Chapter 29 talks a lot about social justice, and the different approaches teachers can take while teaching this to students. The quote that really struck me was on page 441: "[students] need to understand more deeply the conditions of their lives and the sociopolitical dynamics of their world. Thus, teachers could pose questions to students to help them address and understand these issues. For example: Why are there so many gangs in your neighborhood, and why are so many bright and talented students dropping out and joining them?"
When I read the above statement, I instantly thought of my 8th graders, in my current placement. The students are VERY aware of the things going on outside their school, on the street, and in their homes. I read about the fear students have about gangs, robberies, and drug dealers. Just today, a journal prompt was for students to write 7-10 sentences about what college they wanted to go to, and why. My students had a really hard time with this, because a large majority of them really believe they will never have a chance in higher education. I used this resistance, as a "teachable moment." I asked students why they think this way, when I know as their teacher, that they are all capable of graduating and doing amazing things. One student responded, "I'm just going to sell drugs and make money that way, because I don't want to do any work." I was speechless for a second, and then turned the conversation to discuss how every student has the ability to succeed. I want to talk about these kind of things with my students, but at the same time, I can't relate. I don't know what it's like to have to fear gangs, or turn to drug dealing as a "career." What to do?
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3 comments:
It's really rough when you have students say things like that, but I guess when you grow up outside of an environment like that it can be even more difficult to relate. I grew up in the inner-city here and went to school and had classes with kids just like that. But to be completely honest, I'm not even sure what to do in a situation like that. Perhaps you could try to ask question or led the student into a discussion as to why he feels that way and the effect it will have on his family, friends, neighborhood and society as a whole. Maybe he hasn't made the connection between crime, violence and drug dealing. Maybe he has no idea what kind of life that will result in for him. Perhaps work something like this into a lesson. To use the chapter as an example, if it were a math class find statistics that compare what a low level drug dealer makes after factoring in likely jail time, short life expectancy, etc. compared to a career that requires a college degree. But then again, maybe that wouldn't work, but might persuade other students who might consider that approach to not. Or it could just be a waste of time. I'm really not sure, that's a tough situation that as MPS teachers we will probably have to deal with more often than we would like.
First, I really like the fact that you picked that quote and then were able to relate it back to your student teaching experience. I agree, that even in my student teaching experience the students are very much aware of what is going on in their lives and the factors behind it. My students don’t need to be made more aware of those things, they need to be motivated and encouraged that they are capable of doing anything. They should feel comfortable discussing things going on in their lives that are hard but that shouldn’t be the focus. The focus should be on showing the students that you care, and then moving on to focus on the more positive things and on their goals and finding ways to help them reach those goals. Secondly, I think that working in this field and in the MPS system forces all of us to know what to do when topics are discussed whether we have personally experienced them or not. I, myself, have unfortunately had personal experiences and can relate to things like gangs, drugs, violence. It is not so much that you need to have experience with these things, but researching and going to talk to people in the community where you are teaching are all things that can help you feel more comfortable and help you relate more to what the students go through. It is vital that you can, because these students will go through things and you may be the only person they can turn to. I think it is really great though that you want to be able to talk to them about these things. Just do research, go talk to people, go to shelters, go to community centers and you will be able to talk to the students more comfortably and being able to relate better to them.
How do teachers get into the minds of their students even though they cannot relate exactly to the obstacles that they face? I want to say that the students that grow up in a fearful environment have little time to think outside of themselves and about their own personal potential. I have observed this about my own life. When I was younger, I had many basic needs to worry about. That prevented me from thinking about government, policy of social issues. I look back now and wish that I had a teacher like you who told me that there was a world beyond the one that restricted me. It sounds like you're lighting a fire underneath your students to point them in the direction of success will not soon die.
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