Cross Cultural Communication

The number of White teachers in America’s public school system who have little to no training in the area of cross cultural communication is staggering. Yet, one of the top reasons for students of color not finishing high school or choosing not to continue to post secondary education, if they did finish high school, is they didn’t feel their teacher communicated with them.
Next to my wife I love my sons more than anything on this earth. However, my wife is White, making my sons bi-racial. They have grown up in a White community. With all the love I have for them, I have had to work hard communicating with them. They listen to conversations while I’m on the phone with my Black friends and think we’re fighting. They sometimes look afraid when I’m passionate in my communication with them.
At first I used to get upset at them. How could they think I would ever mean them any harm? However, at some point I had to realize their fear was real. It didn’t matter what I thought. If I truly love them I would do whatever, it took to make sure my communication style was not getting in the way of them knowing I love them. No matter how much I explain to my wife and kids that the way I communicate doesn’t mean I’m upset with them, they still couldn’t change their response. They were conditioned to view my style of communication as negative. Even though my friendships with my Black friends were solid, despite what my family thought of our conversations, was not enough proof. So, I had to change the way I communicate with my family. I decided to teach them in small doses, that my communication style isn’t wrong, it’s just different.
I grew up in a house and a neighborhood where people spoke their mind. The only time there was a sit-down-shut-up and listen, situation was if I was in trouble or I was asked to explain something. Most of the time, communicating was a proactive process. Interruption was part of the process. Listening happened more within the thought process than it did as far as sitting there waiting for whomever it was speaking to me to stop, so I could speak.
This is the point I’m trying to make. I had to work hard at communicating with my bi-racial kids and my White wife, all whom I love. Even considering the fact I have taught communication skills for twenty years, communicating cross culturally had to be an on-purpose act between me and my own family. So the question has to be asked, what chance does a White teacher have in communicating cross culturally, with practically no training?
Without cross cultural communication training there will always be a significant percentage of students of color and low income students who will fall between the cracks. They will not receive the same quality of education as their White counterparts. A significant percentage of these students, that do manage to stay in school and not drop out, will not want to continue to postsecondary education, because of their negative communication experiences in high school, middle and elementary school.