their teaching practices to boost minority students performance.
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<p>Do you think the academic performance of non-white students in America is being damaged by racially insensitive curriculum?</p>
<p>What is the context of the sandwich example?</p>
<p>Of course, the apparently rising frequency of peanut allergies and attendant limitations of bringing peanut foods into school lunch rooms may be making the peanut butter sandwich much less of a well known thing among the current generation of elementary school students than in the past.</p>
<p>If you are bothered by the fact that a majority of the people around you have some experiences that are different than yours, you have more problems than can be solved by a discussion about quesadillas.</p>
<p>My white Anglo son has never eaten a pb sandwich in his life. He is allergic to peanuts and hates sandwiches (except for hamburgers). Pretty sure the sandwich is not what makes a person advantaged or disadvantaged.</p>
<p>Ah the evil peanut butter sandwich, inexpensive, easy to make, and it keeps until lunchtime without spoiling. Lets ban it for being insensitive. What nonsense.</p>
<p>My kid’s elementary school actually has banned all peanut products. This is unfortunate because PBJ sandwiches are the only kind of sandwiches D liked to take in her lunch. </p>
<p>If you are new to a culture (and I say this as a someone who has lived in two foreign countries on two other continents for several years, and whose grandparents were immigrants. . .) you should want to learn about that culture–including common, popular foods. Kids from other cultures can easily ask classmates or the teacher how to make a PBJ sandwich.</p>
<p>With all of the peanut allergies and attendant restrictions against bringing peanuts or peanut butter to school, it is likely that peanut butter sandwiches will be less familiar to today’s kids (of any ethnic or cultural background) than they were in past generations.</p>
<p>Since when is PB & J a symbol of white privilege. This is the foodstuff of broke 20-somethings and kids with moms too busy to make a better lunch. Good grief!</p>
<p>I’m more disturbed by the drum class that is only for black and Latino boys. I mean…what? Even when schools have Black or Hispanic or Asian students associations, I’ve never heard of a rule that students outside of that group CAN’T join, and in any case, there is a big difference between creating a club to celebrate a particular culture and offering an activity only to members of designated races.</p>
<p>American kids regardless of background have usually had a sandwich. There is no way to come up with stories that “fit all” cultures. There is no such thing as “white privilege” in this day and age in this country. No one gets a paycheck for being white. I am sick and tired of openly racist remarks like “white privilege.” I have never been tolerant of any racism, and it is not ok just because it is directed at white people, or Asian people, or any other group.</p>