INSIDE OUTdo. Later he bawled me out for encouraging vandalism with my
'demonstration,' but the amazing thing was what happened to me,
to Darryl and the rest of the class. The barrier was down. We
all understood each other, and I was on their side against unreason-
ing authority.
"The rest of the term was different—not great, but better. Darryl
became my protector, and I was able to teach him and the rest
of the class. There are still problems, and I guess there always
will be, but now I empathize with the kids and they understand
that I'm caring and concerned. I'm not transferring. I got through
to them."THE REVERSE LIST
The barriers this teacher faced were economic, cultural, and racial.
Sometimes the barriers are religious or sexual. Such barriers often
lead to a subtext that says "I don't understand you." Neither
side knows what the other feels, and the subtext projected is one
of suspicion and fear.
Sometimes the barrier can be overcome in very simple ways.
For instance, an impartial third party might point out objective
reality. I have a friend who volunteers his services as a mediator
in family and business disputes, and he says that often he does
nothing more than referee. The two parties state their problems
and what they want, and that's enough to change the subtexts
and work out a solution.
Another good method is making a reverse list. It's an offshoot
of role reversal, and it can be very effective when a problem
arises.
Sal and Norman used it when they ran into a problem in their