The New Jim Crow

Encountering The New Jim Crow:
Reflections on Mass Incarceration and Urban Education

Although I had heard much talk about The New Jim Crow, I had never actually read the book by highly regarded civil rights attorney and legal scholar, Michelle Alexander. The clear and concise work is a devastating indictment of America’s Mass Incarceration policies and a compelling call for change. My first encounter with The New Jim Crow prompted reflection in several areas related to urban education and teaching – starting with thoughts about incorporating the book into the urban literacy classroom.

Michelle Alexander

Reflections on the Text

More than just managing to weave together a wide web of historical, legal, social and political strands of information, Alexander has modeled a new culturally connected research format which heavily relies on language that humanizes the individual victims of Mass Incarceration. In this way, the format documents and demonstrates as it advocates.

Alexander’s text never feels preachy or manipulative. The understatement of her straight-forward language and approach actually serves to highlight the enormity of the human toll. It is shocking to consider the numbers of poor people and people of color locked in our prisons. Most disturbing is the fact that – a felony record forever restricts a person’s opportunities to secure housing, employment and education. Despite having served the full sentence for a drug-related conviction – released prisoners remain trapped behind the label of “felon,” permanent members of the American undercaste.

Portions of Alexander’s book could also be used in the urban literacy classroom to supplement study of works of fiction – specifically, Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, which contemplates many of the concepts Alexander explores related to “racial” stereotypes, media images, perception and self-identity.



Reflections on Self

The topics in Michelle Alexander’s book hit close to home. My family has been impacted in many ways by policing, drug laws and drug enforcement policies. My father served 20 years on the local police force in my hometown – McKeesport, PA – which is just outside of Pittsburgh. My father was, in fact, the city’s first Black chief of police. So from an early age, I was aware of crime, criminality and the law. As the son of an officer, my perceptions about “The Police” were not typical of the other young people of color with whom I went to school.

ed.

These and other family-related situations and experiences have certainly shaped my views about drugs and policing issues as they relate to young people of color. Unlike the views that would perhaps be held by a White person with little actual interaction with the Black community, I appreciate that stereotypes and media images are not real and that each person swept up in the War on Drugs is an individual with an individual story. I understand how prevalent drugs are in certain neighborhoods and some of the common attitudes toward drugs. As the son of a police officer I can also appreciate some of the law enforcement perspectives.



Reflections on Community

While the specter of Mass Incarceration is grim, this is not reflected in the physical buildings and spaces connected to the justice system.  Visiting the clean, quiet, orderly local police station, County Courthouse and Family Justice Center produces a feeling of sanity and security – a jarring disconnect with the feel of the justice system described in Alexander’s book. The courthouse is anything but grim, with its tall, shiny beams, polished floors and bright signage. The staff is professional and polite, and even the security guards are relaxed and friendly. From a government perspective, justice is being dispensed in well-lit, well-cared for, well-ordered institutions. The only witness to Jim Crow is peeking into windows of courtrooms on dozens of floors and keeping count of how many of the defendants are people of color. But, as a community space, the physical encounter with our justice system betrays no hint of the vicious cycle of Mass Incarceration in America.



Reflections on School Policies

Alexander’s outline of the New Jim Crow system is here related to aspects of the school system.

New Jim Crow

1. "War on Drugs"
2. "Mass incarceration policies . . . are a comprehensive and well-disguised system of racialized control that functions in a manner strikingly similar to Jim Crow."
3. "Federal drug authorities publicized the problem, using scare tactics to generate support."
4. ". . . expansion of law enforcement activities in America's inner city neighborhoods. . .”
5. "More aggressive enforcement of federal drug laws resulted in a dramatic increase in street level arrests for possession."
6. ". . . a growing and permanent undercaste" . . . "stigmatized racial group locked into inferior position by law and custom"

Schooling & Discipline Policies

1. “Accountability Movement” “Zero Tolerance”
2. Statistics on the types of students subjected to removal from the general classroom, suspensions and expulsions reveal part of a disguised system of racialized control.
3. Politicization and news media marketing of urban school failure and discipline problems.
4. Students who are failing, for whatever reasons, are labeled and tracked, leading to de facto school segregation
5. Focus on testing – leading to student labeling and tracking; tying test scores to teacher evaluations – leading to school staff cheating.
6. Once swept up in the school's behavioral system – or given a particular label – children of color become academically marginalized.

Reflections on Students

To gain a bit of insight into urban family perspectives, I viewed the stories of two young people – Christel (15-years-old) and Demetria (14 years-old) – who were featured in a 2014 PBS report entitled, Prison State: An intimate look at the cycle of mass incarceration in America.

Both teenagers are from Beecher Terrace, a housing project in Louisville, Kentucky where a large majority of the neighborhood has been to jail or prison. In this community, incarceration has been thoroughly normalized. The report notes that many of the incarcerated are people returning to prison for technical violations – not adhering to the conditions of their release in some way – rather than for committing a new crime. This applies to Christel and Demetria. For both, ongoing involvement with the system centers on probation violations.

Christel lives with her mom. For most of Christel’s life, her father has been in and out of prisons. She says her father, uncles and most of her cousins “are all in jail.” The lack of a relationship with her father seems to be central to Christel’s story. Christel mentions her father’s absence several times, as does her mother who believes it is a major contributing factor to Christel’s emotional and social maladjustments. As a student, Christel’s mother says her daughter would sometimes “act up” in elementary school but that it was when she went to middle school that “things got really bad.” Christel has been diagnosed as a student dealing with Bipolar disorder and ADHD. Her main schooling violations seem to be truancy and fighting. She was eventually sent to some sort of “alternative school” which is not described in the PBS report but which clearly was not a place that served her needs. The system was busy correcting Christel but failed at connecting with her. Christel’s mother speaks of her dilemma as a parent, explaining that her daughter leaves for school but does not actually go, forcing her to take out a ”Beyond Control Warrant” so she won't be prosecuted for Christel’s truancy. Along with charges for skipping school, Christel was, at one point, charged with the violation of “Resisting Arrest” after a school fight. This resulted in several negative interactions with the criminal system. Christel, who made at least one suicide attempt, offers the following self-assessment: “I'm an evil pathetic problem child. I'm useless . . . I'm tired. I'm confused . . . I'm just ready to die."

Demetria, whose mother was murdered, lives in Beecher Terrace with her aunt. Demetria is described by her aunt as extremely angry and defiant, saying, "she doesn't like for people to tell her what to do." Of course this leads to trouble in the typical school environment. A social worker asks Demetria, “How mad are you on a scale of one to ten?” Without hesitation, she responds, “Ten.” The root causes of her anger are not fully identified or explored in the PBS program, but the loss of her mother can fairly be assumed to be a major factor. Demetria’s father is not mentioned. For whatever reasons, he has no presence in the young girl’s story. Demetria has a record of truancy and behavior violations at school. She was also once jailed for assaulting her aunt. The report does not list any specific cognitive or emotional behavioral disorder, but it is clear that the young lady is wrestling with intense emotional issues. She continues to have difficulties at home and school because she has an inability to handle her own emotions. At the time of the report, Demetria is being housed in a juvenile shelter. Prior to violating her probation and running away from the shelter, Demetria expresses some powerful thoughts about her future. How could the system fail to connect with this? –  “I'm going to finish school. I'm going to be something when I grow up."




Reflections on Urban Teaching

Mack

While teaching Language Arts at North Senior Academy (NSA), I had many varied discussions and interactions with students centered on drug use, prison and policing. I recall my dealings with one specific student – hereafter referred to as Mack. Mack was hardly a “model student,” but he had a good head on his shoulders. He had street smarts, and despite some poor work habits, he had a solid attendance record and knew how to “do school” well enough to pass.

I assumed he may have been a marijuana smoker, but if so, I felt it was none of my business. I certainly never thought he was using drugs at school. As far as I was concerned, Mack was a real person, living in the real world, doing the best he could to get through school. Based on talk from students, I knew that Mack had somewhat of a notorious reputation, but he was generally very respectful of the classroom rules and of me personally. However, the other teachers on the NSA staff (all White) saw Mack quite differently. Because his movements and mannerisms were sluggish, his eyes were often sleepy looking, and his disposition was somewhat oppositional and cocky – the teachers were convinced Mack had a drug problem. It went from teacher lounge complaints and conversations to the point where Mack was named during a staff meeting as needing special interventions and calls home. Somewhat aware of Mack’s family situation, I saw this as needless, pointless and potentially disruptive and damaging to Mack – however, I did not speak up in his defense. At the time, I simply did not want to interject myself into the situation. In retrospect, I see that my selfish silence contributed to what I knew amounted to unfair harassment and a bit of hysteria. There never were any inventions, but subsequently, on two occasions, Mack was sent home from school on the report of a single teacher who, in both instances, claimed she had noticed Mack smelling of marijuana.

I eventually spoke privately with the student. It turned out to be a very enlightening and humbling conversation. Although he said he definitely had not been smoking pot on either occasion, he nonetheless, happily agreed to leave the building when confronted about the smell – so he could go home early. He laughed about it, saying the teacher thought she was hassling him, when actually she was doing him a favor: he got out of classes. The school never officially disciplined Mack, filed formal accusations against him or, as far as he knew, made any sort of record. According to Mack, neither the reporting teacher nor any other staff member ever even contacted his mother about his unacceptable odor problem.

Mack explained that, while smoking pot was no big deal – and most of his family and friends smoked it – in fact, he was not much of a drug user. He revealed that an older brother of his was serving a lengthy prison sentence for drug-related crimes, leading him to decide not to use marijuana or any other drug. Mack expressed that he was extremely scared of going to prison. As for his clothes smelling like pot, Mack explained it was due to the fact that he was often around people who were smoking drugs – including his mother.

So, it turned out that, not only were the other teachers wrong about Mack, even my basic assumptions about him were wrong. I too, believed that he was at least an occasional pot smoker – based only on my perceptions of him and his outward behaviors. In reality, here was a young Black man – with the saggy jeans and saggy posture of the stereotyped drug user from the ‘hood – that had actively chosen to be drug free. Mack did not need interventions for a drug addiction; he actually needed support in his efforts to avoid the trap of drugs while being surrounded by them. He had chosen to stay in school as a way to avoid prison. He directly told me that.

Through this conversation and subsequent interactions with the student, I came to see that Mack’s fears about landing in prison actually explained some of his disruptive behavior and rule-breaking. Mack had experienced the drug-related disasters of friends and family, including shootings and murders. He must have figured that, as long as he wasn’t smoking drugs, gang banging, or involved in any activity that was illegal -- he was being a good kid. Violations of school rules or policies – cursing at teachers or cutting classes – were seen in the context of criminal felonies, and were therefore dismissed as trivial.

In that same sense, I now appreciate that – if a parent’s fear is that, at any moment, the phone will ring with news about a son’s arrest, injury or death, then it is understandable why that parent would shrug off a call from the child’s English teacher about gum-chewing or talking out of turn.



Reflections on Families

Among the potential negative effects of Mass Incarceration policies on urban families as related to student learning and outcomes are the following eight items:
 

• A parent or family member sent away to prison is the removal of a source of student support – not just financial and social, but academic support
  
  
• The new Jim Crow has systematically removed positive adult male role models from neighborhoods and created a vacuum of community leadership
  
  
• The value and importance of an education is diminished when a child feels that four years in prison is as likely a future scenario as four years in college
  
  
• Mass Incarceration fosters a general sense of hopelessness and low expectations
  
  
• Mass Incarceration contributes to the Opportunity Gap in the social and employment sectors
  
  
• A large percentage of parents and students are haphazardly attending school in prisons and detention centers
  
  
• Distrust of police and the criminal justice system transfers to distrust of teachers, school administrators and the education system
  
  
• The new Jim Crow has devastated neighborhoods and thus neighborhood schools

Reflections on School Structures and Systems

I believe it is Joel Spring (Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality) who points out that, by examining the systems devised to deculturalize and miseducate students from particular communities, we can actually see the systems that are needed in order to include, enfranchise and empower their learning. I’m wildly paraphrasing Spring, perhaps going beyond his point, but in any event – such a theory can be applied to the new Jim Crow. In her critique of the wide-ranging social dilemma, Alexander isolates and pinpoints the various systems (belief systems and institutional structures) used to build and maintain a policy of Mass Incarceration. In so doing, Alexander has identified the systems (beliefs, rules and customs) that must be employed in order to fully address and correct the situation.

In this same vein, the creation of a new equitable schooling system – and schools designed to maximize individual learning opportunities – can be contemplated by charting the old system’s components, here expressed as directives and strategies:


To-Do List of a Dead System

• Fashion an environment with an oppositional, top-down dynamic that demands rule compliance from children
  
  
•  Create conditions that demand silence, stillness and suppression of individuality
  
  
• Divide learners into big class sizes of two dozen or more
  
  
• Divide learning into study of discrete subject areas
  
  
• Use a calendar based on antiquated farming needs and a schedule based on factory shift hours
  
  
• Design spaces for a small staff of teachers -- not a large body of individual learners
  
  
• Ignore the various cultural norms, perspectives and priorities of diverse students and families
  
  
• Employ a largely White teacher workforce to educate a culturally diverse student population
  
  
• Isolate certain types of students from the general classroom through discipline policies
  
  
• Label and track certain types of students into groups
  
  
• Maintain mechanisms that will consistently underserve gifted/talented students from certain cultural groups
  
  
• Tie funding to testing and testing to labels like "ineffective teacher" and "failing school"

Reversing Course

Of the deadly components in the above list of structural elements, large class sizes present the biggest nightmare.

By grouping two dozen or more students into one classroom with one teacher, schools create a situation where students are in a crowd. The set-up means that, first and foremost, students have to be quiet and seated – just simply to maintain order. The hidden curriculum is a lesson about what sorts of attitudes, dispositions and behaviors are valued and "good." Large class sizes also communicate an almost Orwellian worldview of schooling – where every student will be fed the same instruction and assessed in the same way, so the size or make-up of a class is of no consequence. And obviously, it limits teachers’ ability to differentiate, individualize and build productive relationships.

The reverse of this structural element?

Reduce the average class size to 8 - 10 students. While expensive, use of flexible rotating scheduling, time modules, learning teams and other creative ways to organize a responsive schedule with appropriately sized classes would significantly reduce staffing costs. Still, the expense would be quite a leap from the nation’s present level of investment in education. The effort would require a doubling of the teacher workforce with an intentionally diverse new group of educators and specialists, and a reorganization of the physical settings and curricular systems where teachers interact with students.

Four top structural change priorities:

• Wrap-around (social, medical) services
  
  
• Diversify the urban teacher workforce
  
  
• Common Core curriculum for content and proficiency expectation consistency across systems (including juvenile detention centers and prison systems)
  
  
• Urban classroom discussion, investigation and critical consideration of incarceration issues

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Images, Metaphors and Reflections

Images, Metaphors and Reflections on Urban Schooling

[Metaphors]

Metaphor describing the school system:
Two people carrying a wheel down a hill

Metaphor for the ever-changing initiatives and programs:
Customer to shop owner in an antique store: “What’s new?”

Metaphor describing teachers:
Prometheus stealing fire from the gods

Metaphor for learning:
The snake tempting Eve with forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden

Metaphor for consequences of a cultural Melting Pot:

Shakespeare's The Tempest tells the tale of Prospero, the once powerful but exiled Duke of Milan, forced to flee and take up residence on a remote island. Caliban, the island native, half-man half-monster who initially welcomed Prospero, has since become Prospero's slave. Caliban has grown violently resentful, believing that the island rightfully belongs to him and that Prospero stole it.

Prospero:

Abhorred slave,
Which any print of goodness wilt not take,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour
One thing or other. When thou didst not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like
A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes
With words that made them known. But thy vile race,
Though thou didst learn, had that in ’t which good natures
Could not abide to be with.

Caliban:

You taught me language, and my profit on ’t
Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you
For learning me your language!

Prospero expects gratitude, not resentment, for his attempts to ‘civilize’ Caliban – and for giving Caliban the gift of language. Language, for Prospero, is a means to knowing oneself. But for Caliban, self-knowledge presents the torment between who he is and who he was before Prospero changed him.

Shakespeare has devised a timeless cultural metaphor. It is also specifically a metaphor describing the torment of cultural duality and liminality often experienced by hyphenated Americans – that is to say, the experience of living simultaneously in two worlds, and not fully living in either.



Metaphor describing the school system:
An ornery old mule digging in his heels and refusing to move

[Spies: Learning Teams]

The ideas in Paul Spies' Learning Teams article seem to me to be an obvious way to increase engagement and learning – and yes, narrow the Achievement Gap. The wide-spread use of learning teams and other methods of interdisciplinary learning is clearly necessary. The question is – why are schools still using the farm and factory model of schooling from the 1930s?

I recall a Spanish language teacher that I got along with very well, and the time we decided to do a coordinated lesson unit. Scheduling was trickier than we realized. There was no support whatsoever. It was so difficult, it became almost like we were doing something to make our jobs harder! And, this was only a very low-key, modest little mixing of classrooms we were trying – and it was only with one period! This particular situation was not typical, but the time and effort involved does point out some of the key problems teachers encounter when going off-road. Teachers are not administrators, and ultimately, if there is to be innovation, there must be prepared paths for the implementation of creative ideas.

Metaphor describing the school system:

A famous riddle tells of a father and son who have a car accident and are both badly hurt. They are taken to separate hospitals. When the boy is taken in for an operation, the surgeon says 'I cannot do the surgery because this is my son'. The riddle asks how this is this possible. Answer: the surgeon is a female. She is the boy's mother.

[Zeichner & Liston: Reflective Teaching]
Why is it important to situate reflections in a broader social and systemic context?

• This type of reflection is at the heart of critical pedagogy – consideration of root causes, social implications, ideologies, cultures and power structures.
  
• Socially contextualized reflections afford the inclusion of multiple perspectives. If reflections are to be useful dialectical, answer-driven exercises, then it is necessary to include the broader social and systemic issues that may be at play in work with students and families.
  
• Increased awareness and understanding of the various ways in which social, political, and cultural dynamics may affect student learning and outcomes will increase a teacher’s ability to build positive, productive relationships with learners.
  
• This level of reflection develops the cultural competence needed to communicate with people across cultures.
  
• Well-meaning teachers, both White and Black, may mistakenly believe they are being impartial and color-blind. Socially contextualized reflection forces teachers to acknowledge the possible impact of culture and community on their classroom.

Metaphor describing the school system:
Driving forward while looking in the rear-view mirror

[Baldwin: A Talk to Teachers]

How are the realities of 1963 – today’s realities?

The social and cultural pathologies Baldwin describes are deep-seated, long-term issues that don’t change in 50 years. Those realities are the same. However, in terms of the broad social concerns of the Civil Rights era, there is evidence of remarkable movement forward. Technology has changed everything, and in that arena, 1963 may as well be 1863. Thinking specifically about the resistance educators face when attempting to make corrections to the system, things have arguably changed for the worse. The era of “accountability,” initially intended to help provide equity and close the Achievement Gap, became a hindrance as it quickly transformed into the era of standardized testing – just as the “War on Drugs” turned into the policy of Mass Incarceration.

Metaphor describing the school system: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

Said the Hatter with a sigh: `it's always tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles.'

`Then you keep moving round, I suppose?' said Alice.

`Exactly so,' said the Hatter: `as the things get used up.'

`But what happens when you come to the beginning again?' Alice ventured to ask.

`Suppose we change the subject,' the March Hare interrupted.



[Gregory, et.al.: Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap]

“The Normalization of Failure”

I have experienced the normalization of failure as it plays out in families and communities. In my experience at North Senior Academy, nearly half of the seniors were not on track to graduate. That was the norm. We were at the end of the line. There was no more figuring things would all just work out somehow down the road. Students would be directly told they would not graduate without making up credits, but many simply shrugged it off. Parents and guardians were directly told that their student would have to transfer to programs designed to allow students to make up credits, but many would not act, citing various reasons. I recall one mom saying all of her sons had graduated from North High and she was determined that her last son stay there. While I respect that sentiment, it did not address the student’s lack of necessary credits toward graduation. The student’s diploma would still have been from North Senior Academy. That senior did not graduate that year.

“The Discipline Gap”

Critical pedagogy practitioners would argue that, instead of increasing student learning, a punitive environment focused on obedience and disciplinary rules is likely to undermine growth.

In relation to The New Jim Crow, it is key that this article speaks of society addressing “school discipline in much the same way that our society addresses crime.  In both cases, the approach is guided by the same ideological assumptions: (1) the problem of misbehavior/crime can be addressed by identifying and removing the offenders; and (2) the cause of misbehavior/crime exists within the individual offenders.”

[Spring: The Purposes of Public Schooling]

Metaphor describing my ideal school system:

In the center of the city grows a tree mighty high – rooted deep in the earth and reaching toward the sky


The purpose of urban schooling: Nurture and support the academic, social and personal development of all urban youth


[Advancement Project: School to Prison Pipeline]

How is the school to prison pipeline manifested?

The system’s focus on the Achievement Gap itself informs and reinforces stereotypes, prejudices and deficit thinking. Re-framing and re-naming the student Achievement Gap, Gloria Ladson-Billings asserted that "historical, economic, sociopolitical and moral” components have accumulated over time and comprise what should properly be called America’s Education Debt.

On the first day of class, when the White teacher knows nothing about the students sitting in front of her, she does know that Black students, as a group, score significantly lower on State tests. In lieu of information about individuals, the teacher has data and information that shows it is mostly Black students who end up in the behavior dean’s office. Consciously or otherwise, does she decide that the Black students are the ones who would potentially prevent her from getting high scores on teacher observations and evaluations? 

Pop Culture Quiz!

Which one of these students will do better in your class?

Why?




Which student will like your class the most?
 
Why?





 
Which pair of students needs more teacher guidance?

Why?



Which of these students is smarter?

 

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Urban School Lessons

Urban School Lessons:

Reflections about Student Learning, Curriculum and Pedagogy

I. Readings

Lana M. Danielson’s Fostering Reflection

I appreciate the clarity provided by Danielson’s Four Modes of Thinking and will attempt to incorporate more “dialectical thinking” and deliberate reflecting into my work – reflecting that aims “to gain understanding” of situations and “generate solutions.” In terms of prompts and questions, I find it useful to re-write and re-think the questions so as to provide a platform for fuller reflection.

Taryn Sanders’ The Importance of Reflection

Among the standout points in Sanders’ article – clarifying questions, reflective conversations and the definition of meta-cognitive thinking as “having an awareness and self-regulation of one’s own thinking processes.” These ideas seem valuable, approachable and do-able.

Cheryl E. Matias’ Tears Worth Telling

This piece is exciting. Matias not only speaks a truth I completely agree with, she speaks it in a poetic manner I completely identify with. While I love the ideas in this article, I have to be honest about my gut reaction. I tried to incorporate some of this into my lessons. I was often left feeling like I was one drop of water in a vast ocean. While I can’t say that I had critical race objectives linked to content objectives like the wonderfully detailed plan in the article, I certainly tried to incorporate cultural and critical literacy in the classroom. It is not easy – and ultimately, it cannot be linked to most state standards.  Class time is a major consideration. But, maybe these are just excuses. Matias’ poetic insights remind me of the larger, more important issues involving culture and schooling, and the boldness that is required to bring about even a little bit of change.


II. Two Lesson Plans

Looking back on the two months I spent at Green Central Park School in South Minneapolis, working as a long-term substitute for the 6th and 7th grade English classes, there were highs and lows. Happily, my retrospective review of the experience finds many more good experiences than bad, but it’s been useful to recall both – by considering two particular lesson plans of varying success, starting with a 6th grade unit that went quite well and ending with a 7th grade lesson plan that was less than successful.

GRADE 6

Description

Thinking back on one 6th grade lesson plan in particular makes me feel proud. I recall feeling fulfilled as a teacher. Many of the students were excited, interested, and inquisitive. I felt like the two days spent teaching the lesson plan were an effortless and energizing delight.

The lesson objective was to introduce and begin reading a new novel – Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. The lesson’s key concept involves Multiple Perspectives.   The plan has students examine art to discern multiple perspective and apply those ideas to Creech’s narrative.

Reflection

The key issue presented by this experience is how engaged and even enthusiastic students were during this lesson.

My teaching goal was to prepare students for the idea that the novel, Walk Two Moons, is one story told from many vantage points. I simply wanted students to understand that concept, but it turned out they saw something else in the lesson. I knew students might like seeing optical illusions. I figured using them would go well, but I did not anticipate just how engaging students would find them. I quickly created a few more lessons using more art pieces because the students were clamoring for it. Students liked playing the games involved. They got to interact with the concept. They had fun. As a result, students were able to identify – and enjoy finding – the multiple perspectives in the chapter.

At the time, I recall thinking of ways I could capitalize on these sorts of art-related activities in the future. Students truly understood their role as “text detectives.”

Learning

Why did things go so well? Students brought their own interests and ideas, transforming the routine lesson into something of interest and import. Also, the layout and order of the lesson was very clear. This experience was somewhat surprising, in that I had not anticipated the intense student reaction. I learned to use points of interest similar to this to engage these 6th graders in subsequent lessons. This success led to others.

GRADE 7

Description

One Green Central 7th grade lesson plan, which spanned about four class sessions, left me feeling angry, confused, and inadequate as a classroom manager. Many of the students were off-task or disruptive. I didn’t feel like I had control of the class, or control of the environment.

The lesson objective was to read and study the final chapters of the novel the class had been reading – The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis. In the initial week of the plan – covering two chapters (chapters 11 and 12) – students took turns reading aloud. This was followed by class discussions and reading comprehension activities. The week included vocabulary and comprehension homework. Reading could not be assigned as homework since books were not allowed to leave the building.

Reflection

The key issue presented by this experience is my approach to covering the material – the methods employed to complete the task – and student behavior.

Academically, I wanted students to not just be clear about significant events in the chapter, but to understand how those events related to main themes. I knew students would soon be asked to write a final essay citing evidence of the novel’s themes. However, things simply did not go well.

The classroom environment was not positive and respectful, so things were not successful and there was limited learning. Right from the top of class, students entered the room in a loud, disruptive way, so that even getting started was difficult. I began to dread having to face the class the next day, which certainly then affected my attitude. There were side-conversations, constant interruptions, and since the school provided a student snack during that class period, there were also food fights. The students who were trying to stay on-task, follow the rules and learn – could not, due to the disruptive environment.  Generally, students were not getting an opportunity to prepare for an important assessment.

This experience was frustrating, because I knew why certain students were behaving in certain ways. The most disruptive students were also some of the most likeable kids in the room! I could relate to the students as individuals, but as a class, we could not move forward. Students seemed disconnected from the novel – treating the reading and comprehension question assignments as pointless and uninteresting.

Learning

Why did things go so wrong? Primarily, I point to the fact that – ‘I put the horse before the cart.’ That is to say, I put the content before the connection. The following week, I backed up and restarted my lesson on Chapters 11 and 12. I began with quick-writes, videos and discussions. I created a sense of community. I devised activities that would limit my instruction and invite participation from learners.

I also blame the lack of explicit connections to learning targets. In the following weeks, students were put in pairs and trios to read and review text, finding examples of two specific themes. Students knew their written notes would become the basis for their final essay.

In retrospect, this experience was difficult, but ultimately instructive and rewarding. It reminded me that I have to be creative and inventive about how I plan student experiences and use class time. I have to maximize student involvement to maximize student ownership of the work.


III. Comparing Curricula

For the purposes of reflection, I am comparing my own curriculum plans to a unit from the Minneapolis District’s Focused Instruction guide. The district’s Grade 6, ELA lesson plan – entitled, Perspective and Perception – is described as a unit using “a broad range of readings to explore the relationship between our perspectives and perceptions.” Within the unit, students focus on one novel (suggested text: Sharon Creech’s – Walk Two Moons). Students also study about and write a Response to Literature.

I found the district curriculum to be safe, boring, and though tied to important standards, I found its learning goals to be unclear. Students responded well to the basic unit structure and activities, but generally, they did not relate to the novel or seem to enjoy it. The novel, while very well-written, is told from the perspective of a young American Indian girl but is actually written by a White woman. My response was to look at the book critically, which revealed some of the author’s clunky cultural missteps.

The district curriculum expects much of teacher and learners. It presumes students are already proficient in basic literacy skills, as there is no time reserved for skill building. The unit expects that students have a firm grasp of academic language and an appreciation for the language and concepts used in academic standards. Students are expected to relate to a fairly esoteric main idea – posed as an Essential Question: “What do we learn from these texts about the relationship between our perceptions and perspectives?”  In the district curriculum, teachers are expected to use particular strategies, such as Socratic Seminars and Reader/Writer notebooks. Teachers are expected to move along fairly quickly – considering the depth and sheer size of the novel.

My own curriculum expects many students to need instruction and practice on basic writing skills. It assumes students need the prompting of background knowledge and connections to the content and concepts. It expects that a certain number of students will be absent from classes which affects scheduling. My curriculum expects students to need explicit instruction. Also in terms of instruction, my curriculum anticipates that many different strategies may be needed, depending on how things go. The teacher is expected to monitor students and make adjustments. My main strategy was the use of Literature Circles.

There are three intended “hidden curriculum” lessons students may be learning here. Students are subtly learning that visual art relates to writing and novels, that there are many different cultures and social perspectives, and that a text can be analyzed critically – seen in a social context.

Two unintended “hidden curriculum” lessons students may be learning: it is important to read and discuss fiction; and, certain types of books should be of interest to most 6th graders.


IV. Learning and Teaching

I believe meaningful learning includes the following:
Learning that impresses the learner as useful in his/her “real” life.
Learning that leads to new ideas and concepts – not just an ability to repeat facts.
Learning that is tied to culture and identity.
Learning that provides a deepened understanding of self.
Learning that energizes the learner.
Learning that prompts connections to classes in other content areas.

I believe effective teaching includes the following:
Teaching that connects students to the subject.
Teaching that makes school seem fun – or at least, interesting, pleasant and worthwhile.
Teaching that enlightens.
Teaching that empowers students personally.
Teaching that is well-planned and organized.
Teaching that is differentiated and considers various learning styles.

These beliefs are reflected in certain assumptions:
I assume students want to learn – and are natural learners.
I assume students come to school with their own knowledge and “ways of knowing.”
I assume students (adolescents) are intensely curious about themselves and finding their place in the world.
I assume educators have a responsibility to find ways to engage and motivate students.
I assume educators can have a long-lasting impression and effect on students.
I assume quality educators want every student in the class to succeed.

These beliefs are reflected in some of my experiences:
I have often extended parts of a lesson or changed whole lessons to capitalize on student response.
I have been in classrooms that were disorganized.
I have spoken with many students about what types of teachers they prefer.
I have found that students love games. They don’t mind the idea of learning through games.
I have seen students rise to the challenge once they had taken ownership of a project.

Certain experiences and needs of urban learners are served by these beliefs:
Students are often given choices within assignments.
Students are given longer projects.
Learners have a PowerPoint every day.
Learners may turn in late work and re-test.
Learners experience (my notions of) structure and order.
Learners experience use of videos, movies and music.
Young people have a need to find personal and social identity.
Students need their cultural identity to be explicitly included.
Students need to feel school work is relevant to their lives.
Students need to experience success in school.
V. Pre-flection on Action

While I have yet to define the subject of my Reflections-on-Action assignment – my general “pre-flection” takes the form of several questions about the legal system that significant numbers of urban youth encounter.

I have learned that Hennepin County’s Juvenile Detention Center – located in downtown Minneapolis has a high school called, Stadium View School.  Classes are taught by teachers from the Minneapolis Public Schools.
Since the average stay at the detention center is very short, I wonder how the teachers are able to plan curriculum. 
What percentage of students will experience a stay at the JDC or a similar facility? How do those numbers breakdown by gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status?
What level of support and resources are dedicated to schooling in the juvenile justice system?
Do assumptions about students involved in the system lead to educational practices, such as, lowering expectations, labeling, tracking and so forth?
What are student attitudes toward schooling in general? Is school seen as valuable?
How do teachers view students who have been detained by the system?
How does the culture of a detention center conflict/coincide/ connect with the school’s culture?
What are the classroom expectations? And how are classroom rules handled?
What sorts of obstacles to matriculation and graduation are encountered by students?
Are there common student complaints about the system, as it relates to curriculum or schooling?
What common attitudes do urban youth have towards the justice system?
What are some common academic needs of students who have short and long-term stays in detention centers?
What are some known strengths?
Are there existing groups or programs dedicated to researching and compiling lessons and strategies specifically designed for juveniles in detention centers?
What kind of person elects to teach within the justice system?  What have their experiences been?
What are their perspectives on urban learners – and the personal/social needs of those students?


VI. Standard Practices

Of the 52 components on the Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers (SEPT) chart, I chose “strongly agreed” in 38 areas. My highest scores were in Standards 5, 9 and 10. The opportunities for growth were in Standards 1 – 3. The four broad organizing elements of the state's SEPT are as follows: Learners and Learning; Content; Instructional Practice; and Professional Responsibility. My focus on improvement should be in the first area – Learners and Learning. This tool is a good way to review and re-think priorities. When going back to re-do the assignment, I found that I scored lowest in the areas where I seemed less sure of the definitions of the abilities being described. Also I noticed that I gave myself the benefit of the doubt in areas that used subjective language (e.g., “I respect” . . . “I value”).

The results of this self-evaluation make me wonder how others would rate me, and if the ratings would be similar. These results likely reflect my personal and biased beliefs and assumptions about what makes a “good” teacher. I perceive myself as inadequately prepared to handle differentiation to effectively teach students with different needs and strengths. The results suggest that I see “learning how students learn” as the most important consideration in teaching.

Speaking to the SEPT generally, it provokes certain negative views and opinions.

I worry that these standards can be used as a tool to falsely measure my work and value as a teacher. It’s all well and good to establish standards of effective practice for teacher – but doesn’t that demand standards for effective system support?

For example, in observations, I was often given low marks on engagement because students were using cell phones. Despite my repeated attempts to address the problem, and the school and school district’s failure to deal with the issue – I was finally blamed for not meeting a teaching standard. The fact is, when you’re up against a set of bad choices, you pick your battles and do your best. You solve the problems you can and avoid creating new ones.

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Vision and Values

Urban Teaching Vision and Values:

Reflections on Personal and Professional Development

Our vision is a manifestation of our values.

Vision

I value and fully adopt the School of Urban Education’s central principles, and in so doing, I am empowered with a social justice framework for my own personal mission and goals. The program has provided me an academic platform and a solid practical foundation.

I claim the school’s vision of demonstrating respect for culturally diverse urban learners and its aim to “nurture critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and a passion for academic achievement” in urban communication arts students. My professional mandate is to create conditions that narrow the Achievement Gap. I embrace the (much abused) demand that there be No Child Left Behind, in the sense that I am specifically committed to “educational equity through continued research and reflective analysis concerning historical disparities” in schooling. I absolutely identify and embody the school’s mission to “actively recruit, advise and retain teacher candidates of color.” I truly feel like Metropolitan State’s focus on diversity, as it concerns all aspects of urban education, has been tailored just for me – personally. As an African American male English teacher, I carry my pride in obtaining my licensure with me into the classroom. I do feel that I am a role model who is charged with bringing change to the system.


Values

I value the personal power of education.	I want to make a difference in the lives of diverse urban learners.
I value creativity.	I am energized when a student writes a great poem or offers a sharp insight in a discussion. I am energized by student personalities shining through in academic activities. I am energized when a student gets excited about a book or a particular subject.
I value educational equity.	I must: work toward creating a school system that produces equitable learning experiences for all urban learners; Improve the educational performance of culturally and linguistically diverse urban youth; Enhance students' social and emotional growth; Maximize individual learning opportunities through differentiation and proficiency-based assessments.
I value learning for learning sake.	I am motivated to teach by the idea that I am continuing in the process of learning.
I value literature and literacy.	The study of language and language arts proficiency motivates me teach.
I value urban students.	I am motivated to teach by the thought that I could help usher urban youth toward their potential.  Also, I am motivated by the feeling that I have the right combination of communication skills to be an effective urban teacher.

Developmental Reflection

Entering the public school classroom having previously taught in other venues, I had a far different – almost reverse – experience than the one conceptualized in Stroot’s Developmental Stages of Teachers:

1.    Value my maturity, ability and dedication
2.    Value learners
3.    Value delivery of content and learning objectives
4.    Value strategies to work around the system
5.    Value basic survival


I certainly identify with some of the negative new teacher experiences mentioned in Burned In: Fueling the Fire to Teach. My response to the system was to protect myself and pullback – but I have no intentions of abandoning my commitment to urban teaching and education.

I value the idea of service. I have always felt my priority was to give back to my community. I want to make a real difference in the lives of diverse urban learners.

How am I sustaining my ability to serve? Emotionally, I rely on my writing and thinking. I also rely on music, both composing and listening to it. This also fulfills a spiritual need.  I watch and track news items and try to stay on top of politics. I discuss current events and topics with friends. Physically I try to work out to stay in shape and walk as much as possible. I know that dancing has been a way for me to stay physically connected but I am not currently performing or taking any dance classes.

I value cultural social connections. A civic/community organization I find valuable and sustaining is a somewhat informal Twin Cities group called the Black Educators’ Alliance that meets once a month. It is also a network for sharing news by email updates. I hold teacher unions to be absolutely critical to teacher support and professional development, and to empowering educators who promote systemic change. Unfortunately, I may need to look toward charter schools for the right kind of environment, and that would mean potentially forgoing those protections.
Efficacy Amid Paradox

The urban education paradox Sam Intrator describes in The Heart of a Teacher is fully explored in the myth of Pygmalion – a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. Shaw’s version of Pygmalion places a finer point on the cultural conundrum presented, examining a speech professor that – in his single-minded zeal to transform a “lowly guttersnipe” into a lady of spoken refinement – crushes his student’s very humanity in the process. This speaks to the distinction between Teachers as Conduits and Teachers as Civic Agents of empowerment outlined by Mirra and Morrell in Teachers as Civic Agents.

Broadly speaking, The Pygmalion Effect in schools refers to the principle that the greater the expectation placed upon learners, the better they perform. The urban classroom tension I most struggle with is what Parker Palmer calls the “paradox of freedom and discipline.” This paradox is aptly illustrated by the Pygmalion variation, Pinocchio. Here, the story dynamic focuses on the student’s perspective.

Critical reflection seems key to coping with the tensions of teaching, and to maintaining a positive, “growth mindset.” I found that teaching, alone, daily required so much time – there was little time left for quality reflection. It is important for me to pre-establish procedures and routines for reflection. I have determined that keeping a blog is a useful and productive way for me to reflect and track events for later review.

Thinking of myself as a researcher – in relation to concepts in the Dudley-Marling article on Practitioner Inquiry – strikes me as very useful. It could broaden my perspectives and perhaps present new possibilities for ways to interact with the school system. I find teaching to be intellectually challenging and satisfying, but I am searching for a school environment and position that fits my professional mission and personal cultural outlook.

On Resiliency

I value my own time and my own worth. This makes me intolerant of certain aspects of school politics. I value my own abilities. Often my greatest struggle is to fit into the school system outside of the classroom.

I value orderliness. I am a bit of a perfectionist. During class, I struggle emotionally with class disruptions – side-conversations, cell phone use and the like.

In one specific instance, a student – who we’ll call “Sherry” – would openly, loudly carry on conversations when I was in front of the class explaining or teaching. It was habitual, and it made me very angry. Sherry wasn’t the only talker, but she was the most consistently disruptive at the start of class. I was able to approach solving the problem through adjusting the order of the lesson. I started class with a Quick-Write (or Quick-Read, Quick-Do) which was posted on the board. Following this, was a class debate centered on a posted Question (or Issue) of the Day. Only after these activities did I do any sort of whole-class explanation, instruction or modeling. This allowed Sherry – and everybody else – an opportunity to talk and interact.  Sherry loved the debates and often led the class. I found that many activities would flow into the following day.  I learned to schedule lessons across class sessions. I also learned to minimize the time I spent in front of the class and maximize student-centered activities. I showed resilience here by incorporating the students’ need to talk into classroom activities, while staying consistent with ELA standards. Resilience was also shown in development of better relationships and a more respectful environment.

The Need for Change

Gloria Ladson-Billing's reconceptualization of the Achievement Gap properly places it in a broader context “that holds us all accountable." She describes the Education Debt – a debt that has accumulated over time and includes many different "historical, economic, sociopolitical and moral components."

The National Opportunity to Learn Campaign website supports Ladson-Billing's critical repositioning of the Achievement Gap – in one place, identifying the three areas comprising the yawning Opportunity Gap: learners’ individual needs; in-school opportunities and resources; and, communities and neighborhoods. Public education will only ever be part of the solution to so broad a problem, but certainly, schools could immediately and substantially help reduce the nation's Education Debt through focused improvements in the school system.

The broad outlines of what is needed to foster change and increase achievement are well defined in the articles – Teachers as Civic Agents by Mirra and Morrell and Got Opportunity? by Quaglia, Fox and Corso.

Mirra and Morrell present a coherent framework for fundamental structural change in their Pedagogy of the City – a pedagogy centered on connecting what is learned to why it is relevant to the learner. They focus on authentic learning experiences and assessments, and on reframing teachers, not as transmitters of information, but as Civic Agents who prepare students to become “self-actualized and critically empowered.”

In their clarifying analysis, Quaglia, Fox and Corso describe four priority elements required for positive urban school change: holding high expectations; relationship building; meaningful, relevant learning activities; and, an empowering environment that connects young urban youth.

My vision of the ideal urban school
includes the following key components:


A caring, safe, supportive environment;

An environment that reflects the priories, perspectives and passions of urban youth;

High expectations are established and learners are provided with opportunities for success;

Learning community rules and general expectations are established, evaluated and equitably observed;

A culturally diverse and culturally competent teacher workforce;

A culturally responsive, intentionally inclusive learning environment centered on respecting cultural and intellectual diversity;

Identify and eliminate prejudice, cultural stereotyping, bullying and discrimination;

Very small class sizes and individualized instruction;

Cooperative learning;

Interdisciplinary learning;

Standards-based lessons linked to specific learning targets and a formative assessment strategy;

Learners are assessed through accomplishment-based performance standards, outcomes, and measures;

Lesson plans that offer opportunities for student choice and individual expressions of learning;

Content presented in the context of students' real lives and real-world experiences;

Feedback to each learner occurs regularly.

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Common Core Politics

Gov. Chris Christie Calls For End To Common Core

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Reflective Practice PowerPoint

Reflective Practice in Small Groups and Teams
PowerPoint

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Race Lies

Spokane NAACP official Rachel Dolezal's "race" is questioned

Michael P. Jeffries defines 'race':

"'Race' is socially constructed, meaning that it is an idea produced by human thought and interaction rather than something that exists as a material fact of life on earth . . .

'Race' is rooted in false beliefs about the validity of observed physical differences as indicators of human capacity or behaviors. Human beings build categories and make distinctions naturally. But there is no biological basis for racial categories and no relationship between classification based on observed physical characteristics and patterns of thought or behavior . . .

Humans do not have separate subspecies or races the way some animals do, and genetic traits like skin color are inherited separately from other physical and mental traits, such as eye and hair features, blood type, hand-eye coordination, and memory . . .

Social imperatives change racial categories and meanings over time, as political, cultural, and scientific developments force us to reconsider what once seemed certain. No matter the time and place, race is intimately bound with the distribution of rights and resources, and racial ideas are manifest in social inequalities."

-- Michael P. Jeffries

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