Clarke Central High School Instructional Coach Dr. Linda Boza is reading the book “‘Multiplication is for White People’: Raised expectations for other people’s children” by Lisa Delpit in preparation for the upcoming Dinner Dialogue. Boza will lead the book discussion between participants.“It is about community coming together and reading a book that addresses some aspect of diversity in our building and figuring out how it can make us a better school,” Boza said. Photo By Julie Alpaugh
By JULIE ALPAUGH – Photography Editor
On Feb. 9 and 16, through a partnership with the University of Georgia, Clarke Central High School administration, teachers and parents along with UGA college of Education professors and graduate students will meet for a Dinner Dialogue to discuss the book “‘Multiplication is for White People’: Raised expectations for other people’s children” by Lisa Delpit.
Photography Editor Julie Alpaugh: Where will the Dinner Dialogue be held?
Clarke Central High School Instructional Coach Dr. Linda Boza: It’s going to be held in the JROTC building, the professional learning room is ready, but we just don’t think we can for 60 people in there and the media center is not set up for that now.
JA: Who will be participating in the book study?
LB: We have UGA College of Education professors, a few of their graduate students coming, our teacher and administrators, two of our students, we have some of our parents and a few community members.
JA: Why did you chose “‘Multiplication is for White People’: Raised expectations for other people’s children” by Lisa Delpit, as the book?
LB: We chose it because we were able to get the author and we only read books about diversity. This particular book was of interest to us because the author Lisa Delpit was actually the very first author we ever read in the very beginning. So we were excited that UGA had a connection and thought they could get her. Unfortunately she is not coming, there was a conflict with the night of the week we chose, but we are skyping with her so that should be fun.
JA: What are your hopes for the Dinner Dialogue?
LB: This particular book really digs into the types of strategies teacher use when they are able to reach children. She shares several real teachers she has encountered through her research and what they have done in the classroom in order to engage students and subsequently gotten great results with the students. I am really hoping that we can discuss the implications of this book how can we take this book back into Clarke Central, how can we take this book into the classrooms at UGA and pass it onto our pre-service teachers.
JA: Is this something you plan to do again?
LB: It is something that we always want to continue and we have never wanted to stop, but money over the years has been reallocated and rules change and it’s not as easy anymore. We don’t charge any participants at all, so we barely the cost of the books and the dinners and UGA bears the cost of paying the author. We would like to continue it, but we probably can’t afford more than once a year or even every other year. I feel like we always get a lot of bang for our buck with it because it is some of the richest professional learning teachers can have, but it is costly.
