Greetings, this blog is an introspective look into my life as I navigate the world of Instructional Leadership. I am a rookie Secondary school administrator that examines the Secondary school experience of students in California. I provide my perspective on how these systems affect Black, Brown, poor, foster and homeless students. Join me!
At some point, we've all been guilty of disseminating information to others out of the sheer pleasure of revealing dirty little secrets and seeing the reactions from the other party. But if this is your usual method of communication, you need to know that gossiping about your fellow Educators in and out of school can land you in hot water... or it will come back to haunt you later.
This week I started my first official week as a school administrator. I'm new to the district. No one has ever seen or heard from me before. So you can imagine my being shocked when people would "tell" or give me a "heads up" about some people in the school and district office. While I didn't stop them, I didn't ask questions to further the gossip spreading either. I have been thinking about that this weekend and not stopping gossip is just as bad as spreading it. So come Monday morning, if anyone has anything not so nice to say, I will stop them or simply tell them that I'll have to see for myself. I can't believe the things that people have told me. I mean, if you have no sense of where people's loyalty lies, why say something that could potentially get back to your employer? I have learned in a very difficult way that gossip, or "scuttlebutt" as the Marine Corps calls it, will ALWAYS get to someone unintended if you share your thoughts, unfiltered, with another. I wish I had something more profound to say than "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all", but I don't.
I know you may already know this. I didn't, at least not in the beginning of my career. I did not know as a teacher that any and everything you share with your colleagues will get back to someone... it always does. You don't want to be seen as a teacher with great potential and no loyalty, do you?
Here's what you need to know. Everyone who's employed is not sane. Of course we all know that everyone who teaches isn't sane either. If you don't believe me, read my posting on choosing your references carefully, CLICK HERE! I mean it takes a little bit of crazy to spend your day with children repeating the same information over and over again.
Because we of HIPPA laws, we don't know the health, integrity, and mental capacity of everyone we work with. You don't know another person's motivations, goals, etc... Since there is so MUCH you DON'T KNOW... let me tell you what you should know. Here are some tips on how to keep your mouth shut and stay employed:
1. NEVER, EVER, EVER share how you feel about another colleague with ANYONE remotely affiliated with your school, district, or heck, even county. Teaching is a small network You don't want anything you say out of anger, hurt feelings, or criticism to come back and haunt you later. The person who you talk about today could be the person that could potentially hire you or help you to get hired. If you feel so strongly that you want to say something about a colleague, tell your grandma. Call her up... only if grams isn't is a teacher, grandmas talk too.
2. NEVER, EVER, EVER share ANYTHING PERSONAL. Yeah, do I really have to tell you this? People keep a mental rolodex or others. Please know the MINUTE you get picked for lead teacher, department head or vice principal, people will flip to your section in their brain and the secrets you held so dear and shared that night at happy hour after three martinis will suddenly be revealed. Everyone has a past, but you need to not share that in your place of work. People rarely reveal what they really think of your past or present indiscretions. What they WILL do is tell someone else who will tell someone else about them. Just keep it to yourself. If you need to vent, hire a therapist or get a journal.
3. DON'T associate with the gossip circle. Ever heard of the expression "birds of a feather flock together?" There is merit to that phrase. Critics hang with other critics so they can talk about others and then one another when the other isn't around. These people are known as gossipers. Here's how to identify one: if within the first few days of interacting with this person they start to sneak in little digs about other people whom you don't know personally but work with too, avoid this person. If you tell them anything they will talk about you. If you don't say anything and allow the information to continue, they may assume your belief system is aligned with theirs. I pray its not and you don't want the reputation of hanging around the mean girls... or guys, do you?
4. NEVER, EVER throw someone under the bus. Think very carefully about how you answer questions or reveal information. Criticizing an idea or plan without knowing the constructor of the plan can be very dangerous. I once criticized the food of someone at a dinner party because I assumed the food was catered. Nope, the person who invited me and prepared the food was the person I told how much I hated the bean salad. Needless to say, I wasn't invited to the next dinner party and missed out on some great networking opportunities.
5. DON'T EVERY, EVER say "I would have done it like this..." Okay, almost everything looks easier than it is. BY openly discussing your ideas on how something could be improved, you're really telling others that the current idea sucks. You never know who's connected to who, just stay quiet and enjoy the event or idea someone else has worked hard over creating. Remember, you will be in that chair one day and you don't want all that negative energy hurled toward you.
6. NEVER, EVER criticize a colleague in the presence of students. Doing this is about as secretive has having a small engine plane carry a banner over your school. Students can't hold their bladder, let alone information about two teachers not getting along.
7. NEVER, EVER vent about work on a Social Network. Out of the 398 friends you have, someone is bound to be connected and bound to hate you. That's a dangerous recipe for someone who enjoys being employed. Hate your boss, you better write it down and burn it because now of days, everything is traceable on the web...EVERYTHING!
Have more tips? Leave a comment or share your experience with gossip in the workplace below.
For those of you that are faithful readers to TWB, I apologize I haven't posted a new entry in a while. I have a good reason, GUESS WHAT? I'm a Vice Principal now.
I've been tons busy because of it. School starts soon. More thoughts coming soon... I promise. I'm glad you all are on this journey with me. Thank you for evertything for supporting me.
Teachers, can we talk for a bit? Its just you and I here. What does your wardrobe look like these days? I know, I know, another blog post about being dressed professionally in the workplace. I know all the teacher gripes concerning work clothing. I know you're on your feet all day (hopefully), I know you run around with kids all day (elementary), I know your students are active and are engaged in a lot of project based learning that involves glue, markers, paint, etc...
All of that is great, but how are you presenting yourself while on campus?
Okay, lets get to the nitty gritty. I know we don't make a lot of money. But you need to take a hard and honest look at how you spend money and ask if there are any corners that you can cut. To do this, track your spending for one month. Get some folders and mark one living needs (gas, clothing, food from a grocery store, and health and grooming products). Mark another folder "wants." Keep your receipts so you can track trends with your spending. I've done this before and realized I was spending nearly $30+ per week on iced lattes. $30 bucks per week is $120 per month. That's nearly $1,500 per year. I kicked my habit, lost weight and gained extra dough. If your budget is super tight, try thrift stores. I know it may not be your FIRST choice, but, believe it or not, some people actually have thrift store find clubs. Here's another tip, if you go thrift shopping in trendier neighborhoods, you can find some great pieces.
I encourage you to go to google, enter "thrift store clubs in (input city"). If you don't find an actual club, then it will at least provide you with some locations where you can find cheap and easy separates to enhance your wardrobe.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let me ask you something else. What do you consider "professional" clothing?
You'd be surprised at what I've seen teachers, shapers of our nation's future, wear to work.
I've seen everything from Birkenstocks with socks, sweatpants and sweatshirt (everyday) to mini-skirts with ultra high heels. Wow, I know right... what's worse is no one ever told these teachers how unprofessional they looked.
Shame on the principal that allows his or her teachers to walk around school looking like they work at a telemarketing firm (those people wear anything). Look at your wardrobe and ask yourself if you have a distinct set of professional clothing. Do you have clothing that you can wear to an interview? If not, go out and get these items as soon as possible. Why you ask? Well one word: perception.
Have you ever worn a really great outfit and walked a little taller, smiled a little wider, and received compliments multiple times while wearing that outfit? If so, why not command that attention daily? Remember you are a role model to your students. Do you think so little of your school and your students that you will just roll out of bed and wear anything? I know that's the easy thing to do, but ask yourself, is it the right thing to do? You are a professional, the first key to being a professional is for people to perceive you as one. I can assure you that if people see you in khakis and a polo style shirt they will either ask you where the appliances are located or ask you to point them in the direction of the the sale rack. You don't want this. You want to command attention.
I'll give you an example, ever heard of the term "little black dress?"
I have my own version called the "little interview dress."(LID) It is a dress I can dress up for a professional dinner, or dress professionally for an interview. Once while wearing my LID because I had just concluded an interview, I decided to stop by another school district to say hello to the district's superintendent (yeah, that's how I roll... did you read my post about NETWORKING (click here to read)? :-) Anywho, I felt confident. I looked good and knew I looked good. Because I looked good, I felt good... and confident. Typically you need an appointment to see the superintendent. I walked right up to the receptionist looked her right in the eye and said "I'm here to see Dr. X"(not including the real name)." See said "right this way." While this story may be a little frightening to some, it was in that moment I realized something: PERCEPTION. I'm sure the receptionist, who I just saw ask a parent to sign in, thought this lady is wearing professional clothing, she is carrying a portfolio, she obviously is here for the right reasons. She walked me right in and I met with the superintendent (not sure how good that meeting went since I still am not employed as an administrator with that district.) But the point is... I got in.
Why not make your students that receptionist? Have your students look up to you not ask you wear you shop.
Another reason why you should want to look your best:
Your principal is watching. See, people in the front office observe, they observe carefully. You can't just walk into your place of work and look unprofessional and expect to get promoted. If you plan on becoming an administrator, lead teacher, department head, district office personnel, you have to look the part. If you apply for the position and then start dressing more professionally, well, it comes off as... insincere. You don't want that.
I'm not asking you to erase your unique personality from your wardrobe in hopes of one day becoming a district pundit, I'm asking you to refine it. You can still keep your sense of style and dress professionally. Look through magazines, look at Michelle Obama (I love her style), ask another teacher whose style you admire where they shop or what pieces are essential. Heck, you can google "essential wardrobe pieces" and you will find a variety of websites that can offer you suggestions.
Go out and shop... the school year has almost started. I'm sure stores will have some swinging Labor Day sales. Take advantage and amp up how you're perceived, remember, your principal and your students are watching.
Do you ever find yourself preaching to your students about how grateful they should be to live in America? Do you ever find yourself trying to teach them life lessons like how people treat one another is more important than what kind of clothes, what kind of cell phone, or what kind of car he or she may have?
If you answered yes to any of that... Ask yourself if you display these same behaviors to your students. That's right, role modeling. Do you show your children what is happening in the world through use of your school technology? If not, you should.
Words are useless, especially to adolescents...unless in text form :-) If you are sincere in your desire for character development, it starts with leading by example. In other words... don't talk about it, be about it.
Children need to see their adult influences practicing life lessons taught in the classroom.
How?
Just a few ideas:
1. Use Skype as a tool to connect with teachers and students all over the world. You can take it a step further and use it to connect with willing local government or legal officals to discuss problems in other countries. Sometimes students need to create a sense of urgency and reality about just how fortunate they are to be alive and have the option to come to school. While I haven't utilized Skype, I have had students write letters. I think even that falls short of really creating a sense of empathy. If students can see... it makes it more real to them.
2. Use themes in your curriculum to match with current events. If you're a math teacher, figure out how much money would be needed to donate to the current number of refugees in Somalia in order to provide a family of four with a $70 food kit. If you're a Social Studies or Language Arts Instructor, this should be VERY easy for you. If you're a Science teacher, discuss the health conditions, the kinds of diseases, or the causes of the drought in Somalia.
3. Use google earth to view the country you are discussing. I found this especially helpful. I was amazed at the lack of geography knowledge of some of my students. I'm from Michigan and my California students would refer to Michigan as the "East Coast." I used that as a time to teach them what I considered common knowledge but what I realized they just hadn't been exposed to (blame the elementary teachers :-) Google Earth helped me to clarify just where my state is located. I'll let you in on a little secret, Americans are NOTORIOUSLY known for our sense of narcissism... we don't know where countries are located beyond Mexico and Canada. Let's help change that.
Educational technology has moved so far beyond the "Oregon Trail" game and using movies to create a sense of a world that is different than what are students consider "normal."
Be an advocate for changing the world in your classroom... just remember, you have to display this, and not just teach it.
Here's an easy way to start:
Show a clip (assuming you can unblock youtube on your campus) of an issue that's dear to you, then use paypal to donate money... yes, post it up on the projector screen. Students will be amazed at how much you really care. Putting pictures up and talking about it one day in your class won't matter. In our constant 24/7 information filled world, finding a topic to improve humanity that will resonate with your students should be easy.
I really don't like to post anything too personal on my blog, but I feel compelled to vent and let others have a laugh at my "Larry David" moment. First, let me provide you with a little background. I'm in graduate school. I'm studying Leadership Studies. Before you begin, yes this is an actual major and my focus is on "school leadership." One of the requirements of the program was to take a conference on this thing called "Emergence." Alums of this conference called it "weird", "hokey", or just a complete waste of time. So with all of these pre-conceived notions, I didn't know what to expect. I had a little anxiety over it, but secrectly I was very excited because I thought, being the continuous learner I am, that it would be an opportunity to laugh, cry, and hug with others. I didn't share this with my peers for fear of ridicule. I should've just said what I thought because I ended up crying in front of them in the conference anyway. Even with that being said, I still went in thinking it was... a joke.
Before the actual conference took place, I remember students of my program having a pre-conference session. During this pre-conference, the instructor allowed people to share what they were thinking and, if they took the conference before, what their experience was like during and after the conference.
I remember one person in particular saying something that has always stuck with me. He was in the back of the room and said that the meaning of the conference didn't hit him until much later. He said it hit him in spurts... he grew because of the conference but what he got out of it, he didn't appreciate until later.
If you ever want to check out the hokey conference(which I'm so glad I participated in and will do so again in 2012),click here below for more details on how you can sign up here. I've inserted a youtube clip so you can form some sort an idea of what the conference is about:
So how does this relate to my topic of choosing your references carefully?
Okay, I recently had my second interview for an administrative position. That's right, second, meaning the first one I totally blew. (Obviously because I wasn't hired.) I was super excited. The interview went well... or so I thought. After the interview, I called my references and gave them a heads up. I told them that I just had an interview and that they may receive a phone call from the district.
Then as I took the 121 mile drive home (yep this district was far), a red light went off.
Here is some background info on the red light and Larry David moment:
Someone who I recently offended (unknowingly) was listed as a reference. If you're a frequent reader of my blog (WELCOME BACK AND THANK YOU), you will know I deleted a post about a Facebook friend, former colleague of mine, and real life friend (all the same person, she wore many hats) who was offended at my posting on children of coloring needing teachers of color: click here to read the post
She was offended and stated that kids of color need "any" teacher who can authentically know them and teach them. I told her, that as a white woman (a social identity that she inadvertently admitted to claiming, thus her being offended), there was a limited amount of empathy she could provide to her students of color. As a Black woman, it made perfect sense to me. She's never felt the pain of comments I've been exposed to? She isn't worried about what school district she will place her non existent children because Black males, no matter the background of the parents, typically fall into sub-group categories and fall short academically of their white male counterparts... she will never know that. Well that set her off and she told me her great grandmother was a full blooded Native American and that no one in History has been more oppressed than Native Americans and I was a racist and she couldn't be friends with a racist. So she deleted me from Facebook and began to message my husband saying she would sue me for libel and slander over me putting her response to my blog post on my blog (like I said I deleted it because I never want to be the kind of person who knowingly upsets someone, but at the time I saw it as feedback and wanted you all to read it). I guess she was really angry by my posting her information (I deleted her name) on my blog.
While I was very disappointed and deeply hurt by this person's FALSE accusation that was completely ridiculous, days later something hit me.
While she never called me to discuss my position like a mature person, I too was guilty of something: invalidating the opposing opinion of what I believe to be fact.
Had my conference on Emergence not taught me anything?
The teacher or "authority" of the conference told all the students that one of they many purposes of the conference was to "see patterns in your behavior" and to "ask yourself why you keep finding yourself in the same situations over and over again."
*DING, DING, DING*
So I realized that his person who I just deeply offended WAS LISTED AS A REFERENCE FOR THIS POSITION. OH NO!
Are you feeling the Larry David moment yet?
To give you a summary:
1. I asked the girl to be a reference, girl agrees. She's a reference for two years.
2. I list girl as a reference for this position.
3. I get called in for an interview for this position.
4. I offend girl two days later.
5. I go on the interview.
6. I remember girl was reference.
7. In a panic, I email the HR department of the district and provide an alternate reference saying the person's information that I offended was no longer valid.
8. I didn't get the position
9. I am unsure if they called girl.
If they did call her and she, the week prior, had nothing but nice things to say about me, and now, because of a Face book posting, had nothing but venom to spit knowing that I'm trying to be the kind of leader we used to talk about, knowing the livelihood of my family could greatly be improved, knowing I'm trying to move to a district that celebrates cultural diversity a little more than San Diego... surely she wouldn't say anything nasty, right?
I don't know, I'll never know. And that friends is where the lesson comes into play.
So the lesson is two fold:
A. Don't get caught up in the same behavior pattern when a secondary emotion like anger sneaks up on you.
B. Make sure you put reputable, professional, not too personal people as your references.
I have a list of at least 20 people who can, with validity, say nothing but amazing things about my ability to facilitate trainings, lead professional developments for teachers, behave professionally, and can make note of my growth in the last two years. Did I use ANY of those people... NO! I used angry girl... look where that got me?
Do yourself a favor and have your resume and references pre-screened. Ask a friend who has experience with hiring to call your references blindly just to see what they have to say about you. DO THIS, it could make or break you...
Let me say this. I'm assuming if you clicked on this blog topic to read it you are one of three people: a teacher who is saying "great, here we go again", a parent who is saying "yes, my child's teacher is racist", or someone who wants to see my position on this topic. Welcome all curious race relation inquirers (inquirer is a noun, a name of a person who is inquiring...google it, I checked)!
Parents, if you suspect your child's teacher is racist there are steps you can take to address this issue. To make this process easier ask yourself what you want the end result to be with this. Do you want your child to be put in another teacher's class? If so, start with that end in mind. Before you pursue that please understand something. If a principal or counselor declines this request, know that master schedules for schools are designed very carefully. Every student's placement is purposefully picked and that every student during every hour has to be accounted for. Sometimes what seems like a simple switch to you would be a violation of school and state policy on number of students per class or a complete reworking of not only your child's schedule, but several children. That simply won't happen. No matter how much you scream, curse, and yell.
Next, I've got to ask you something.
This may even seem silly to ask but I have to ask you this: what evidence do you have to support this claim? I ask you this because you can't really substantiate a "feeling" or a "hunch". Sure you can address a comment your child's teacher made, but once its been clarified, what are you left with? I would highly suggest you equip yourself with hard core evidence that your child's teacher is discriminating against your child because of their ethnicity, religion, or skin color, gender, etc... Now, with that being said, when was the last time you spent some time in your child's classroom? Or better yet, HAVE YOU SPENT TIME OBSERVING YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER IN ACTION? If you go to the principal and only have a one sided glimpse of your child's teacher a la' your child's vision, you may end your battle before it even starts. Now, I know your child is a darling angel that wouldn't lie, I know your child loves learning, I know your child would never try to evoke sympathy out of you by demonizing the teacher and negating their behavior or lack of turning in homework, right? Of course not :-)
Even so... you need to check things out for yourself.
You have to observe your child's teacher, this is your right. All you have to do is ask. But here's the kicker, if you have a prospective issue with your child's teacher, don't air it and then say "I want to come and observe you." You know what you'll get, a dog and pony show.
What's a dog and pony show in the world of Education? I'll tell you. Its when a teacher KNOWS someone is coming to watch them in action and puts on their happiest face, interacts with every student, praises every student... its really something to see. Its almost a passive aggressive way of saying "GET OFF MY BACK, I DO EVERYTHING RIGHT!" Its this same reason many administrators do not announce informal observations, they want to see what teachers are "really" doing in their classrooms.
Once you observe, observe more, and more, and another time. One time cannot authenticate or invalidate your child's claim. You have to do pop up visits on a fairly consistent basis. Let your child's teacher know that you are interested in learning what happens in the day of the life of your child. Start using buzz words like "partnership" and "together" or "bridging home and school". Teachers love this kind of talk. I know your aim is not to get the teacher to like you, but you do want to make sure the teacher treats your child fairly and if they don't... that's right, you will be there, watching, like a hawk.
So now that you've observed, your next step is to document. When you observe, you need to make sure you document any and all potential discriminatory comments. I think teachers are often unaware how much the littlest comment and deeply hurt a child. Children do not know how to advocate for themselves in a constructive manner. After all, they've been taught to respect adults and obey authority. Its your job as the child's parent to advocate for him or her. You will be better off if you have dates and times of the alleged comments, the lesson that was going on, and, if you can, the child's name, etc... You are trying to build a case.
So you've observed, you've documented. What's the next step you ask?
Address it with the teacher, or if your child is in an upper grade, with that teacher and the department head of the subject area or the lead teacher for the interdisciplinary team.
Yeah, you have to go through a chain of command. No one said this process was going to be easy but you're out to prove a point and to ensure your child's self esteem and sense of identity are not attacked. Furthermore, you want to protect other children.
Oh yeah, other children. Have you talked to parents of your child's classmates? Do they notice anything too? Power is in numbers. It really helps if even one additional parent addresses this issue. If your child is the ONLY ethnicity, ability, gender, or skin color in the classroom, well you have to continue with the previously stated steps.
After you've addressed the issue with your child's teacher, you have to see if they alter their behavior toward your child. When you present your evidence (all while documenting what you're presenting), allow the teacher to explain his or her actions. If you are not pleased with what is stated or if you feel disregarded, next, make an appointment with the principal.
With the principal, you want to create an ally, not an enemy, but you always have got to play your trump card. Ask the principal directly "What professional development opportunities does your school or the district have to address cultural proficiency and diversity?"
See what he or she may say. If they tap dance around it by naming training that does not directly address the issue, document and move on to the next step.
Your next step is the district level. I realize that some students attend charter schools. If this is the case, your board of directors/school board is the next step. Attend a board meeting and address this issue. Make noise. Remember, board meetings for public schools are public record. For larger school districts, board meetings are often televised or streamed via the internet. Take that opportunity to address the issue and call your child's teacher, their lead teacher or department head, and your child's principal to the carpet. You will only have two to three minutes to speak your piece, but use that time wisely to address what your bigger concern is: the lack of cultural proficiency training for teachers in this district. End your statement with "I can't help but to wonder how many other parents of (insert your ethnicity, religion, or skin color here) children feel this way?"
See how the board members answer your questions, if they don't. Keep showing up.
But speaking back to the parent's rights, start small. Remember, parents, you have the right to:
1. Observe your child's teacher by sitting in a period or an entire school day.
2. See the lesson plans for that day. Teachers will be surprised. Stand firm, demand to see them, ask for clarifications. If your child is Special Education student look specifically in the lesson plan for modifications. BY LAW, ANY STUDENTS WHO HAVE IEP's should have modified lessons to fit their needs to help them reach their highest level of potential. Its sad to say that many teachers fail to even make some. I worked with several, believe me, it happens.
3. Take a notepad and document what you see and hear that concerns you.
4. Address your concern with your child's teacher, department head, and finally principal.
5. Go to board meetings and during the public forum section of the meeting, get up and speak. Ask the board how diversity education is addressed for teachers.
If your school or school district still does nothing, retain an attorney if you afford one, if not, remove your child from the school or district. You don't need that. I know this is not always a convenient option, but this is our child, sometimes a little inconvenience goes a long way.
Have you had experience with addressing this issue? If so, please leave a comment below to inform others.
One of the biggest lessons I learned about teaching, I learned from my active duty Marine Corps husband. My husband earned a combat action ribbon from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). When Marines are deployed, they work every single day. While he did go on convoys, voluntarily like a crazy person, his assigned duty was to be a supply clerk. He was the "go to" guy. If you needed something, anything: office supplies,Humve's, food, water flight requests, transfer requests, ANYTHING, he was the person that you'd see to request these things. He often told me stories of how he'd go to another office on the camp established there and fellow Marines sometimes were less than friendly to him. For whatever reason, some Marines just weren't the friendly, smiling type like my husband. Here's proof:
See, happy smiling guy, right?
Well he said that when people were not so nice to him, he knew that eventually, someone would have to come see him... he was the guy that got you stuff. He made a mental note of which offices were less than kind and made sure that when a request came through from one of those not so friendly offices, they would go at the bottom of the priority list.
So how does this correlate to teaching? Well, two things come to mind: know the "go to" people and NETWORKING!
I think every teacher should know the "go to" people in their school and district. Take a walk outside of your classroom every now and then and make people remember who you are...and that you're a friendly person. They can help you, believe me. Equally so, try to non-intrusively make yourself a subject matter expert on something so you become a "go to" person as well. Then you and your new crew can create a perfectly legal quid pro quo type of system. You scratch my back...ring a bell much? Actually, the better you get to know people, the more they want to do for you. You won't have to call in favors, they will just come naturally. Knowing who and how things work beyond your classroom will give you more insight as to how important your role is as well in the system of a school.
Do you even know how decisions are made beyond your four walls? You should. Your principal is busy so running into his or her office and asking about the infrastructure of your school district is a little, well, impractical. Start by attending board meetings. You know, those things you hear about but never attend. I know, you're busy: kids, school, secondary job, those polka lessons you've been taking, but I assure you board meetings are only once per week (sometimes less depending on your school district) and I assure you they don't lock the doors once you enter. You should go. Make yourself visible. People remember faces, especially repeat goers to board meetings. Actually, I'd go with a bunch of teachers from your school. That way your principal gets props for having involved teachers. Oh yeah, I'd ham it up too. Tell all your teacher friends to get there and plan on arriving ten minutes past the time you told them to be there. Walk in and say hello to as many people as possible. Yeah, its a little contrived but you'll look like a person that people should know. Important people may say "who is this person walking in that seems to know people? Let's find out." Make sure you dress professionally, make sure you behave professionally. Limit your cell phone use. Look involved. Once you get people watching, they will keep watching. Be consistent. You don't want people to take notice and then regret that they did.
So I know what some of you may be thinking... I'm not in teaching to schmooze. I'm in it for the children. Look, it can only help you to know people and make those connections. Your students may need information that you can easily provide because you know who to call or resources to produce. Just do it. It will make your life easier too.
Ever heard the expression, "your network equals your net worth?" Its true.
First, let me ask you this. Have you put together a five or ten year plan, twenty? Do you want to be a classroom teacher forever? If so, put all your energy into becoming a "go to" teacher, become an expert. If not, where do you want to be? Leadership? Coaching? District level work? How are you going to get there? One of the hardest lessons I've learned is about burning bridges. I've done it. I started teaching at the young age of 21. 21 years old and starting my professional career. All of my friends were still in undergrad, drinking at night and stumbling into their internships or retail jobs in the morning. I tried to hang out with them but couldn't. What I did share with them was sometimes being not so punctual in the morning. You know the teacher with the kids standing out in the hallway, that was me. Yeah, I'm ashamed to admit it, but that was me. I made a lot of mistakes. Also, I'm a very passionate person. I've had to learn how to tame my reaction to things. In the past I thought, "its okay to speak my mind, I'm being honest." Well the truth of the matter is... who am I to share my unwarranted opinion with others? Sometimes its simply not needed. Whenever I offended someone, I simply shrugged it off thinking "oh well, I won't need that person in the future anyway." Boy, have I been wrong. The further up in your career you want to advance, the more people will inquire about you. If people start digging, what will they find? Be very honest with yourself. If you've made mistakes, no worries, don't beat yourself up. Jot down what you've learned and contact people from the past and let them know how you've grown. Some people will appreciate that. The ones who don't, don't worry, they may have to see you again. Who knows where you'll be in the future. Also, I've lived long enough now to know just how small the world can be. Especially so if you want to stay in the same profession. You will see people again, make sure when you reconnect, its positive. Also, with the advent of Face book and Twitter, we all have a weird "six degrees of separation." Believe me, the people you upset today, you will need. Just like my husband taught me from his year deployment, people remember how you treat them, and one day, you may need them.
That being said, are you networking at all? Are you involved in any community or district organization? This can only help you. Oh yeah, when you go out to events, don't just talk shop either, allow people to get to know the real you. If it is an event with alcohol, don't be the person they get to know because you have no filter and are full of liquid courage. Be the person who can adapt to their environment. People will respect that. Once people get to know you, take advantage of those relationships. Talk to people about learning opportunities. Volunteer to help people out. People will appreciate that and remember it. Don't make yourself someone's virtual slave though, keep your dignity.
So now I throw all of this back on you. Will you get out of your classroom and mingle a little... it can only help you. Try it.
This awesome video was made by the GREAT staff of a school in San Diego. It was shown to their kids to boost morale and prepare them for testing. Catchy isn't it? Nice, right? Something the kids will remember, yes?
Then why do people still question if using hip hop in Education is a useful tool?
First let discuss culture. I believe that if you want to truly engage your students, you need to know them. A great principal once told me "students don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." I know that may sound cliche' and insincere but it really is true. Ask any student who has been sent out of a teacher's room... one of their first claims is what? That's right, "Ms. or Mr. X doesn't LIKE me." We've heard it before. When you don't take the time to know what interests your students, you are telling them you don't care.
Hip hop is mainstream. By that I mean just about everyone, grandparents included, have heard at least one hip hop song in their lifetime. I'm sure there is a song you can reference right that is catchy, has a great tune, and has at least one or two bars or lines that resonate with you, right?
Well why can't you use this with your students?
I remember in one of my graduate school classes the topic of the day was "analyzing effective states in Literacy Education." One of my cohort mates asked if there was any "purpose" to using rap lyrics to teach children content. I know I always preach about being "present" and "emergence" but what was emerging for me at that very moment was that the person simply didn't care enough to see the relevance that hip hop can provide as a useful tool in educating students who ALREADY listen to hip hop and using hip hop as an olive branch to extend to students who may view her as an old, stuffy teacher. If you look at hip hop culture as less than, your kids will pick up on that and conclude you feel the same way about them.
This same teacher stated that she loved teaching poetry.
How can a teacher praise poetry and, excuse me for getting all hip hop on you, "diss" hip hop?
It makes little to no sense to me. Additionally, it is a tool to draw kids in to content they may not necessarily connect to.
One of the most creative assignments I provided with my students was creating a poem or rap song about Manifest Destiny. My students, who were predominately Black and Brown, took to this assignment like fish to water. One group still sticks out. Their hook was "We took your land, and we still want mo', you wanna know why... cause God said so." OMG! I was so impressed. They created music to rap to, they displayed confidence, they were super engaged and LOVED the assignment. They learned and it didn't feel like learning... something we all know teens aren't always excited about.
Using hip hop in your content is a way to connect to urban culture kids. If you use it only as a route memorization tool, then of course it won't be of much help. You've got to use it in a way so students use hip hop as a vehicle to articulate evidence of learning.
Still not convinced?
*sigh*
I knew there would be some people who need more convincing.
What about this:
You cold call this teach a hip hop teacher pioneer. What do you think?
Okay teachers, don't feel as if you've got to go out and purchase Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and Jay-Z's latest albums. They can't and won't help you. Besides, I can assure you that you'll get a stern talking to from your principal and parents if you use those artists as a guide to help you utilize hip hop in your content area.
This is a picture of "the hip hop teacher" Lamar Queen
The best way to incorporate this tool is to ask the students. Students take ownership and create a sense of purpose to any project when the teacher asks for student input.
So just to recap, why is hip hop a great tool to be used in your classroom:
1. You connect with your students. If they listen to hip hop, they will think their once dorky, stuffy teacher is trying to be cool. Either way you can't lose. If they think you're cool, you've won, if they still think you're dorky, they will pay attention to laugh at you and prove their skills are way better than yours.
2. Allow students to critically think. Remember Bloom's Taxonomy? Students, with a proper rubric, will have a head scratching, wrinkle in their brain good time figuring out how to create lyrics to have a relevant presentation to obtain a great grade and not look like a crazy person in front of their peers.
3. You expand students' view of hip hop. We all know hip hop can be full of misogyny, violence, and glamorizing drug and alcohol use. Show students that rap can help you think, bring powerful messages to people and be used to tell a story of social injustices. They love that. So many kids are rebels without a cause. Give them something to be passionate about.
4. You are creating authentic bonds with your students because you are showing them you have an interest in something they listen to constantly.
OH DO YOURSELF A FAVOR. IF YOU HAVE A "TWITTER" ACCOUNT, LOOK UP THE HASHTAG #HIPHOPED TO OBTAIN GREAT RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY.
I can honestly, and sadly, say during my first years of teaching, I did not think about the "home" many of my students went to when they left school grounds. Silly middle class me, two parent household me (until I was 14 when my parents divorced), silly naive, the world of my students has to be like my world me.
Have you ever considered which students in your classroom or at your school site are foster students? Chances are, you haven't. Unless you grew up in the foster care system yourself, you really don't know. Let me share something else with you, Vanessa's story is a UNIQUE one. She's enrolled in college, MANY FOSTER STUDENTS DO NOT MAKE IT THERE. Many leave the system at 18, because they are considered adults, and don't have access to their birth certificates or their social security numbers. How can you obtain employment when you don't have access to these very basic pieces of information? Many children are not placed in permanent homes. Many children transition more than 20 times. Many children are subjected to group home bullies who taunt them constantly, sexual and physical abuse by foster care parents or their relatives, or teasing or taunting from peers in school because of their clothing, lack of hair cut,clean teeth, etc... Many face all of these obstacles at the same time.
Now add homework and your disapproving stares or questions on to that.
Yes, I know life isn't fair. Life will never be fair, but I implore you to take into consideration the type of home environment your students go home to before assigning projects that will cost money to make, or are a substantial portion of their grade. Also be sensitive to things like "family tree" or "family history" projects.
I have yet another book suggestion for you. I am purchasing the book today from a website bookstore:
This book is the sequel to the book "Push" that was adapted into the movie "Precious."
If you haven't seen the movie "Precious"... its a very, VERY difficult watch. Uncomfortably so. But it will give you a background to the sequel book "The Kid." I hate to have a spoiler but Precious Jones, the main character in the book "Push" and movie "Precious" is a sexually, mentally and physically abused teen. Her father molests her and impregnates her twice. I remember in the movie her being called into the Principal's office and the principal asking if she was pregnant again not realizing the abuse she faced at home.
Precious goes on to have her second child, a boy... "The Kid." Precious later finds out that she has HIV. "The Kid" opens to the son, his name is Abdul, at his mother's funeral. He is nine. Then it very graphically explains the horrors that this little boy has to endure daily.
After reading this book, think of your own students.
Okay, let me back track. The worst mistake you could do is ASSUME all of your kids have this issue. The easiest way to find out is... *drum roll*, ask.
Go to your principal and ask if there are any students that you currently teach that have been identified as foster students. If you can't know specific names due to privacy laws, ask if you can have a number. Tell your principal you want to make sure when you provide assignments, you alter the way you provide them to take these students into consideration because you want to ensure success for ALL students. Your principal should be impressed by this as I can assure you many, if any, teachers ask this.
Get those names or that number of students, remember the book "The Kid" and keep it with you.
Here are some startling facts about children in the foster care system you can keep with you as a teacher to serve as a reminder:
The data is old too, from 2005. With the recession our country is currently facing, I can assure you the data is higher in number.
Age:
Average Age: 10.0 years
6% < 1 year
26% 1-5 years
20% 6-10 years
28% 11-15 years
18% 16-18 years
2% >19 years
Gender:
Male 52%
Female 48%
Race and Ethnicity:
As a percentage, there are more children of color in the foster care system than in the general U.S. population. However, child abuse and neglect occur at about the same rate in all racial/ethnic groups.
Race/Ethnicity
Out-of-home care population
General population
Black (non-Hispanic)
32%
15%
White (non-Hispanic)
41%
61%
Hispanic
18%
17%
American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic)
2%
1%
Asian/Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)
1%
3%
Unknown
2%
n/a
2 or more Races (non-Hispanic)
3%
4%
Length of Stay:For the children in foster care on September 30, 2005, the average amount of time they had been in the system was 28.6 months. Half of those leaving care that year had been away from home for a year or longer. 54% of the young people leaving the system were reunified with their birth parents or primary caregivers.
Foster Homes:
In 2004, there was a total of 153,000 licensed/certified/approved kinship and non-relative foster homes nationwide. In 2005, 24% of youth living foster care were residing with their relatives.
Adoptions:In 2005, 60% of adopted children were adopted by their foster parent(s). The "foster parent" category excludes anyone identified as a relative of the child. 25% of children adopted in FY 2005 were adopted by a relative. A "relative" includes a step-parent or other relative of the child.
Siblings and Extended Families:
Youth in Transition:
Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people "age out" of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Several foster care alumni studies show that without a lifelong connection to a caring adult, these older youth are often left vulnerable to a host of adverse situations:
Outcomes during transition from care to adulthood
National data
Regional or Local data
Earned a high school diploma
54%
50% - 63%
Obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher
2%
2%
Became a parent
84%
42%
Were unemployed
51%
30%
Had no health insurance
30%
29%
Had been homeless
25%
36%
Were receiving public assistance
30%
26%
After viewing that data, what do you conclude?
Boys are more likely to stay in the foster care system than girls.
Siblings are more likely to be placed in separate homes.
Black and brown boys are less likely to be adopted.
Keep that with you. Do something about it. Ask your principal. Remember Vanessa from the YouTube clip above.
Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.
When I was pregnant with my son "J" (will not use his first name because I'm a paranoid mom, :-P ) , I was excited because I thought of how much EASIER, or at least in my mind, raising a boy would be than a girl. I thought about the obvious things like not having any hair issues, or not having to buy tights and changing diapers with tights, not having to purchase bras and have your mom have you try them on in the middle of the store (just saying ma), or the dreaded period conversation. Then, as much as I hate to admit it now, I thought I wouldn't have to have the "mommy am I pretty" conversation with my potential daughter over body image, skin color (yes, black women are still under pressure to fit a Eurocentric standard of beauty...Beyonce's blonde weave ring a bell) or eye color. I was happy... with a boy, I wouldn't have to have these conversations. Boys are accepting of their bodies, right? Boys don't think about this, right? Boys just worry about being boys... and as they get older, dating, peer approval, wearing cool clothes, competition, right?
WRONG!!!!!!
This morning. My son, "J", who is almost three years old said to me "Mommy, I have two arms." Let me explain something to all the people reading this with no children. At the age of almost three, my son knows colors,shapes, ABC's, and has an expanded vocabulary. We are still working on number sense (Knowing the number 2 means you have 1,2 of something, etc...). We've been working with this kid all summer. We say to him "J", pass your brother three strawberries" or "Count how many books there are." We try. So when he says "Mommy, I have two arms." I was excited because he is making sense of it. Then he says to me "Mommy, I have two legs, I have two feet, I have two eyes." I praise him by telling him he's absolutely right and ask him for a "high five." Then he says something that stops me cold and immediately wipes the smile off my face: "Mommy, I want blue eyes like Parker."
Wait, Wait, Wait. I know my son, MY SON, a boy, did not just say he wanted blue eyes like his good friend Parker, did he? * sigh * So it begins.
Let me take you back for a second.
Apologies for the second picture being so blurry. The pics above are me as a baby and wee lass. I think in the second picture I am a little younger than my son is now. As I got older, my hair grew to be quite long. My pigtails were down to my waist. I was constantly told by adults (which I know find quite sad), that I was pretty because I had light skin and long hair. I was also constantly told to NEVER cut my hair, for if I did, boys would not like me... I would not be special. Sad right? Well even in my most brainwashed of days, having long hair and light skin wasn't enough. I wanted straighter hair or "good hair". I went to Catholic school during my elementary years. I didn't have to worry about wearing cool clothes but I did want to be like three girls: Ashley, Fonna, and Rashida. They were all bi-racial and all had hair, just as long as me, but their hair was shiny, curly, and straighter than mine. I was at the bottom of the long hair totem pole. (This is really sad that a fourth grader would think this, right)? AND I wanted "pretty eyes". Pretty eyes in the Black community are eyes that are not the standard issue brown color. So any variation or deviation from the standard issue brown eye is usually more pleasing in terms of standards of beauty: light brown, hazel, green, grey, blue, or a combination of any of the aforementioned.
So there I was... wishing, wanting, praying for my hair to get straighter and my eyes to get lighter.... all at the age of nine or so.
So when my son tells me this morning he wants "Blue eyes like Parker" I cringe. Not because blue eyes are bad... because I am not racist as I have been accused of being, LOL! But because my son is Black and he will never genetically have "Blue eyes like Parker."
So I take my son in our bathroom, tell him to look in the mirror and I tell him "J, you have brown eyes, and brown eyes are pretty." I realize that the term pretty is not something men would prefer to hear but he's two, give me a break. He knows what the word means, LOL!
I tell him to look in the mirror. I say "Daddy has brown eyes, mommy has brown eyes, brother has brown eyes, and 'J' has brown eyes. Brown eyes are pretty.
Do you think brown eyes are pretty? He nods yes. Then its time to finish our regular morning routine to get him ready for pre-school so he can go play with his "friends."
As my husband put our son in our car to take him to pre-school, I began thinking about two things: all the times in my youth where boys told me they wanted longer hair or lighter eyes or lighter skin and why doesn't my son's pre-school have multi-cultural celebrations?
I remember a boy in middle school named Marcus. Marcus had green eyes. All the girls in my middle school liked Marcus. I remember a conversation once with Marcus where he told me about a TV ad he saw with a Caucasian guy with blond hair and a baseball cap he'd whip off revealing his beautiful hair. Thanks to this shampoo, the guy's blonde hair was now bouncy, shiny, and clean. Marcus told me that he would do the same move with a baseball cap that was in the TV ad, over and over again... but the blonde hair never materialized. Its amazing the things from your childhood that your children can make you remember.
Then I thought to myself, as a Secondary Educator, I am hard on teachers for not practicing cultural proficiency. Not recognizing beauty and brains from all shades, abilities, ethnicities and genders. Then I felt bad because I failed to demand this same culturally competent practice from my son's pre-school.
Why?
I recall some months back twittering furiously over the lack of black super heroes for my son to look up to, other than his dad of course :-) In his room you will find Buzz Lightyear EVERYWHERE. He loves Buzz. My husband and I prefer cartoon movies with animals or cars, trains, ANYTHING except replicas of actual people for our son to like because we don't have to discuss if Spiderman is white, black, Asian, or whatever because he wears a mask (until he saw the movie, thanks Hollywood.)
I was so disappointed that my son couldn't find a likeness of himself to imagine being a hero. The one person he hangs on to is this guy
Meet "Kevin" the Black Power Ranger from "Power Ranger Samurai" on Nickelodeon.
If we happen to catch this on tv, "J" will say "mommy, that's me, I'm Kevin on Powah Rangeah Sama-rai" (he's two, he still has a cute Bugs Bunny voice.)
Then I thought to myself, Wow, Kevin is the ONLY dude holding it down for all black boys in the super hero division. What a heavy role Kevin... Samurai away dude.
But back to my connection to school. Teachers, this is why culturally competent, all inclusive Education is needed: to counter the lack of diversity in the media that will ultimately affect a child's self esteem. Believe me, the examples of me wanting straighter hair, or Marcus wanting blonde hair, or my son wanting blue eyes, are few of the millions of examples any person of color who is now secure with their identity will share with you. If this weren't true, why would Asian people undergo eye flap surgery to go from this to this:
Or why would darker hued people all over the world bleach their skin to go from this to this:
And let us not forget hair straightening to go from this to this:
Why? I wont say something as harsh as self-hatred, because that isn't productive. Although I do think that's a small part of it... I'll say assimilation, or blending in. But who sets the standard? Bigger eyes, lighter skin, straighter hair? Please don't take this as me saying white people are evil or are oppressive on an individual basis... it just shows that there is a marked lack of diversity in mass media. Any race is able to do this, it just so happens that History, television ads, magazine ads, sports reports, local news channels, etc... all focus on Eurocentric standards of beauty.
As a teacher, just remember that this is the often unspoken monster you are fighting. You became a teacher not only to educate but to uplift, right? You want your students to feel good about themselves, right?
Then please remember to celebrate how EVERYONE looks... not just one. Stories about "Goldilocks" or "Susie with the blonde hair" or "Parker with the Blue eyes" really do touch a young child in hurtful ways that they are not able to process yet. All they know is that they aren't that character, they don't look like the person in the story you described. This is true in examples of class too by the way. If all the heroes you depict are white or rich... what does that say to a child who isn't and will never be?
This is yet another reason why you can't say "I don't see color" because the issues mentioned above are what children hold with them. I'd like to recommend a book if I could.
Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" is a very touching story about a little girl named Peacola who wants blue eyes... if she gets them, she deeply, pathologically believes that her life will be better. While the story is fiction, sadly, for many children of color, it hits very close to home...
Before I begin, let me ask you to imagine yourself on a journey. Let's say you are a missionary. You travel to a country whose geography, culture, language, and customs are unknown to you except for what you've seen on television and read in books (because the media is always accurate, right?). Let's say you are going to work and live in this country for an extended amount of time, let's say nine months or so... Answer this question, would you like a translator and tour guide to accelerate your learning?
If you answered yes, then you've already answered my question.
Now my point. I feel Black and Brown students NEED a significant amount of teachers, particularly male, who look like them.
Why?
The answer is simple... role modeling. In an earlier post on "Why every teacher should take an improv class," I embedded a video of principals of three different schools in the San Diego area who agreed that teacher selection should be purposeful and meticulous. We have all heard of this so-called "achievement gap", yes? Let me ask you this, what "sub-group" (term used for category of students who fall below their, usually white, student peers) always fall into this category: black and brown males.
Okay, so I know what you may be thinking: "I don't see color, children don't see color, if a teacher is good, it shouldn't matter."
Well... not really.
Do we really have to go into the lack of color offered in traditional curriculum. Let me take you back to my days in college... that's me, proud undergraduate education major, ready to rule the world. That's my grandma who we affectionately call "Grandma Key". She's awesome, but I digress.
I recall my freshman year of college, I was one of the FEW Black students in my freshman English comp. classes. A major portion of our grade was to write literary responses and being the only Black person in the class, I felt proud to hold my own and represent for all of my fellow Black freshman who, for whatever reason, were placed in the remedial comp. classes. So we get to the syllabus, I look and see an assignment: "Response and thoughts to 'why do Black people use the word nigger." I can't remember the author of the article, and remember, this is in 1998 so this is WAY before the advent of Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, and just about any other easy resource to find an easy answer. I cringed at having to do this assignment... because I knew inevitably, I would be the representative for my entire race... black and brown folks I know hate that by the way. Unless we are giving a symposium about race, then don't ask us why do "Black or Latino" people do ANYTHING, it really makes us upset.
Any who, the day eventually rolled around when we had to type up an assignment and provide in class feedback. I had so much anxiety about giving the right answer. I was asked over and over again "why" and "how come" and "why can't 'we' say it". It was so humiliating... and I was in college, 17, but still, in college the same.
Now, can you imagine being 11, and one of few Black or Brown kids in your classroom and having the same discourse, well meaning... maybe, but still.
I can remember a joke by Chris Rock where he once said that the only thing he learned in school about black folks was "Martin Luther King", he thought it was the answer to everything.
See it here(excuse the sometimes colorful language he uses):
When a curriculum highlights people of color, particularly Black and Brown, as slaves or "vaqueros" and provides no follow up... a student of color disconnects from the curriculum. Would you want to read something about your people being oppressed or being once great and losing their land? The History textbook is FULL of great things white folks did. White kids can connect. They see themselves in History, they may not even think about it... but they see themselves. White kids, white teachers, white contributions... are you following me yet?
Why can't kids of color have that same experience?
Let me go on to my next example. When I taught in Detroit, my hometown, there were tons of black kids and tons of black teachers... we still had problems, those problems were mainly rooted in classism, another killer of teachers connecting to students, but it wasn't until I started teaching in San Bernardino, a city that is mainly Latino in population, did I realize how thirsty the students were for a Black teacher.
I started a step team. I am a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority founded in 1920 at Howard University in Washington D.C. Stepping, while I sucked at it (those who can't teach, lol), was an art form I remember being amazed by.
Here are examples of what "stepping" is and looks like:
Its good exercise and provides the perfect forum to bond with young girls to push an agenda of sisterhood, respecting your mind, body and soul. So I announced to my middle school kids in San Bernardino I'd be starting one. Remember, I was one of two black teachers on a staff of about 50... the first year I had 40 girls audition, the second year, I had well over 100. They all wanted to be apart of something... they didn't know what it was really, but they saw a black teacher, a "black" thing and they could identify.
Have you ever read this book by Dr. Beverly Tatum?
If not, you should. Good read, it will give you a lead on understanding why, when there is a marked absence of color, students of color bond together. This is true of ANY group of kids who are a minority in a white majority.
Let me keep moving to my original point and close.
Kids of color NEED teachers of color. In districts who receive high amounts of Title I funds, kids of color need teachers of color to counteract any negative images that are familiar to them. I cringe when I hear Black kids say "Black people don't do that." Yes, everything from swimming, to traveling abroad, to eating stinky cheese, to picnics, to boat rides (beside how we got here) and other various activities depicted in mass media as being a "white" activity. What really kills me is when I hear Black or Brown kids say ".... don't go to Harvard." Ouch! That's when I use technology and google, in front of my kids, the Black and Brown student associations at as many ivy league schools as I can. So what can a Black or Brown teacher do? Provide a living testament that what you see on TV is false since this is a collage of what they see:
Instead of this:
If you were constantly bombarded with one type of image, which one would you believe... this is where teachers of color come into play. They contradict the negative images that stereotypes provide to students.
I'm not saying that teachers of color don't have to undergo cultural proficiency training either. Like I stated earlier, many teachers who teach in high poverty areas and are of the same ethnic background as their students but have a middle class background discriminate, but they can still be examples.
I'm not demonizing white teachers. But I think white teachers who wish to teach in areas where the student population is diverse should be aware of stereotypes and biases they may hold. I can't tell you how many things people have said to me that have offended me... oh these people are teachers.
Recently a woman told me she wanted her daughter to have a baby with my dark skinned son, I have two, here they are:
Let me pause, since I am a black woman I feel the need to say YES, I'm married and YES, my kids are the products of the same two people, my husband and I pictured below:
I'm five months pregnant in this pic with the littlest one "Lil Bro" above, LOL!
Anyway, she asked if her daughter could have a baby with my "dark son" so they could have a mixed baby because mixed babies are the cutest black babies. I can only imagine what she has said with no filter in her classroom to the many Black students she has.
I swear sometimes I want to write a manifesto for White Teachers or the TEN COMMANDMENTS of Caucasian teachers.
I think I will:
1. Thou shalt not assume ANYTHING. I remember a White teacher once asking me about my family. I mentioned my mom first and he goes "and how about dad, or do you know?"
I can look back and laugh now but as a teenager, you really don't know how to answer something like that.
2. Thou shalt not inauthentically use pop culture as a way to bond with your students. People of color get offended if you try too hard and reference every rap song, every Spanish word, every Asian film, every Indian restaurant you've been to in an attempt to connect. Just be yourself... but don't make stereotypes, is that too much to ask?
3. Thou shalt not lower expectations and socially promote. Okay, I get so tired of hearing "these kids can't..." Really? Instead of focusing on what the kids "AREN'T" doing, how about focusing on what they can do and start from there? You entered this business and you knew coming in that you'd have students with different ability levels... oh, you mean your undergrad education didn't prepare you for the real world? In the real world , everyone doesn't live like you, doesn't have the same background as you. Lowering expectations is racist. How are you preparing your kids for the future? Set a goal, have them reach it. Hate to invoke Malcolm X here, but do it by:
4. Thou shalt look at your behavior problems and ask if you are sending out one student or group of student who look the same or have the same background. Here's the thing: your students and your administrators will notice a trend in your referral writing before you do. There sometimes is merit to kids saying "he or she only sends out the black kids" or the "Mexican kids". Is this true? I'd like you to first tighten up on your classroom management. Then track your referrals. This is something you should be doing anyway. Look for patterns in the type of student and type of behavior that sets you off. Remember to be present. When a student does something, what's emerging for you that makes you upset? Remember this is a child, right? I know by middle school the kid may be taller than you, may have more facial hair than you, deeper voice than you, but still... they're still a child. Remember that and remember you're a teacher. Its not about winning a verbal battle with a child, its about educating them. Besides, when teachers bicker with students, students remember it and know how to push your buttons.
5. Thou shalt not criticize language use of your students or call it "ghetto." Have you ever been called a name by someone who was trying to help you? What if you went to a seminar and the speaker called you an idiot but still wanted you to stay and learn. Would you? Probably not. Well that's what happens when you call your students ghetto or correct their broken English. I know you want them to speak properly... but properly to whom? First there is something called "code switching" look it up. Non white and ethnic whites have been doing it for years and I promise you it is not an indicator of intellect. If you tell your kids that how they speak is fine but you want to teach them the rules, while not fair, to success... then they will listen. When you criticize how they speak, you criticize how their parents speak, how their neighborhood speaks, everything they know. Don't do that. Show them what they need to play the game. After all, I'm sure you have used colorful language from time to time, right? Do you use it on campus, no? Teach them that way. Not in a "right" v. "wrong" way. They'll listen.
6. Thou shalt not disregard claims that you're a "racist." Look, racism comes in many forms and if you're a non white person, chances are you've seen about every kind at some point in your life. Being a racist doesn't mean that you don a Klan uniform to work and burn crosses for a living or shine your Neo-Nazi boots Friday afternoon with the spit of impure people... it could be as simple as, oh, I don't know, asking that your child have a child with my child because mixed babies are cuter than regular black babies. Yes, that was racist. If I called her racist, she wouldn't think so. I'm sure she'd use the old "look where I teach" I can't be racist line... uhhh, yes you can. If a student or fellow staff member calls you out. Look at what you've done. Ask the opinion of a trusted non white or culturally aware white friend you have if what you did can be perceived as racist. If it was or is, address it. Students like when you own up to your mistakes. When you do that, you're being a good role model.
7. Thou shalt know the neighborhood beyond driving to work everyday. I find it funny when teachers don't know the lay of the land in the school district they work for. What if students told you a fight was happening at the corner of X and Y. What would you do? Not that you'd show up and try to stop it, but you can be aware. I remember once being taken on a tour of the Logan Heights area of San Diego by an alternative ed. principal. He knew gang territories, he knew where kids typically fought, he knew where kids made out, he knew stores kids frequented, he just knew. Ever heard of collaborative action? Store owners, local residents, and yes, the police, appreciate an educated Educator. Learn about the neighborhood where your kids come from. You'll learn about them and know how to better drive the delivery of your content. Heck, you may even find a good food spot... or "hidden gem" as I like to call them.
8. Thou shalt offer other perspectives than then ones in the textbook. Do I really need to say this? If you aren't supplementing the very White History or Literature in your books with contributions of people from all ethnic backgrounds, why are you even in this game. Everyone wants to feel validated. Are you helping or hurting?
9. Thou shalt decorate your classroom with heroes from ALL backgrounds, not just during Black History Month or Latino Heritage Month, etc... When you only put up people of color in your classroom 30 days out of a 9 or 12 month school year, kids don't buy it. Represent your love of humanity by researching people who have contributed to your content area. Kids love it. Find historical posters, find quotes, find pictures of books. Make your walls scream that in your four walls, everyone is celebrated.
10. Thou shalt NEVER, EVER say "I don't see color." When you say you don't see it, you are saying everyone should ignore anyone who is different. Kids see color, they will point it out. So what, what will you say, "nope, we're all the same." No we're not. As soon as you realize that, the better off you'll be. You should see color... just don't prejudge it.
