In reading against the grain students analyze the dominant reading of a text and engage in alternative or "resistant" readings. Resistant readings scrutinize the beliefs and attitudes that typically go unexamined in a text, drawing attention to the gaps, silences and contradictions.
Cultural competency—the ability to work effectively and sensitively across cultural contexts—involves learning, communicating and connecting respectfully with others regardless of differences.
Educators who connect their teaching to students’ cultures, languages and heritage create classroom environments that value critical home-school relationships, affirm student identities and challenge stereotypes.
In this essay, the author considers what it means to live in a democracy of "majority rule" and where minorities find their place and voice (or lack thereof in such a system).